How to Step Up Your Google Ranking
Boosting your Google search engine ranking used to be simple. All you had to do was make sure keywords were in your headline, subheadings and body copy. Publish a few articles, post a few blog posts and you were golden. That’s not really the case anymore. Today, competition for page rankings can be fierce and Google is more careful with their algorithm.
However, you can step up your Google ranking.
Here’s How:
1. Make Sure Your Page Loads Quickly
How quickly? The general rule of thumb is to make sure your page loads in three seconds or less. There are tools online, like Pingdom, that can tell you how fast, or slow, your website is.
2. Write Exceptional Content
One of the rules that will never change is to write and create exceptional content for your audience. Focus on writing for your audience and you can’t go wrong. If you want to make sure you’re using keywords, go for it. Just don’t cram it with keywords and make it difficult to read (you’ll get penalized by Google for this). Provide value first and foremost and you’ll be recognized and rewarded.
3. Optimize Your Images
Make sure they’re formatted so they load quickly and name and tag them with relevant keywords and keyword phrases.
4. Cite Your Sources
People are afraid to include outbound links because they feel like their readers and visitors will click away. When you cute your sources and include the website where you gained the information, it validates your stance. You gain respect, credibility, trust and authority. Google also appreciates it when you write content and share where your facts came from.
5. Fix What’s Broken
Generally speaking, this means to fix those broken links. They’re frustrating for your visitors and they can harm your page rankings. Fix them, prevent them, and get help if you need to.
6. Press, Press, Press, Press
Finally, if you really want to step up your Google ranking, get some press. Make friends with journalists and reporters in your industry and community. Write quality press releases about what your organization is doing and how you’re changing lives. Pitch story ideas, host events, make the news. Building your press and PR efforts will get people linking to you, talking about you, and it will step up your google ranking.
