How To Rank Higher on Google in 2022
It’s no secret that Google is the most widely used search engine and will remain so through 2022 and beyond. If your business doesn’t show up on the first page of the SERPs, you could be missing out on massive potential revenues.
Whether you own a small business or a big corporation, you know the importance of getting the right product or service to the right audience.
Understanding the search engine ranking factors is critical to your business’s ability to maximize website traffic — standing out from the competition. From quality content to link building and sitemaps, there are various elements to consider so your website can have higher Google rankings.
The good news is that you can do something right now to boost your search engine ranking and possibly increase your click-through rate or reach new leads. In this post, we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide on how to get your website to rank higher on Google.
Higher Google Rankings: The Key To Business Success
According to a report, Google had a whopping 86.5 billion visits in July 2022 alone. Considering these figures, if your website ranks high in Google search results, you’ll get maximum exposure — leading to more organic traffic and leads.
However, you can only achieve that if your website is on the first page of SERPs (as mentioned earlier). When someone searches for keywords related to your business or industry, you want them to find you and eventually click your website. Increasing your conversion rate means more visitors who may become new customers.
Additionally, organizations that rank higher are seen as more trustworthy, and they tend to get more traffic.
Thus, if you want to be successful, you must ensure that your website is optimized for search engines. However, the question is, “how do you do this?”
This leads us to the expert tips below.
How To Rank Higher on Google Searches: 10 Tips & Strategies
Ranking on the first page is a lot easier said than done and requires a completely different strategy. Google’s algorithm is always changing. On a monthly basis, Google updates it, ensuring the most relevant websites rank higher on Google’s first page for specific keywords.
By following the steps outlined below, you’ll be able to gain more exposure from your customers and rank higher on Google in 2022.
1. Content Is King
The more relevant your content is to the search query that brought the reader to your website, the more likely you can rank well for those keywords.
Google has released the latest update that focuses on user-centric content. The helpful content update aims to reward content where visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn’t meet a visitor’s expectations won’t perform.
Moreover, you need quality content for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. Thus, it’s necessary to create relevant and original content that readers will want to read.
This means writing about topics that are interesting, helpful, and compelling. Google is constantly looking for new, high-quality sites, so your goal should be to build credibility and trust throughout your content.
There are many ways to create quality content, but the most important thing is that the content you produce has value for your readers. If your audience finds your content interesting and valuable, they’ll keep coming back for more — and that’s when you know you’re doing something right.
2. Search Intent
Search intent is a powerful tool that allows you to write content that resonates with your audience and increases the chances of ranking higher on Google searches. It’s different from keyword research because it focuses not only on what people are looking for but why they’re searching for it in the first place.
It can be helpful if you incorporate microdata in your headline or information. This helps Google easily identify your subject so it can display your content to someone searching for that particular topic.
When users search for something on Google, your site will need to be relevant and focused on that topic. This way, it shows up in the top results.
Note that each keyword has different search intent. If you target the right phrases, you’re bound to succeed on Google.
3. Backlinks
Simply put, backlinks are links that point back to your website from other websites. If you want to rank higher on Google searches, you need to get more backlinks pointing toward your site.
These links are the lifeblood of your SEO campaign. Without them, you’re not going to get very far with search optimization. The more quality links pointing to your website, the higher it will rank on Google — since they back up the validity and credibility of your site.
There are two types of links: dofollow and nofollow.
- Dofollow links pass some of their SEO weight to your site, whereas nofollow links don’t pass any SEO weight at all.
- Dofollow links can increase the ranking of your site in search engines, but nofollow links cannot affect your rankings. It’s because they don’t pass PageRank (a measure of the quality and power of a particular website). However, they prevent spamming and Google penalizing your site.
We can’t stress enough the importance of backlinks, but getting backlinks from high-quality websites can help boost your chances of ranking in search results.
The best way to do this is by writing content that people find interesting enough to share with their friends on social media. You could also engage in forum comments and mention your link, where people will see it and click onto your website.
4. Keywords
Keywords are one of the best ways to get found online. This is why you should have at least one keyword per page on your website — as well as key phrases in blog posts.
In addition, don’t leave behind the title tags. These should include the primary keyword you want to rank for — which should also be spread throughout your content. It’s also important that your title tag is as long as it needs to be (generally between 50-60 characters); otherwise, it may not be indexed properly by Google’s algorithm.
As part of SEO, you should also employ descriptive and accurate meta descriptions. Like title tags, your meta description tags must also include your target keyword. These snippets of text help search engines understand what your page is about and improve google rankings.
Overall, keywords help determine the relevance of your content when someone searches for a specific word in your industry.
For example, if you’re a dog walker and you want to rank high when people search “dog walker,” then you want to ensure the words are included in your page title, meta description, and throughout the body of your content.
5. Mobile Friendliness
The current generation of consumers uses their mobile phones to search or shop online. According to statistics, $36.3 billion in purchases are made through smartphones each year. Thus, if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing out!
A mobile-friendly site is one that displays well on all devices, from smartphones to tablets to desktop computers.
A website that looks good on a mobile device is more likely to be clicked on by users who are searching for something on their phones — and Google rewards this behavior with higher rankings.
If you’re wondering why this is so important, it’s because Google wants to provide the best possible experience for its users. Your site is mobile-friendly if it:
- Loads quickly and easily on any device.
- Looks good and is responsive on smaller screens.
- Has an easy-to-use interface.
- Has optimized images for mobile.
6. Website Loading Speed
In addition, it’s well-known that a fast-loading website leaves a good impression on visitors, and Google recommends faster sites in search results. This makes it easier for users to find what they want and improves your chances of receiving organic traffic.
To meet requirements, Google is using a new metric called “Core Web Vitals” to measure site performance. The goal is to ensure the highest level of user experience. In line with this, you must ensure that your site loads quickly by compressing all images and removing unnecessary flash animations. We also recommend using a caching plugin to improve page load times.
Speed is of the essence! People don’t have time to wait around while your website loads, so it’s vital that your website is as fast as your competitors.
7. Domain Authority
Domain Authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that measures the authority of a website. Google uses a number of factors to determine the DA of a website — including backlink anchor text, page load times, and social media shares. The higher your DA (80 or higher), the more likely you can rank higher in Google search results.
To boost your site’s rank, you need to focus on SEO practices that boost your traffic, which, in turn, builds your backlinks and improves your rankings.
One way to rank quickly is through high-quality, authoritative, and keyword-focused content for your site that users are interested in. This will help your site rank higher, organically — because your site will hold more value in the eyes of the crawlers.
8. Website Structure
You can’t expect to rank high on Google searches without a website structure or a sitemap. A well-designed website requires a solid site map that provides links to help navigate all the pages on your site with ease.
It tells Google where everything is so that it can efficiently find all your content. Plus, it helps search engine spiders find any new pages you create for easier indexing.
The thing is, it’s not enough just having a website — you also need to optimize it, so consumers looking for your offers can easily find them.
Your sitemap should contain a list of all the pages you want to be indexed by search engines.
It helps them crawl through your site quickly, according to the most relevant page to match a search query.
9. Website Security
The way you protect your website is also essential to how well your site performs in Google searches. By making sure that your website is secure, you are providing reassurance to Google that your site will not be compromised by hackers. This can help improve your ranking in search results.
Additionally, as a website owner, you want visitors to trust your site and invest their valuable time and data in your business.
Security starts with SSL certificates and ensuring your site is on HTTPS (encrypted). These provide the highest-grade encryption, working to protect your visitors, safeguard your personal information, and prevent breaches that can cost your company millions.
10. UX – User Experience
User experience (UX) is a crucial part of any digital marketing strategy, especially when it comes to ranking higher on SERPs. The way you present information on your site, how easy it is for people to use and understand, and whether or not they have a good time on your site all contribute to your UX.
Google uses a program called RankBrain to gauge how well your site delivers on these user experience values. That’s why your site should be efficient, engaging, and running smoothly as possible.
The primary word for an incredible UX is “intuitive.” If your site isn’t intuitive, users won’t be able to figure out how to use it without asking someone else or reading instructions (or both!). This means they’re likely going to leave your site and go somewhere else instead — something you don’t want when trying to increase traffic.
Conclusion
Boosting your search engine ranking has become a staple factor in ensuring your business survives in the digital age. We can’t deny the fact that you need to consider the strategies above. However, to ensure your SEO techniques work for you, you need more than just these ten tips.
If you want to take full advantage of a high Google ranking to help drive an endless stream of leads, Infintech Designs can help.
Our team can craft the perfect SEO strategy tailored to your needs, or we can work on your existing strategies and improve overall conversions.
More From Infintech Designs
How to Generate Leads Online
How to Increase Website Traffic
