Google is the number one search engine used by people to find websites. What this means for you, as a website owner, is that if your site isn’t ranking in Google’s top 10 results for your target keywords, it might as well not exist from Google’s perspective.

According to HubSpot, 75% of searchers never go past the first page of search results — this is why it is so essential to rank on the first page of Google. There are several strategies and techniques you can follow to rank higher on Google, but if you don’t get the basics right like your on-page SEO (which we will discuss later in this post) then there’s no chance that you’ll be able to rank on page one of Google.

Best SEO Practices To Follow

There are many different elements of SEO to consider in order to improve your website’s ranking, but we’ll go over a few of the most important ones below. SEO is an ever-changing landscape, so it’s critical to stay up to date on the newest best practices.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO is the process of improving a website’s ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs) through the use of strategic internet marketing tactics. SEO assesses how search engines work, the computer-programmed algorithms that dictate search engine behavior, what people look for, real or actual search phrases entered into search engines, and which search engines are preferred by their target audience.

SEO is done so that when websites rank higher in the search engine results page (SERP), more people would visit it. These visitors might be converted into customers if they have a high shopping propensity.

The goal of SEO is to improve your website’s rankings in search engines so that you get as many site visitors and conversions from the traffic coming from Google, Yahoo! or Bing.

How does SEO work?

Browsers like Google and Bing employ crawlers, sometimes known as bots or spiders, to gather information from the internet’s content. The crawler begins at a known website and works its way through internal links to sites within the same domain as well as external links to sites on other domains.

The content on those websites, as well as the context of the links it followed, aid in the crawler’s comprehension of each page’s meaning and how semantically related it is to all of the other pages in the search engine’s massive database, called an index.

When a query is entered into the search box, a computer program called a search engine looks for patterns in that input and performs complicated calculations to produce a list of results it thinks are most correct and relevant. Organic results might include text-based web pages, news stories, images, videos, local business listings, and other more specialized types of content.

There are a lot of variables involved in the search engines’ algorithms, and they’re always changing to keep up with changing user behavior and technological progress.

SEO Strategies To Increase Ranking on Google

Let’s dive in and take a look at some of the best SEO strategies you can use to increase your website’s ranking on Google:

On-Page Optimization

One of the most important aspects of SEO is on-page optimization. This includes optimizing your website’s title tags, meta descriptions, header tags, images, and other elements that affect how your site ranks in search engines.

You should also make sure that your website’s content is high quality and relevant to your target audience. Don’t keyword stuff your content or try to artificially boost your rankings by including irrelevant keywords — this will only get you penalized by Google.

Focus on One Keyword

There is no need to target multiple keywords with the same piece of content; Google will not be able to figure out what your page is about and it could lead you into ranking for something that isn’t relevant.

When writing your blog post, make sure that you are focusing on a single keyword or phrase through all stages from outline until publishing. Use this tool when searching for related terms while brainstorming topics/keywords:  Thesaurus

Use Long-Tail Keywords Over Short Ones

This tip might sound counterintuitive at first since most people think using shorter phrases means reaching more people but actually, less competition!

Long-tail keywords have lower search volume than “head” (or broad) top-level keywords; however, they have upwards of 90% search volume.

Use Phrase Match Instead of Exact Keywords

Use phrase match instead of exact keyword terms, this way you will get more traffic but with less competition (long-tail keywords). – Research long-tail keywords using Google’s Keyword Planner, or Long Tail Pro.

You can also use a free tool like Ubersuggest to research additional long-tail phrases from your high-level head keyword. Keep in mind that depending on the topic/niche you are working on almost any term could lead to thousands and thousands of different possible related topics which is why it is so important to focus on only one main target throughout all stages: brainstorming, outlining, and writing the content itself. This way you’ll be able to write copy that appeals both to readers and search engines.

Use a Subheading Structure

Use a subheading structure that is already proven to be effective: an H, or “Hook”. It makes it easy for the user’s eye to scan your content by breaking it into small chunks while giving you more space to write more keywords (and thus rank higher).

Create a site map using Google Webmaster Tools

Site maps are now used as part of Google’s algorithm in ranking websites since they help them crawl through all your pages much easier. Site maps also act as navigation structures that help users find their way around on your website and improve overall user experience — something that will eventually increase conversion rate too! I strongly recommend installing Yoast SEO plugin so you can take advantage of its XML sitemap feature.

Optimize Your Images for SEO

When you upload an image to your website, be sure to include keywords in the file name and fill out the alternate text field with a brief, keyword-rich description of the photo.

Check for Duplicate Content

Duplicate content can hurt your ranking on Google because it confuses the search engine about which page is the most relevant to show users for a given query. You can use Copyscape or Siteliner to help you identify any instances of duplicate content on your website and take corrective action.

Optimize your titles and meta descriptions

Your title tags and meta descriptions are what show up as snippets on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs). They are also what users see in the search engine results when they hover their cursor over a link.

You want to make sure your titles and meta descriptions are both keyword-rich and interesting to users so that they will click through to your website.

Publish High-Quality Content

This is arguably the most important factor for ranking on Google. In order for Google to rank your website, it must deem your website contains valuable and relevant to users. So, publish high-quality, engaging content that provides value to your audience.

Optimize Your Images

When you upload images to your website, be sure to optimize them with keywords and descriptive alt text so that the search engines can index them correctly.

Images are critical for making your content more accessible, attractive, and engaging to visitors, but they’re also crucial for SEO. First and foremost, they provide search engines with important contextual information. Second, optimized pictures speed up page loading, which increases user engagement and improves search engine rankings.

Build Back Links From High-Quality Websites

One of the most important factors for ranking high on Google is having links from high-quality websites. The more high-quality links you have, the better your chances of ranking higher. This concept is known as ‘back link’ or ‘inbound link’ optimization.

A backlink is simply a link from one website to another. When another website links to your website, it’s called a “backlink.” Backlinking is an important part of SEO because it helps build your site’s authority and credibility with the search engines.

Use Keywords in Your Titles And Descriptions

When you’re publishing content, be sure to use your target keywords in your titles and meta descriptions so that the search engines will know what your content is about.

Address User Intent

In order to rank well on Google, it’s essential to understand user intent and address it with your content. If you can provide valuable information that meets the needs of users, you’ll be rewarded with higher rankings.

Search intent means finding out what the searcher was looking for when they searched a certain phrase.

For example, if you search “how to make ice cream,” it’s pretty clear that your intention is not so much about learning how to make ice cream as it is about searching for an easy way of doing so (and eating some!). If the content on your site doesn’t match up with this search intent, then Google will see right through it and rank other websites higher than yours.

Improve Website Speed

Another factor that Google takes into account when ranking websites is website speed. If your website loads slowly, you’ll likely see a decrease in rankings. To improve your website speed, be sure to optimize images and use a caching plugin.

Studies have shown that if a website takes more than three seconds to load, 40% of users will leave. So not only is website speed important for user experience and keeping people on your site, but it’s also important for SEO.

Use Short URLs

Google prefers shorter URLs over longer ones. This is because shorter URLs are easier to read and remember. When creating your blog posts, be sure to use short URLs instead of long, convoluted ones.

Include Social Sharing Buttons

When you include social sharing buttons on your blog posts, you make it easy for readers to share your content with their friends and followers. This increases the likelihood that your content will be seen by more people, which can result in increased rankings.

Optimize For Mobile

With more people using their smartphones and tablets to search the web, it’s important that your website is optimized for mobile devices. Use responsive design or create a separate mobile version of your website.

Improve Click-Through Rates (CTRs)

One of the factors that Google uses to determine how relevant your content is to users is CTRs. If users aren’t clicking on your links, it’s an indication that your content isn’t relevant enough. You can improve CTRs by using engaging titles and meta descriptions, as well as targeted keywords.

Use Schema Markup

Schema is a set of tags used in HTML to help search engines display information on your web pages accurately and consistently. However, not all sites have been fully optimized for schemas yet – so applying them can help get noticed by Google’s algorithms.

Final Thoughts

There you have it — 20 best SEO practices to improve your website’s ranking on Google. Start implementing these best practices today, and watch your website soar to the top of search engine results pages!

The fact is, SEO generally takes between 90 and 180 days to rank on Google, but this varies by industry and popularity.

Don’t take our word for it; do your research and see what you find. It’s tough to figure out which industry is hot based on existing data, but looking at how many other websites rank in Google for your sought-after keywords can give you a general sense of whether it’s popular.

Happy SEO-ing!