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Complete Guide To Climb To Top Google Ranking For Your
Small Business
1. Write Long Form Content
There is a correlation between longer content (2000+ words) and high rankings. Think about
topics that are particularly relevant to your target audience, then create in-depth blog posts that cover every angle of that subject. Several studies have been done on how long your
content should be to rank.
2. Upload a sitemap for
GoogleAn XML sitemap shows Google exactly what's on your site. You
can easily create and upload one to your site using XML Sitemap
Generator.
3. Make Sure You're Using 301
Redirects, Not 302s
301s indicate that your content has permanently moved, and
that all SEO "juice" and rankings should be redistributed to the
new page.
4. Don't inadvertently block Google
from accessing your site
If you're not receiving any search traffic, check the section of your site
and look for something like this: . Also look through your robots.txt file
for something like this:
User-agent: *Disallow: /
Both of these directives tell the search engines not to crawl or index
your site. All the SEO hacks in the world won't help until you remove
these.
5. Optimize For Mobile
Google's Mobile-Friendly tool can help with this. If your site isn't mobile-friendly, you'll need to switch to a responsive design,
mobile app or dedicated mobile site. If you're using Wordpress,
you can install the plugin WPTouch to automatically switch
to a mobile theme for your mobile visitors.
6. Your Site Needs To Load Quickly On All
DevicesUse Google's PageSpeed Insights
to see how quickly your site's main pages load. If you find
they're taking too long, here is a list of 10 ways to speed up your
site.
7. Use Descriptive URLs
Your URLs should always be static and should use descriptive
keywords, not just random letters or numbers (such as
you'd find with dynamic URLs).
8. Use A .com Domain If Possible
My friends at Searchmetrics have concluded 84% of top-
ranking pages use .com as their top-level domain (TLD). Don't
worry too much about using your keywords in your domain name;
using your URL for branding purposes is much more
important.
9. Use Internal Linking To Refer
Users And Search Engines To
Related Products Or Content
Don't worry about artificially incorporating keyword-rich
anchor text to rank for specific keywords. Instead, focus on
using natural anchor text that would make the most sense to
your readers.
10. Keep Your Most Important
Content On Your Root Domain
Most top-ranking pages sit on a site's root domain, rather than
on a subdomain.
11. Title Tags Still Matter
Ensure each page of your site uses a unique, descriptive title tag to tell users and the search engines what the page is about. Consult the HTML Improvements
report in your Google Webmaster account to see if there are any potential issues
with your site's title tags.
12. Use Schema.org To
Show Rich Snippets In
SearchBy adding this markup to your site, you give Google a better
sense of what your site is about, and ensure rich snippets are
displayed alongside your site in the search results. Here is a great overview of what rich snippets are and how to use
them.
13. Write A BlogHaving a basic business website
is great, but regularly adding unique, relevant content to a blog on your site will give you the best chance of attracting search traffic. Find out what topics your prospects and
customers are interested in, and write long-form content that
addresses these issues.
14. Find And Use Relevant Keywords
Keywords don't hold the same level of importance they did
even a few years ago. That said, keyword research is still a good
way to find popular, relevant topics to include on your site. For step-by-step guidance on
this, see my content marketing guide.
15. Content Marketing Is Key
To Search Rankings
Instead of focusing exclusively on optimizing your content for
the search engines, take a holistic approach to create and
promote excellent, well-researched content that both the search engines and your readers
will love.
