Everyone wants to be on the first page of Google and, if possible, in the first place. There are good reasons for this: over 25% of people click the first Google search result, and 75% of people never get past page one. The further in the search results you are, the fewer people will see your content, which means missed opportunities regardless of how good your products or services are.
A pay-per-click (PPC) campaign can turn things around quickly and send you soaring into prime position on the same day. But results will only last as long as you run your ad campaign. A combination of PPC and search engine optimisation (SEO) to boost your organic traffic is the most effective approach for long-term benefits. This article focuses on tried-and-tested methods for increasing organic traffic.
If you’re a South East Queensland-based business eager to increase your Google rankings, you may consider the benefits of a digital marketing agency in Brisbane. There are many different agencies and professionals, but a digital creative agency is particularly effective for helping you achieve your goals. A digital creative agency will combine technical know-how and a strong grasp of best practice SEO with the kind of creative spark that has an eye for detail and aesthetics. Anchor is one such agency. Based in Brisbane, we help businesses like yours reach Google’s highly coveted top spot.
What Are Google Rankings?
Your Google rankings refer to where your website sits among the results that appear when web users type specific search terms into Google. These search terms become your keywords, and you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find the keywords people are using to find products like yours.
The next step is to include these keywords in your content. The next time users search for these keywords, Google will crawl through your webpage. Using its algorithms, it will determine where to rank your content based on factors like keywords, relevance and, above all else, quality.
Why do they matter?
Ranking high on Google not only increases your site’s visibility and leads to more traffic and conversions, but it also increases the extent to which your company is seen as trustworthy and authoritative. More organic traffic means less money spent on pay-per-click and other forms of marketing. Being on the front page means you have your work cut out for you.
How long does it take to improve them?
There’s no hard and fast answer to this question. It’s variable. It depends on the quality of your website, your skill set, your budget and your competition. Best practice SEO is about taking a long-term approach. It may take a couple of months to a year to see changes, but once your rankings improve, you can stay in a strong position for a long time. Just don’t be discouraged if it takes a little longer than you expected to first see your results improve.
Working with a digital marketing agency in Brisbane is a powerful way to see results faster than trying to implement a strategy on your own. Google has more than 200 ranking factors, and keeping on top of new SEO developments and best practices is a full-time job. A marketing agency with the right digital skill set can accelerate the process for you so you can concentrate on running your business.
Ways to Increase Your Google Rankings
Some reliable methods for reaching a higher place on Google include:
Start with a solid foundation (good website)
These days, achieving a high Google ranking is more about pleasing web users than search engines. A poorly structured and difficult-to-navigate website with unhelpful content will struggle to rank no matter how strong your campaign is. A fast, responsive website with well-written content will give you a head start. So will a skilful use of structure, metadata, alt tags etc. – all elements that the right digital marketing agency in Brisbane can take care of.
Deliver excellent UX
As any digital marketing agency in the know will tell you, user experience (UX) is a crucial ranking factor for Google. Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm to ensure it ranks more relevant and valuable pages higher. UX is one of the criteria it considers when determining SEO rankings. That means if the pages load fast and the site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate, your chances of ranking increase.
Optimise your pages
Well-written content that provides value to users is essential, but there’s more than that to optimising your web pages. Adding structured data (information organised in a format such as a table) to your pages gives Google a way to interpret what your pages are about more easily. Short and sharp titles, original meta descriptions and anchor text with a clear meaning also help your page stand out on search engines.
Optimise for search intent
Is your potential customer looking for a particular product, a specific website or just more information or reviews to help them decide what to purchase? The best strategy is to match the content of your page to their intent. For instance, if they’re just looking for more information and your page is the place to go to make a transaction, Google will decide its relevance to their query is low. You can optimise for search intent by having multiple pages (transactional, informational, location-based etc.) and optimising your content so that users stay on your site for longer and have a good look around.
Optimise internal links
Google pays attention to your anchor text and uses it to determine what your links are about. Vague terms like “find out more here” isn’t as effective as specifying where the link will lead. Broken links also negatively impact the quality of the user experience and lead to your rankings dropping. Not only should you optimise the existing links on your website and minimise duplicate links, but it’s also worth scanning the web for mentions of your brand. If another company mentions your brand without linking, it’s worth sending them a message asking them to link to you.
Publish relevant content
As we’ve already established, Google considers how relevant the content on your page is to a search query. Creating relevant content can be as simple as including questions in your content (to match the sort of questions users will be typing into Google) and constructing headlines that draw readers in. You can also use topic research tools such as SEMRush and Ubersuggest to find potential angles to take when creating content on particular topics.
Update your site regularly
Every blog post you publish is another page for web users to come across on Google and find their way onto your page from. Not only that, but Google uses regular, freshly updated content as a sign of a site’s relevance. Just as user intent and popular keywords are liable to change with time, it benefits you to keep producing unique and timely material.
Use alt tags
Describe your pictures and videos using alt tags, also known as alternative text descriptions. They make it easier for search engines to locate your page.
Have a link-worthy site
Just as linking to other websites and within your own helps with your SEO, having the kind of high-quality website that other businesses want to link to is a plus. Links from external sites improve your SEO and credibility and help build connections.
Anchor is Your Digital Marketing Agency in Brisbane
If you’ve been looking for a digital marketing agency in Brisbane has a truly in-depth knowledge of how to increase your Google rankings, you’ve found it. It’s Anchor.
Anchor isn’t just another marketing agency. We’re a full-service creative agency that balances the technical aspects of web development and coding with creative solutions. We know that SEO is always in a state of change, and we optimise your website content to please human readers, not just search engines.
As we boost your brand awareness, we ensure we stay true to your vision and that we’re representing your brand your way. This approach has led to us developing long-term relationships with clients without resorting to lock-in contracts.
Drop us a line if you want to embark on a voyage to the front page of Google together – and stay there.
