Customers ask us all the time about how to get their site at a higher ranking in Google. These days, most people discover new sites by finding them in search engines like Google or Yahoo. The process of improving your ranking in these search engines is called Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.
Here are a few ways to improve your search engine ranking. Most of these are quick and easy fixes that will have an impact on how your site appears in search engines.
1. Use the GreenGeeks Search Engine Optimization Tools
Included in the GreenGeeks control panel is a set of tools for search engine submission and optimization Simply log in to cPanel and click the “SEO Tools” icon. This set of tools submits your site to search engines, can help you with link building, check your site against blacklists and much more!
Powered by Attracta, the suite of functions also comes with detailed reports regarding how your site appears on the Internet. With a couple clicks of the mouse, you can identify problems as well as get a checklist of how to easily fix those issues.
2. Make sure all of your pages are named with descriptions
Make sure all of your web pages have an optimized title and meta description available. This helps search engines determine what your content is about. It’s also the information people will see in the results pages of search engines.
How do you add titles and descriptions to web pages?
- Use the <title> tag.
Using the title tag in code, you tell engines like Google the actual title of the content. For example, if your page is about the dog grooming service that you offer in the Los Angeles, you may put a title such as: <title>Professional Dog Grooming in Los Angeles</title>. - Use meta descriptions.
The meta description is essentially the short blurb after the link in search results. It’s about 150 characters long and offers more information about the title. For instance, you can use: <meta name=”description” content=”Bring your pup in for a shave and a hair cut as our professional stylers give him or her that groomed look.”>
Luckily, systems like WordPress create this information automatically. In the event you’re not using a content management system, these two tags play a vital role in how your site appears online.
3. Use descriptive links on your page
Instead of linking to informational pages by saying “click here,” link to informational pages by making it more fluid.
For example, GreenGeeks offers exceptional Green Energy Web Hosting.
Search engines use links to help determine what content your site has, so using descriptive links will help improve your SEO. Remember, it needs to read natural otherwise Google may take it as being spam, which will hurt your page rank.
And make sure you’re linking to relevant content. Since the Google Penguin update in 2012, the search engine giant puts more effort behind quality content and links. Which means irrelevant links can result in being penalized by appearing lower in results pages.
In other words, you want to link to sites that support your content. You wouldn’t want to link to a car dealership if your page is about installing carpet.
4. Add alternate text for images
Make sure that your images utilize the ALT tag or if you’re using a content management system like WordPress, add a description. Search engines cannot see images, so describing them will help ensure they’ll appear in results.
For instance, let’s say you have a background image of your business in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can add alt=”My Business in Las Vegas, Nevada” within the <img> coding.
Something like this denotes the business name as well as its location, which benefits local SEO practices as well.
5. Consider CMS for organization and optimization
In the end, a well designed and organized website tends to rank higher in search engines. Using a Content Management System like WordPress or Drupal will help you achieve a clean and easily optimized site. These tools also have many SEO plugins to help you get the most out of search engine optimization.
The best part is most of these plugins are completely automated. All you need to do is install the tool, make a few minor custom adjustments and the plugin does the rest of the SEO stuff for you.
Content Management Systems help streamline the website while providing exactly what you need to appear higher in search results. They often save money, time and deliver a professional appearance regardless if you know how to code or not.
BONUS: Use an SSL Certificate
Secure Sockets Layer is a way to encrypt data from a website to a visitor. It offers website security while giving the guest peace of mind that his or her data is protected.
Sites like Google rank secured websites higher in search results. In fact, Google Chrome will advise users if a website is secure or not.
Whether you pay for a certificate or use a free SSL from Let’s Encrypt, changing your site from http to https is imperative.
Take Advantage of SEO
Search engine optimization is vital in today’s world. With the sheer number of competing websites online, you need to do what you can to get ahead in the game. These are just a few basic SEO tips for getting started. Take advantage of them and do what you can to improve your chances of being seen on the Internet
How do you achieve a high ranking in search engines? Let us know in the comment section bellow.
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