How to Get on the First Page of Google Results & Dominate It? ( A Step By Step Guide)
Your success in the online world relies entirely on creating an engaging, distinctive and powerful presence. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is undoubtedly the finest technique to gain an edge over others in the fiercely competitive online world. Thus, it is no surprise that the thirst for SEO practices has only increased in recent time. The potential of this technique to amplify the reach of businesses has made everyone to sit up, and take notice.
Everyone desires to dominate the first page of Google search results. You need to invest efforts in the right direction, and Search Engine Optimization is that right direction. Obviously, this process comprises of numerous steps. And these steps could tend to be confusing. Furthermore, the arrival of newer updates adds to the prevailing confusion. If you also possess similar desires to utilize the prowess of SEO for strengthening your business, you’ve landed at the right place. Here, we’ve covered each aspect of SEO practices to empower your business.
Table of Contents
What is SEO?
In simple terms, SEO or Search Engine Optimization stands for techniques influencing the visibility of your site in Google’s search results. So, the better the implementation of these techniques, the better is your visibility. More visitors will definitely convert into better revenues for you. An SEO expert has to mull over lots of things, such as what people are searching for, working on the search engine, etc. As we explained earlier, there are numerous steps to be taken care of. So, it must be clear to you that an efficient SEO strategy is a necessity to most business across the globe.
Pay Attention to Title Tags:
Title tag informs Google and visitors the subject of the specific webpage. So, it needs to be positioned within the of the HTML document. It is also highly recommended that a unique title should be created for each page on your website. It should be noted that title tags are generally displayed in the first line of search results. Words in bold indicate relation to search query. In this way, a user can identify relevant results with ease. So, to attract more visitors, you need to pay attention to title tags on your web page. This is a fundamental requirement to augment your revenues by alluring more visitors.
How to Write a Title Tag for SEO
Some points to consider:
Be precise while creating a title tag. By precise, we mean that the title should show some relevance to the content. Please, completely avoid default titles, like ‘’untitled’’ or ‘’page 1’’.
Each page must obtain a unique title tag. This will notify search engine how one webpage is dissimilar from the other webpage.
Be brief while creating a title tag. Also, never position unnecessary keywords in the title. Anyway, long title tag will not appear completely on the search results page.
Take Assistance From Description Meta Tag:
Moving on, Google could utilize Meta Tags as snippets, which makes them of crucial importance. These snippets are simply the content displayed below the title of a page on search results. Remember that Google can also display a particular part of the webpage, or even pick up description from Open Directory Project. However, it is advisable to include description Meta Tags in every page of your site.
If Google or any other search engine fails to discover relevant content on your page, Meta Tags will be displayed. Thus, these Meta tags enjoy a direct influence on the chances of your page getting clicked by the user.
Some Points to Remember:
Meta tags must be relevant to the content.
Never employ generic Meta tags. Spend some time creating appropriate descriptions for your web page.
Never overstuff keywords in Meta Tags.
Deviate from utilizing the complete content from the document.
Create a distinct Meta Tag for each page on your site.
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Your Site Should Be Easy to Navigate:
Navigation is of great importance for Google. It’s no hidden fact that users love easy-to-navigate sites. So, you need to pay attention to this aspect of your site. Many of your visitors will begin navigation from the home or the ‘root’ page. Now, it is up to you to decide how they will move from the home page to other pages. A highly recommended step is utilizing breadcrumbs list, which is nothing more than a row of internal links at the top or base of the web page. It makes room for a visitor to get to their desired section with ease.
Moving on, another advisable method is allowing a part of the URL to be eliminated. Yes, it may seem strange, but many visitors like to remove some part of the URL to discover the required content. In addition, arrange two different sitemaps for your site. One should be targeting your visitors, and others will target the search engine. This issue deserves more elaboration. Let’s dive into the different aspects related to creating sitemaps for your site. First, a site map (lower case) happens to be a simple page where your visitor can view the structure of your website. In simple terms, a hierarchical list of all the pages appears here. On the other hand, XML site map (higher case) allows Google to conveniently find out the pages on your site.
Points to Remember:
Incorporate the provision of natural flow in your site. Simply put, your visitor should be able to conveniently move from one page to another.
Completely avoid complicated netting of navigation links.
Don’t go overboard with categorization on your site. It will only create confusion.
Utilize text links in your site. Both users and Google prefer this approach.
Include a customized 404 web page, which will take users to a working page. You can also incorporate link to root page.
Never permit 404 pages to be indexed in Google.
Content is The King:
So far, we’ve pondered on numerous techniques to rank your site higher on Google search. However, the quality of content can make or break the day. Your entire emphasis should be on creating compelling and informative content. A site with poor content is highly likely to go off Google’s radar. In addition, users are more likely to share good content over social networking sites, blogs, forums, etc. Any business would love to benefit from word of mouth publicity. Your content should be exclusive and informative. Ponder over the keywords that the user could search for. Try to comprehend their search behaviour, and build your content around it. Indulge in writing something new or break an enthralling news story.
Points to Remember:
Content should be easy to understand. No one wants to read a sloppy blog or article.
Never embed text in images.
Break your content in parts to enhance its appeal.
Always stay focused on the topic.
Always avoid using duplicate content on your site.
Try to understand users needs while creating content for your site.
Never include pointless keywords, it will definitely annoy your visitors
Improved Anchor Text:
In simple terms, Anchor Text is the clickable portion of a link. You should be very careful while creating anchor text for your content. This text plays a crucial role, informing both users and Google about the linked page. These links could be internal or external.
Points to Remember:
The text should provide an insight in to the page, in a concise manner.
Always deviate from writing generic text.
Also, never create an anchor text that is not related to the topic
Never use page URL as the anchor text.
Conduct formatting of the Anchor Text. In this way, users can easily distinguish between regular text and anchor text.
You can also utilize anchor texts for internal linking.
Don’t overstuff anchor text with keywords.
Appropriate Usage of Images:
Pictures form an indispensable part of your site. Now, it is time you optimize your usage of them. Simply put, you should take advantage of these images by assigning a distinct name and ‘alt’ attribute to all the pictures. If the image is not displayed, the alt attribute will exhibit text for it. So, your visitor will get information about the picture even when it is not loaded. Plus, the alt text could also act as anchor text.
Points to Remember:
Try not to use generic files names for the images.
Alt text should be brief.
Don’t overstuff keywords in the text.
Long alt text will be treated as spam.
Heading Tags:
Heading tags are very crucial for attracting the user’s attention. It makes text appear larger in comparison with the other text on the page. Thus, users can comprehend the nature of content beneath the heading.
Points to Remember:
Never include text in heading tags that are not relevant to the content.
Use heading tags in an appropriate manner. Unnecessary usage will add to confusion on the reader’s side.
Efficient Usage of Robots.txt:
With the assistance of robots.txt, you can decide portions of the site to get ignored by the search engine’s crawler. Robots.txt generator can be used to create these files. Remember that for sub domains in your site, you will need to develop separate robots.txt files.
Mobile Revolution is here!
Yes, the whole world has embraced mobile revolution with open arms. More and more individuals access the Internet on their mobile phones. So, targeting this segment is crucial to the survival and growth of your business. However, this new opportunity opens up more challenges as well.
Here are some points to consider:
You need to ensure that you mobile site is indexed. Googlebot must crawl your site; for that make a mobile sitemap and present it to the search giant. Take help from Google webmaster tool to complete the task.
Remember that the crawler for mobile sites is Googlebot-mobile.
Make certain that mobile phone URL DTD declaration is in suitable mobile formats. These formats comprises of XHTML Mobile or compact HTML.
If your visitor is seeing desktop version on his mobile, redirect them to the mobile edition of your site.
Configure your site in an appropriate manner. Failing in this regard, Google will consider it as cloaking. The cloaking is a process of augmenting search ranking by providing dissimilar content to Googlebot and users. This process could consequence in penalty from Google.
Promote, but in a fair manner!
Never overemphasize the concept of backlinks will ruin the repute of your site. Try to promote your content in an effective manner. We will also cover several do’s and Don’ts of article submission later in this entry. Moving on, you can enhance your reputation through publishing informative blogs, as it will make your followers that you are value-driven.
Another step to endorse your site would be offline promotion. Include the URL of your site on your business card, letterheads, etc. Sending newsletters is also an innovative method to attract more visitors. If you happen to own a local business, give Google Places a try. This option is very helpful to get customers from Google Maps.
Focus on Social Networks:
If you’re on a social network, you are not alone. Millions all over the world spend hours on such sites. So, it becomes imperative to divert some attention to these segments. A powerful presence is certain to benefit you. To rake in the benefits of the rise of social networking sites, you need to adopt a zealous approach. Try to accomplish a more profound connection with your targeted audience. Good quality videos, images, news and polls are some recommended methods. Remember that social networks are brimmed with brands competing with each other; so, you need to stand out from the crowd.
Points to Remember:
Try to reach out users with interesting item, such as polls, contests, news, etc.
Try to focus on hot topics in your domain. For example, a fashion store should publish content related to happenings in the fashion industry.
Include all major social networking platforms in your agenda.
Guidelines for Article Submission:
The practice of article submission is not new; however, there are several dos and don’ts to consider. Let’s have a glance at them:
DO’s
Evaluate the page rank of the article submission site. Your aim is to increase the visibility of your site. So, a directory with meager page rank is of no use.
Keep a track of your submission. In this way, you will save yourself from the nuisance of duplication.
Publish high-quality articles, which will definitely increase your reach. A little research will do no harm.
Don’ts:
Never focus on quantity, as a few quality links will get the job done conveniently.
Spin articles, as Google is not well-equipped to detect such practices.
Overstuff content with keywords. This will only attract the wrath of Google.
Define Your Sales Funnel:
Don’t jump on to your customer. A first time visitor may or may not be prepared to shell out money for your product or services. First, try to create a connection with the visitor. A quality blog could create a great impression, which will ultimately lead to sales. Later on, try some innovative methods, such as promotion through email marketing. This process could consume a lot of time; so, have the patience for better results.
Patience Is The Key:
Don’t anticipate sudden results. Patience is the key to survive in the online space. Chances are that you may feel exhausted. Remember that Rome was not build in a day. So, it could take some time for SEO techniques to reward your efforts.
Conclusion:
Change is the law of nature, and SEO is not immune from this fact. Always keep yourself updated with the latest updates. Google is always striving to enhance user experience and is continuously changing its algorithm. An alert mind and passionate attitude is essential to create a niche for you in the online market.
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