How to Rank High on Google

 There are many factors to take into account if you want to rank high on Google but some of them are more important than others. What I will outline below are the essential steps that you need to take if you want to get better rankings on the Google search results.

How to get a higher ranking on Google

There are many reasons as to why you need to pursue good Google rankings, let’s see how to get them.

Here are the 10 steps to follow:

Step 1: Check the quality of your content
Step 2: Improve your link profile
Step 3: Get your on-page SEO right
Step 4: Add internal links to your most important pages
Step 5: Perform a technical SEO Audit
Step 6: Improve your page loading time
Step 7: Make sure that your website is mobile friendly
Step 8: Make your website https
Step 9: Tell Google about your website
Step 10: Take advantage of the Social Media Buzz

Step 1: Check the quality of your content

First and foremost, you need to check the quality of your content.

You need to have unique and original content published on your website. This is a must and one of the most important factors for a website’s success.

Copying and republishing content from other websites will not work since content originality is very important for Google rankings.

When doing a content review, keep in mind the following factors:

Does it satisfy the user intent?

Each content you publish on your website needs to have a specific purpose and this is no other than satisfying the user’s intent.

When a user types a query in the Google search box, it expects that the websites in the first positions will give him a precise answer or solution.

Is your content a good candidate for this? How does your content compare with websites that are ranking higher in Google for the same search terms?

Be honest when doing your evaluation otherwise you won’t be able to improve your content and rankings.

Read my previous guide on thin content, to learn how to find and fix low quality pages.

Can search engines understand it? 

Besides making sure that you write content for users, you also need to ensure that search engines can understand it.

This means that you need to learn how to write SEO friendly content.

SEO friendly content helps search engines interpret the context of your content correctly.

Don’t forget that search engine crawlers are computer programs and not humans and the only way to understand what a piece of content is about is through the signals that you give them through content SEO.

Do you have enough relevant content on your website?

In addition to having quality content, you also need a LOT of content. The competition is intense in any niche you might think off, and it is important that you stand out of the crowd.

Google with the latest changes in their ranking algorithm, has shown that it likes relevancy and authority, in the websites that rank in the top positions.

This means that it’s not enough to have a single piece of content about a specific subject, but you need to show that your website has a lot of relevant and related content about a topic.

Algorithms no longer look for specific keywords in the content, but they analyze the website as a whole and try to understand how relevant is to what the user is searching.

That’s why it is important to optimize your site structure and make sure that it highlights all important parts and content of your website to both users and search engines.

Website Structure Guidelines

Relevancy in conjunction with high quality content and good off-page SEO, builds authority.

Remember though that if you have to choose between quantity and quality, always go with quality.

Age of the domain: Sometimes we tend to forget this but a domain that is new will not easily get a high ranking on Google. It will take a lot more work to get the attention of the search giant and establish Google trust. This does not mean that it’s impossible to achieve something good with a new domain, it just means that it will take more time.

Is your content long enough?

The length of a blog post is a ranking factor. Although Google says that they don’t use the number of words in the ranking algorithm, they do state that content should be thorough and insightful.

A number of studies has shown that long form content does better in search and get’s more social media shares.

There is no magic number as to how many words to make your blog posts but as a rule of thumb, articles with more than 1500 words have more chances in achieving higher positions in the Google SERPS.

What you should do is to give users exactly what they want. Don’t give them extra information that they don’t need to know about but do provide a detailed answer for their query.

It’s always a good practice to check your target keywords in Google and analyze the length (and type) of content that appears in the first positions.

This will give you a very good idea on how detailed your content needs to be.

Step 2: Improve your link profile

To get the attention of Google it is necessary to have mentions (links) from other websites on the web pointing to your website.

If the backlinks are coming from big and trusted websites, they have more value and that can positively influence your Google rankings.

Importance of Link Building for SEO

Link building or off-page SEO is a huge topic but what is important to understand now is that incoming links are like ‘votes of trust’ from other websites and this is something that Google takes into account when deciding which web pages will get a higher ranking.

Step 3: Get your on-page SEO right

Besides getting high quality incoming links, you also need to make sure that your ‘on-page SEO’ is correct.

On-Page SEO is a set of rules to make your website SEO friendly.

On-Page SEO

An SEO Friendly website is a lot more easier for Google to ‘read’ and the more information it can ‘understand’ from a website, the greater are the chances of achieving a good ranking.

You can also review our comprehensive SEO checklist for more information on how to get on-page SEO correct.

Step 4: Add internal links to your most important pages

Internal linking is when you add a link to a web page that points to another web page in the same website.

Internal link structure

Internal links are a very powerful way to tell Google what a page is about, it is good for the user since they can find new pages in the same website and it’s also an incentive for Google to crawl more content from the same website.

A good internal link uses anchor text that describes the linking page.

Step 5: Perform a technical SEO Audit

Technical SEO is very important in the whole SEO process. If there are issues with the technical part of SEO, your rankings can be negatively affected, even if you do everything else correctly.

It is highly recommended that you perform a technical SEO audit every six months to ensure that Google can access and index your website without problems.

The most important items to review during the audit include:

• The index coverage report in Google Search console
• Your robots.txt file
• Proper use of canonical URLs
• Correct use of structured data markup (website and individual pages)
• HTML and XML Sitemaps
• Broken links and 404 pages

You can read all the details in my Technical SEO Guide.

Step 6: Improve your page loading time

Although this is part of technical SEO, it should be stressed that a fast loading website can get better Google rankings than a slow loading website.

Speed is a known ranking factor and very important for usability as well.

Website Speed and Bounce Rate

You need to have a fast website not only because Google will like it more but because it has a positive effect on your bounce rate.

Step 7: Make sure that your website is mobile friendly

More and more people are using their mobiles to search Google and there are a number of studies that show the importance of mobile search for businesses and website owners.

When it comes to rankings, having a mobile friendly website is a must since Google is now ‘punishing’ websites that don’t offer mobile users a good mobile experience.

Step 8: Make your website https

Since 2014 the use of https is a known ranking factor. As stated by Google,  it’s a lightweight signal but still one of the easy things you can do and gain a comparative advantage over a competitor website that does not have SSL enabled on their website.

In addition, since July 2018, the Google Chrome browser marks non-https websites as not secured and this can drive customers and visitors away.

If you are thinking of migrating to https, read my previous guide how to migrate your website to https without losing SEO.

Step 9: Tell Google about your website

To establish some kind of communication with webmasters, Google created the Google webmaster tools.

Webmaster tools among other things, is a great way to give information to Google about your website and also find out what Google knows about it.

There are several settings you can configure within Webmaster tools like preferred URL, target country, sitemap etc and also several diagnostic tools you can use like ‘fetch as google’ and ‘robots tester’ that will eventually help you rank high on Google.

Step 10: Take advantage of the Social Media Buzz

The role social media has to play in Google rankings is a popular subject among digital marketing managers and SEO Experts.

There are different opinions as to the effect social has on rankings but what is certain is that a successful social media marketing campaign has a lot of advantages to offer to a website that go beyond rankings and it is something you need to use and benefit from.

Read also Social Media VS SEO for my take on the role of social media and google rankings.

Why you need to rank higher on Google?

Good rankings are hard to get and when you do it’s only after a lot of patience and hard work. By knowing the benefits of having a web page on the first positions of Google you can find the motivation and courage to work until your targets are met.

#1 – Higher rankings means more traffic – Obviously the first advantage has to do with the traffic gains. The higher your ranking is, the more organic traffic you will get from Google.

Have in mind though that statistically the first 5 positions get the majority of search traffic, more than 60%.

#2 – It’s a signal of trust – One of the reasons Google became the World’s most popular search engine is because people trust it. They trust it because they know that when they search for something on Google they will find what they are looking for.

Google is using more than 255 signals and more than 18 years of research and development on ranking algorithms and they became very good in choosing quality websites to show in their search results.

When users find your website in the first pages of Google they know that it’s a good website since Google is trusting it and showing it in their results.

#3 – You will get more social media shares and comments – A website found in the first page of Google gets more social shares and comments because it receives more traffic and because of the ‘trust’ reason explained above.

#4 – Good rankings on other search engines – Google is not the only search engine available but it’s the one with the most traffic.

Nevertheless, the other search engines have SEO rules which are similar to Google and once you get a good ranking position on Google, it is certain that good ranking positions will soon follow in the other search engines as well.

Final thoughts

Google is constantly looking to find quality websites to add in their index so as to provide the best possible results to their users.

A happy Google user will come for more searches and this is their goal.

Your goal as a webmaster is to create a website that provides real value to the users, make sure that Google can understand what you website is about and also prove to Google that your website deserves one of their top positions by getting links (votes) from other trusted websites on the net.

Finally, be patient – high google rankings take time to achieve but if you keep working in the right direction there is nothing to stop you from getting the positions you want.

Reasons Why Your Business Absolutely Needs SEO

 

Many brands and businesses know (or think they know) that they need SEO for their digital properties, and the benefits they will get from that SEO work being implemented on their behalf.

SEO will certainly improve a website’s overall searchability and visibility, but what other real value does it offer? Why is SEO so important?

These 12 reasons should offer some clarity, regardless of the industry or business size, as to why businesses need SEO to take their brand to the next level.

1. Organic Search Is Most Often the Primary Source of Website Traffic

Organic search is a huge part of most business’s website performance, as well as a critical component of the buyer funnel and ultimately getting users to complete a conversion or engagement.

As marketers know, Google owns a significantly larger portion of the search market than competitors like Yahoo, Bing, Baidu, Yandex, DuckDuckGo, and the many, many others.

That’s not to say that all search engines don’t contribute to a brand’s visibility — they do — it’s just that Google owns about 75 percent of the overall search market. It’s the clear-cut leader and thus its guidelines are important to follow.

But the remaining 25 percent of the market owned by other engines is obviously valuable to brands, too.

Google, being the most visited website in the world (as well as specifically in the United States), also happens to be the most popular email provider in the world (with more than 1 billion users). Not to mention YouTube is the second biggest search engine.

We know that a clear majority of the world that has access to the internet is visiting Google at least once a day to get information.

Being highly visible as a trusted resource by Google and other search engines is always going to work in a brand’s favor. Quality SEO and a high-quality website takes brands there.

2. SEO Builds Trust & Credibility

The goal of any experienced SEO is to establish a strong foundation for a beautiful website with a clean, effective user experience that is easily discoverable in search with thanks to the trust and credibility of the brand and its digital properties.

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Many elements go into establishing authority regarding search engines like Google. In addition to the factors mentioned above, authority is accrued over time as a result of elements like:

Quality backlink profiles.

Positive user behavior.

Machine-learning signals.

Optimized on-page elements and content.

But establishing that authority will do more for a brand than most, if not all, other digital optimizations. Problem is, it’s impossible to build trust and credibility overnight — just like real life. Authority is earned and built over time.

Establishing a brand as an authority takes patience, effort, and commitment, but also relies on offering a valuable, quality product or service that allows customers to trust a brand.

3. Good SEO Also Means a Better User Experience

Everyone wants better organic rankings and maximum visibility. Few realize that optimal user experience is a big part of getting there.

Google has learned how to interpret a favorable or unfavorable user experience, and a positive user experience has become a pivotal element to a website’s success.

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Customers know what they want. If they can’t find it, there’s going to be a problem. And performance will suffer.

A clear example of building a strong user experience is how Google has become more and more of an answer engine offering the sought-after data directly on the SERPs (search engine results pages) for users.

The intention of that is offering users the information they are looking for in fewer clicks, quickly and easily.

Quality SEO incorporates a positive user experience, leveraging it to work in a brand’s favor.

4. Local SEO Means Increased Engagement, Traffic & Conversions

With the rise and growing domination of mobile traffic, local search has become a fundamental part of small- and medium-sized businesses’ success.

Local SEO aims at optimizing your digital properties for a specific vicinity, so people can find you quickly and easily, putting them one step closer to a transaction.

Local optimizations focus on specific towns, cities, regions, and even states, to establish a viable medium for a brand’s messaging on a local level.

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SEO pros do this by optimizing the brand’s website and its content, including local citations and backlinks, as well as local listings relevant to the location and business sector a brand belongs to.

To promote engagement on the local level, SEO pros should optimize a brand’s Knowledge Graph panel, its Google My Business listing, and its social media profiles as a start.

There should also be a strong emphasis on user reviews on Google, as well as other reviews sites like Yelp, Home Advisor, and Angie’s List (among others), depending on the industry.

5. SEO Impacts the Buying Cycle

Customers do their research. That’s one of the biggest advantages of the internet from a buyer perspective.

Using SEO tactics to relay your messaging for good deals, groundbreaking products and/or services, and the importance and dependability of what you offer customers will be a game changer.

It will also undoubtedly impact the buying cycle in a positive way when done right.

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Brands must be visible in the places people need them for a worthy connection to be made. Local SEO enhances that visibility and lets potential customers find the answers, and the businesses providing those answer.

6. SEO Best Practices Are Always Being Updated

It’s great to have SEO tactics implemented on a brand’s website and across its digital properties, but if it’s a short-term engagement (budget constraints, etc.) and the site isn’t re-evaluated consistently over time, it will reach a threshold where it can no longer improve because of other hinderances.

The way the search world evolves, basically at the discretion of Google, requires constant monitoring for changes to stay ahead of the competition and, hopefully, on Page 1.

Being proactive and monitoring for major algorithm changes is always going to benefit the brands doing so.

We know Google makes thousands of algorithm changes a year. Fall too far behind, and it will be extremely difficult to come back. SEO pros help to ensure that is avoided.

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7. Understanding SEO Helps You Understand the Environment of the Web

With the always-changing environment that is the World Wide Web, it can be a challenge to stay on top of the changes as they take place.

But staying on top of SEO includes being in the loop for the major changes taking place for search.

Knowing the environment of the Web, including tactics being used by other local, comparable businesses and competitors, will always be beneficial for those brands.

8. SEO Is Relatively Cheap

Sure, it costs money. All the best things do, right?

But SEO is relatively cheap in the grand scheme of things, and the payoff will most likely be considerable in terms of a brand’s benefit and bottom line.

This isn’t a marketing cost; this is a true business investment. Good SEO implementation will hold water for years to come. And, like most things in life, will only be better with the more attention (and investment) it gets.

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9. It’s A Long-Term Strategy

SEO can (and hopefully does) have a noticeable impact within the first year of action being taken, and many of those actions will have an impact that lasts more than several years.

As the market evolves, yes, it’s best to follow the trends and changes closely. But even a site that hasn’t had a boatload of intense SEO recommendations implemented will improve from basic SEO best practices being employed on an honest website with a decent user experience.

And the more SEO time, effort, and budget that is committed to it, the better and longer a website stands to being a worthy contender in its market.

10. It’s Quantifiable

While SEO doesn’t offer the easier-to-calculate ROI like that of paid search, you can measure almost anything with proper tracking and analytics.

The big problem is trying to connect the dots on the back end since there is no definitive way to understand the correlation between all actions taken.

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Still, it is worth understanding how certain actions are supposed to affect performance and growth, and hopefully they do.

Any good SEO is going to be aiming at those improvements, so connecting the dots should not be a challenge.

Brands also want to know and understand where they were, where they are, and where they’re going in terms of digital performance, especially for SEO when they have a person/company that is being paid to execute on its behalf.

There’s no better way to show the success of SEO, either. We all know the data never lies.

11. SEO Brings New Opportunities to Light

High-quality SEO will always find a means of discovering and leveraging new opportunities for brands to, not just be discovered, but to shine.

Offering quality SEO to brands means submersing an SEO team in everything that is that brand. It’s the only way to truly market a brand with the passion and understanding that brand’s stakeholders have for it: becoming a stakeholder.

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The better a brand is understood, the more opportunities will arise to help it thrive. The same can be said about SEO.

12. If You’re Not on Page 1, You’re Not Winning the Click

It’s no secret in the world of SEO that if you’re not on Page 1, you’re likely not killing the organic search game.

A recent study shows that the first three organic search ranking positions result in nearly 40 percent of all click-throughs, while up to 30 percent of all results on Page 1 and 2 don’t get clicked at all.

What’s this mean? Two things:

If you’re not on Page 1, you need to be.

There are still too many instances when a user types a search query and can’t find exactly what it’s looking for.

Understanding the correlation between Technical SEO and rankings: a Benchmark Search Conference speaker review

Returning for a second time at the Benchmark Search Conference, the ever-popular Omi Sido, senior technical SEO at Canon Europe, was full of energy as he delivered a passionate talk about the relationship between technical SEO and its effect on rankings

For those new to the conference or indeed search marketing, Sido gently eased the audience in by looking at what exactly technical SEO is and warned that there were many in the industry that ignored it when it came to their ranking strategy.

He suggested that despite working in technical SEO for the last five years there was in fact only one type of SEO and that content and technical fell under the same umbrella.

Sido told the audience: “In my mind there is only one SEO and if you came to my company tomorrow for a job interview and told me that you are content only or technical only then you are not going to get the job.”

He said that he had learned this over the years and that back in 2017 a company came to him to do a technical SEO audit as they were struggling with their rankings on the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Omi agreed and then suggested that he would have to look at the content side of things too. He said: “Content is king but only when Google can see it", before describing how he ran the audit on the OnCrawl platform.

When crawling their site Omi found that there were 500,000 pages in the structure and 154,737 orphaned pages which seemed like a huge amount. To his surprise however only 3,108 orphan pages were active, a point he reiterated several times in sheer disbelief.

Turning to the audience for approval he asked: “Why would you have so many orphaned pages when only 3,000 are getting traffic?

“Your content is useless without traffic.”

To solve the problem Omi asked the developers to get rid of 60% of the content on the site and upon doing so the rankings of the website spiked immediately. Omi’s strategy had single-handley increased revenue by 22% without writing a single piece of new content or generating new backlinks; he was simply optimising what was already there.

The second half of his talk looked at three key areas of technical SEO. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP), internal linking and the difference between subdomains and sub-directories.

When discussing AMP he said: “This is the web’s first steps into the performance age and the early adopters of this Mobile-First strategy are benefiting. In some cases companies are seeing a 70 – 100% increase in rankings and traffic which has a positive impact on revenue.

When it came to internal linking Omi was topical and used an array of nice, simple analogies. He stated that this process was very important and looked at the recent World Cup as an example.

He noticed that the Daily Mail wrote hundreds of pieces of content about World Cup, but never linked to their World Cup hub page so it was no surprise that they were not ranking for this yet their competitors were.

This was all down to internal linking and Omi noticed that in the other newspapers every article that mentioned the World Cup linked directly to the main ‘hub page’ for that term, thus sending the traffic there. Omi’s key takeaway here was to make sure that you clearly define your category pages so they rank for top level keywords.

Staying on the football theme, Omi said: “Internal linking is a lot like football, the goalkeeper has to pass or properly link to the defenders, who must properly link to the midfielders who must properly link to the strikers and only then can they score a goal.

“There are 11 players on the pitch but only one of them can score the goal (convert). The Daily Mail mentions the World Cup ten times in an article and yet they don’t link back to the hub page. In contrast the Guardian is linking back every time. In essence they are telling Google to ignore all of their World Cup content and rank the hub page only.”

For the final part of his talk Omi looked at subdomains versus sub directories and emphasised that Google has no problems crawling and indexing both.

He used the example of Monster.co.uk who had increased their online visibility in one week by migrating subdomains to the subdirectory. This, he said, had improved internal linking and user experience (UX).

Omi closed an informative talk by providing a technical SEO checklist for the audience to follow if they wanted to see improvements on their site.

Reference: https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2018/10/02/understanding-the-correlation-between-technical-seo-and-rankings-benchmark-search

Are Your SEO Rankings Down? Work Backwards .

There has been some chatter in SEO forums about a supposedly Google algorithm update. It’s not big, and no one’s sure yet what’s really happening. However, it looks to have affected several businesses as they flock discussions on dropped rankings, irrelevant search results, and zero conversions overnight. Some have even turned to digital marketing expert Barry Schwartz for answers; to which he said that it could be Google testing out bits of an algorithm update.

It makes sense as search engines like Google have hundreds – if not thousands – of micro updates every year. Most of it is so small it’s barely detectable. But several, like the recent Phantom Update, can shake businesses. For those who have not yet recovered from its menace, it may hurt your results should Google decide to implement core updates soon. As the Phantom is focused more on overused, duplicated, or thin content, work on those first before turning your attention to other aspects of your campaign.

I believe this ‘update’ has nothing to do with Panda, as echoed by other SEO consultants like myself. It could be the beginning of a core update, but as changes are still small and there’s no significant buzz, it’s hard to tell. If your site or keywords were affected by it though, DO NOT PANIC. I’m here to help. Here are a couple of recommendations to get your site back up and converting.


Stay Focused and User-Oriented
When it comes to ranking, SEO professionals seem to be on a debate: one side says it’s not important, while the other still believes in its efficacy. I happen to be half and half. For one, rankings are still vital because it’s how your customers find you. Ask yourself: do you even bother with the second or third page results when you do a query? If the answer is no, it’s the same for your users.

In fact, a 2013 study shows that websites on the first page of search get 32.5 percent more traffic. More visitors mean more chances of getting clicks, leads, and sales. So if your website rankings suddenly went down, less people would be able to see your offers. The problem with Google nowadays is that it’s NOT announcing its updates, unlike previous years. That leaves many SEO consulting firms, webmasters, and business owners in the dark as changes are unexpected and sudden.

We now have two options: one is to remain focused on quality and providing users with fresh, original, and informative content; two is to consider Google ranking factors to enhance your site, while being search engine-friendly.

Remedy Your Rankings By Working Backwards

Elements to Consider When Checking Onsite and Offsite Factors from Al Gomez
Several of Google’s ranking factors put an emphasis on on-site elements. Why is that? Most problems usually begin at the root. Just like losing something valuable, you are usually advised to retrace your steps to uncover bits you might have forgotten. The same could be said for losing rankings.

Here’s a short list of what to look out for when checking your SEO on-site factors:

• Make sure your permalinks or URL structure is descriptive and easy to understand. Google – and users – dislike links that look like gibberish.
• Avoid underscores in your URL. Use hyphens instead.

• Don’t forget to include semantic keywords in your Title Tags and Meta Descriptions.
• Are you using H-Tags in your content? This will create the proper hierarchy for important points on your web page.
• Sprinkle in semantic keywords into your web copy as well as blog posts to add more value to your message.
• Remember to use a variety of interesting media content to keep users engaged (i.e. images, videos, ebooks, quotes, etc.)
• Add alternative text (alt tags) to images used on your website to increase search opportunities.

• Check that you have a good number of indexed pages (do note that Google can remove pages that are deemed irrelevant because they sometimes give manual penalties).
• Don’t forget to link to (at least three pages) related content within your site. This is also known as cross-linking and is an old SEO technique to enhance page authority.
• Fix broken links (404/410 errors). Not only will this slow down your site, it gives a negative user experience for your site visitors.
• Analyze your text to HTML ratio: the ideal is 25 to 70 percent. Remove outdated and/or unnecessary codes for faster loading speeds.
• Make sure that you’re using 301 redirects or canonical URL to avoid issues with duplicate content.
• Check your Robots.txt file.
• Make sure you have an XML sitemap in your root directory so it’s easier for search engines to crawl and index your site.
• Keep your domain registration active! Don’t let it expire; otherwise, users will think your site is dead.
• Do you have an onsite blog? This could help you get more views, keep online readers engaged, and establish you as an authority on a subject. So blog about your business today!

Other important factors to take note of are the following:

Mobile-Friendliness
In general, if your website is NOT mobile-friendly, you could be losing business and revenue opportunities. People are doing more and more of their activities on mobile devices. From shopping, research, getting directions, even dating – it’s hard to ignore how significant our smartphones and tablets have become in our lives.

If your site is already mobile, here are a couple of points to ensure maximum user experience on any device:

Mobile Rendering – Use tools like Responsivedesignchecker.com to see what your web design looks like across different screens. It’s unavoidable that some of your page elements may not show up due to device restrictions.
Touch Screen Readiness – Make sure buttons and links are large enough for easy clicks and taps.

Mobile Compatibility – A few embedded objects could have problems when viewed on mobile. Ensure that they are working as intended.
Font Size Legibility – Is your text readable? Standard font size should be 12 pixels for mobile devices.

Mobile Viewport – verify that your website adjusts beautifully and seamlessly on various device screens using the Viewport Meta tag.
Site Speed – the success or failure of mobile websites today often hangs on how fast it loads. Remember: every second counts!

Website Usability
Do users feel like they’re playing a game of cat-and-mouse whenever they access your page? Don’t make it hard for them. The best websites are those that remove friction for visitors. While people enjoy a good mystery every now and then, that same is NOT true for online elements. Make it easy to use, navigate, as well as understand. Here’s a checklist to help you get started:

URL Accessibility – great for URL hacking (used by certain people for easier – and often faster – navigation)
Using Favicons – adds a special touch of quality and trust to your site
Custom 404 Pages – help users quickly get back to important pages on your website

Conversion Forms – optimize your forms to get more leads
The Fold – decide where the ‘fold’ of your web page is for better user experience on every device
Page Size – make it fluid to avoid affecting site speed
Loading Time – how fast your page loads affects online success
Language – declare what language your website is using to guide users all over the world


Tools and Technology
The technical aspect of your website affects everything: from your site speed to the way your content is displayed. It’s essential to regularly check on them to make sure you have updated tools and knowledge.

Technologies – your choice of web server, programming language, and CMS (to name a few) will play a vital role in both user experience and search engine-friendliness.

W3C Validity – use the Validator tool to ensure that the technical part of your website is free from errors.
SSL Secure – if necessary, change to HTTPS to protect user information such as credit card details.

Local SEO
Do you own a small local café or convenience store? Check that data such as your store name, address, and phone number (more commonly known as NAP) are consistent on the Web. Nothing frustrates a person more than to find out that your address on Yelp is different from that on your website.

Work Your Way To Off-Site Elements
After you’re done looking at your on-site factors, it’s time to analyze your off-site elements to determine any lurking problems. But where should you begin? Here are four aspects to target first:

Domain Authority – in general, this number determines how popular your website is on the Web. The more visits and backlinks you have (along with other factors), the greater the chances of improving your DA. Sites like Facebook and LinkedIn have a domain authority of a 100, but that’s because millions of people use their services. Don’t be disappointed if your site never gets this high up. What’s important is that you are using ethical practices and are providing your users with quality content.

Page Authority – this number on the other hand, tries to predict how well your page will rank on search engines, like Google. Note: both Page Authority and Domain Authority are used as metrics for SEO campaigns.
Number and Type of Backlinks – these are websites or sources that link back to your site. Instead of buying/exchanging backlinks, it’s best to gain them naturally over time through quality content and social media marketing practices.

Number of Referring Domains – this number is naturally lower than your backlinks. However, if the difference between your backlinks and referring domains is too large, that could signal ‘spammy’ links that might damage your online reputation. If this happens, verify how many backlinks you have in one referring domain.
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Social Signals and Engagement – Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ are just a few of the social media platforms to help boost not only awareness for your brand, but also your conversion. Although it won’t directly impact your rankings, social media links are still links that help spread the word about your products and/or services.


Exploring both on- and offsite factors will allow you to nail down the true cause of your decreased rankings. Don’t immediately assume that it’s due to an algorithm change. Remember: search engines like Google are making updates all the time. If your website is focused on quality and positive user experience, you should have less to worry about.

Should You Check Your Website Manually?
This is a good question. You have two options: hire a professional SEO consultant to do the website audit for you OR use the various tools online to help you do the work faster. Some of these tools are free, while the rest have premium versions that offer more features.

Google offers two great tools to start you off with: Google Search Console (previously called Webmaster Tools) and Google Analytics. Both provide awesome data to spot errors, watch for traffic, track conversion and many more. These are recommended for both pro and beginner digital marketers.

Begin your website audit with Woorank, a popular website review and SEO tool. To view comprehensive details about your backlinks (as well as do smart competitor analysis), try Ahrefs Backlink Explorer. You can use the basic features for free; but to get the most out of their services, I recommend signing up to their Pro versions to access cool stuff like downloadable reports, broad data analysis, and quick customer support.

To check your site speed, Pingdom has a free tool that’s handy for both web developers and webmasters.

Worried about your content? BuzzSumo is one of the most in-depth tools you can use to check for key Influencers in your industry, as well as their most shared content. Find what and where they are sharing their juiciest stories. If you want to improve your content by the intelligent use of keywords, nothing is better than SpyFu SEO and Keyword research tool. Know what words rank and how far ahead are your competitors when it comes to the most sought-after terms.

If your digital marketing team has a PR campaign, why not combine it with your SEO efforts? Linkbird Content Marketing is the best tool in the business. Their system makes it easy and quick to plan, implement, and evaluate your website’s progress. Plus, you can effortlessly reach out to target leads in just minutes.

These are just several of the tools our team has tried and loved. Feel free to give them test.

Conclusion
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Search engines will always have updates – it’s all a matter of finding out WHEN and WHAT they are. Instead of panicking, breathe in deep and know that as long as you maintain ethical SEO practices, you’re good. Search engine optimization may be evolving quickly; but there are other factors in digital marketing (such as conversion) that also require attention.

Avoid dwelling too much on things you can’t control. Rather, focus your attention on things that you can. Move on from this predicament and know that whatever problems you may encounter on your website, SEO consultants like me, will always be here to help you out.