SEO

6 Quick Tips to Rank Higher in the Search Results

Ranking higher in the search results is something every website and brand wants to accomplish. However, with over a billion active sites on the internet constantly coming out with new content and also ranking in Google, this is nothing short of mission impossible. The difference between websites and blogs that rank at the top of Google and those who fall into the abyss is the implementing of SEO — both “on” and “off” page methods apply.

SEO is the process of using content, keyword targeting and backlinks to rank higher in Google. The better the content on your site and the more backlinks to your site, the more likely your site is to rank at the top of Google. While this may seem easy enough, it’s actually not. Site owners need to make sure they have better content than the competition and that the structure of incoming backlinks to their site are at the highest of quality as well. This means you can spam a ton of links to your site and expect to find success — it could actually get your site penalized instead!

Below you will find six working methods to start ranking higher in Google. To make the most our of your content creation and SEO efforts, we also recommend using an SEO monitoring software to track the performance of your rankings and discover new areas for improvement,

Create Longer Article Content

In previous years, 500 words of content was more than enough for Google to start ranking your content. Now longer form content is ranking way higher than shorter content. If you want to outrank your competition, see what they are ranking for and the type of content they are creating… then make it longer, more in-depth, full of resources and simply better!

Add Social Sharing Buttons to Your Site

Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Facebook gives you immediate access to over 2 billion social networking users. Having a simple social sharing button on your site (articles) can make the process of increasing traffic and backlinks a million times earlier. If you have a WordPress site, all you need to do is search for “floating social bar” plugin and it will go live on your site.

Focus on Long Tail Keywords

It’s much easier to rank in Google for long tail keywords versus one or two-word generic keywords. If you are just starting out, this is also likely your only option. Know your target audience and what they are searching for in Google and it will make ranking that much easier. A good example of this would be trying to rank for “buy 10 speed racing bike” versus “buy bike”.

Analyze Competitor Backlinks

Keeping a close eye on your competitors and where they are ranking in the search results is key. It’s not just the keywords they are ranking for and the content they are creating, but also who is linking to their sites as well. Through the use of SEO tracking tools like SheerSEO, this is all possible.

Use Infographics to Build New Backlinks

Creating original content to share with your audience is a great way to increase backlinks and exposure for your sites. This is especially true with infographics. The benefit of creating an original infographic for topics within your niche, is that other top sites might share it with their audience and send a reference link back to your site. Tools like Canva and Piktochart can be used to easily create effective infographics in just a short period of time and at minimal cost.

Guest Blog on Relevant Sites in Your Niche

Getting backlinks and other sites to reference your work is all about providing value to others. A great way to accomplish this is through the use of influencer marketing and guest blogging. In exchange for writing original content for other sites in your niche, you would usually receive an author bio section at the end of each article. This author section should include your name, social profiles, a description and a backlink to your main site.

If you want to rank at the top of Google, it’s going to take a lot of time, work and effort. This is not something that happens overnight and it’s also not something you can set and forget. Implement each of the SEO tips above into your site, while also tracking the performance of your SEO efforts.

If you have any questions, please ask below!