Your website is your best employee. It works 24/7 and is always available to answer your customers’ questions, even when you’re not. And if your website isn’t on the first page of Google for important search terms, you have a lot of low hanging fruit you can harvest.
The world of SEO (search engine optimization) is always changing, but there are plenty of things that you can do to ensure your website gets to the first page of Google. Here are just some examples of things you can do to reach that low-hanging fruit.
This sounds pretty obvious, but you can’t underestimate the importance of a well-built website.
While a basic DIY webpage might be enough to get your name out there, it likely won’t get you where you want to be. Investing in a professional website created by a reputable web design firm is the first step to getting on the first page of Google.
Quality link building accounts for up to 75% of getting your website to the first page of Google. It involves getting external websites to link to your website’s pages; acting sort of like a map with Google ‘crawls’ your website.
Link building helps Google determine your website’s popularity, relevance and attractiveness to its searchers. It shows Google that your content is trustworthy and authoritative - not spammy.
Google will “crawl” your website in the same way that a customer would (just at a much, much faster rate). If your website fails to deliver a great user experience, Google won’t refer it to its searchers. This is why the field of UX (user experience) or UI (user interface) design is so popular today: it’s crucial if you want your website to rank well.
It’s important to make sure your website has quality content and is visually appealing to your target customers. Google doesn’t particularly care about how your website looks, but it does place great importance on how it performs and whether it gives a rich user experience.
When selecting a web design, think about the people who will use your website. What are their needs? What information is important to them? What functionality do they need to use your website popularity?
It’s important to ensure that the content on your website is up to date. Google can recognise outdated content and always gives preference to websites that are constantly producing fresh, relevant content.
You can’t just use any old content, however. Google can distinguish between poorly written content and engaging writing, and will always give preference to content it thinks searchers will actually consider valuable.
It’s also important to ensure that your website is secure, otherwise Google may not trust it. There’s a big difference between a website that starts with “http://” and one that starts with “https://”. That single letter lets Google know that all communication between your website and the visitor’s browser is encrypted.
Your website is doing plenty of things that you can’t physically see that are influencing its ranking on Google. For example, your website must load quickly, so it’s important to avoid large file sizes. Google must also be able to easily read your site, which means there should be no programming errors.
Saltmedia is a professional web design firm based in Grande Prairie, Alberta. We’re dedicated to providing top quality web design and online marketing services to our clients - which includes adhering to SEO best practices so you can get to the first page of Google.
If you’re ready to stand out in the crowded online world, get in touch with us today.
We live, work, and gather on traditional, unceded, and treaty territories of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples from coast to coast to coast. We’re committed to our collective responsibility to the original caretakers of this land and to listening, learning, and acting in ways that support reconciliation.
