Being crowned on Google is the dream and ultimate aim for every site owner. If you’re ranking on page one of Google search, for relevant queries, this will drive traffic to your site, boost your brand awareness, and maximise your conversion rates. Improving your position on Google takes tactics, planning and a bit of elbow grease to start with. This article highlights the core steps you need to take to feature higher on google, from content optimisation to utilising Google rank checker and other tools, to track your progress. Whether facing issues like your Google search wasn’t working or just looking to check the ranking of your site, our expert guide will help you connect the dots.
Understanding Google’s Ranking Algorithm
Google’s ranking algorithm is one of the most complex has ever been devised — and also one of the most secretive. Google is continually changing and fine-tuning its algorithm, which itself is made up of hundreds of different ranking factors. Understanding the basic principles that govern how the algorithm works is vital for anyone looking to improve the ranking of their site. The algorithms look for certain qualities in your site, ranking it based on factors such as keywords, site architecture and user experience, and backlinks. Google looks primarily at your keywords and content, but also analyses the technical elements of the page — site speed, mobile-responsiveness and secure connections (HTTPS) are crucial factors that also help determine relevance. By understanding how the different parts of the machine are linked, you can develop an approach that targets the factors that Google values most.
Furthermore, Google’s algorithm is constantly being updated, meaning that it’s fed new data to better understand and serve the user with the most relevant content possible. Comprehensive changes to the algorithm, like Panda, Penguin, and Hummingbird, massively affected the SERPs and taught the search community something new about the way certain characteristics of websites contributed to ranking higher (or lower). Features such as unique, high-quality content, ethical link building practices, and user intent have all become increasingly influential, meaning that what might have been a highly effective form of SEO a year ago might not be today. This is why being flexible and informed in your SEO approach is important in keeping up with the algorithm, as one of your key objectives is likely to be a ranking as high as possible. However, the other key objective is to keep your site (and the traffic it brings you) safe from Google’s censure. Ranking highly is a goal in itself, but it’s just as important to make sure that your site is complying with all of Google’s rules, so that you don’t suddenly appear lower in the SERPs than you did yesterday. Google rank checker can help track any shifts in your ranking and the effect of tackling high-volume keywords.
Conducting Thorough Keyword Research
Success with any search optimisation strategy starts with keyword research.Before you can identify potential keywords for your business, it’s important to understand and determine what your target market is searching for. One way to do this is to determine what problems your products or services solve. Potential customers will search online for information about their problems and how to solve them.In keyword research, you should look for words and phrases that people type into search engines. The process of keyword research should encompass evaluation of three factors.The first, as clunkily put as it seems, is relevancy. That is, potential customers will search for your products or services. The second factor is optimisation of keyword selection based on ‘Reach vs. Competition’. In short, you want your content to rank as high as possible on Google’s results page. Now, two factors drive this ranking. One is the volume of people searching for the keyword you choose – the higher the search volume, the better, from the perspective of competition. But second, you also want the market to be less competitive, especially at the beginning when you’re just getting started with your business. The main hurdle to this is the limit of keywords reachable with a single domain.Finally, the quality of your keyword needs to be authentic. That is, you should only select high-quality, popular and high-ranking keywords. To find all three types of potential terms, you will need access to common keyword research tools, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMrush, to name a few.
Additionally, these keywords need to be used with the correct intent behind them. The four types of intent are informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial. Knowing the intent behind a specific query can help you shape your content to answer what the user is looking for, which is rewarded in the rankings by Google. For example, if someone was searching ‘google search not working’ they probably need a fix or how-to guide. In structuring your content to directly explain what the user needs, you will more than likely satisfy the user in turn, which will edge your rankings up a bit. Updating and expanding your keyword list on a periodic basis as new trends form is a constant necessity to maintaining your Google ranking at all times.
Optimizing On-Page SEO Elements
On-page SEO is the practice of optimising individual webpages to rank higher and drive more relevant traffic from search engines. It takes into account not only the content on the page, but the HTML source code: everything from the title tag to the meta description to the alt text of images. When you optimise these elements, you make it easier for Google to discern the context of your content. And when Google can identify the context of your content, they’re more likely to rank your page higher. For instance, using your target keywords naturally placed in the title tag, headers, and throughout your content sends a signal to Google that your page is relevant to those key phrases. Similarly, when you write a compelling meta description, it can entice those who see your link in the search results to click on your site, increasing your click-through rate (CTR).
Internal linking is another important practice for on-page SEO. Linking relevant content between the different pages of the website helps perform several functions. For example, linking from a blog page to your services page can explain to Google the structure of your site, and distribute ranking power across your pages. This also helps to make your website user-friendly, and gives targeted pages on your site the attention they need to be ranked. Things like having a mobile-friendly site and fast load times are on-page SEO factors that can make or break whether you are ranking on Google or not. Keeping your content fresh and current, and checking your on-page SEO with a ranking tool such as a Google checker can also help you out immensely.
Building High-Quality Backlinks
Arguably the most important factor is backlinks – inbound links (‘votes’ from other sites) to your own. High-quality backlinks from authority sites serve as a recommendation for your content, and Google will recognize it. If other quality sites willingly link to another, Google’s belief is that yours must be good, too. External links from authority sites can literally send your rankings skyward. The best backlinks come if you earn them organically, by producing valuable content that other sites want to share, but outreach methods can really build up your link profile as well. Guest blogging, awesome infographics and industry relationships are a great way to link up with valuable sites and get high-quality inbound links.
Then secondly, you definitely want to stay away from black-hat SEO strategies, for example, if you buy links or maybe you’re involved in some kind of link scheme. Google will crack down on things like that. And their update in the past, maybe in 2012, called Penguin, really focused on punishing sites for these manipulative link building things. So things like Ahrefs or Moz will give you a really good idea of the quantity and quality of your backlinks. So definitely check on your backlink profile on a regular basis, and if that’s something you don’t have time to do, pay an intern because you want to look at your link profile and you want to be looking for things that should be toxic if your competitors are pointing to something that’s not Facebook or Google or one of the legitimate sites out there, and that’s specifically contributing to their authority. If they have these grey or black hat links for example, you want to look at those and you want to eliminate those from your link profile. If you can earn a lot of high-quality backlinks, that’s going to yank your site right up the Google ranking.
Utilizing Google Rank Checker Tools
To continue monitoring and enhancing your website’s Google rankings, you need to know how well it has fared over a period of time. You can do this by using Google rank checker tools to keep a tab on how your site ranks for a particular keyword and whether you have crossed over or bumped down in the search engine hierarchy. With tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs and SEMrush, you can get a precise idea about your site’s ranking, the keywords used in a particular search, as well as which sites or competitors you are up against during a search. If you see that a particular strategy is not enjoying much success, you can abandon it and take on a different one that will improve your site’s Google rankings. Regularly examining your site’s rankings will ensure you are well-versed with the online landscape, which is constantly evolving and can offer new insights.
Furthermore, if you notice a sudden dip in your ranking, a rank checker tool can inform you that your website was ranked ‘Google search not working’. This might mean that you have detected a sudden shift in Google’s result pages due to an algorithm update (like was the case in March this year) or it simply could be a spam attack on your website that needs to be cleaned out soon. Another great aspect of such a tool is that it can inform you about your competitors, as many free rank checkers allow you to see information in terms of rank competitions. This is useful as it allows you to benchmark yourself against your competitors, revealing new areas where you can work optimise. A Google rank checker, in conclusion, is a vital tool for any business and anyone looking to maintain a proactive profile on SEO, which is important for your website’s long term success.
Addressing Common SEO Issues and Troubleshooting
However hard you try, from time to time things won’t go to plan and you will be left wondering: why is Google search not working for this page? Or why have we suddenly plummeted down the rankings? Or why has Google stopped indexing my site? It is important to resolve these issues as soon as possible or you will find yourself disadvantaged in the rankings. Look at your site with tools such as the ones in Google Search Console and check for any technical issues that might be impacting on your search results, such as broken links, duplicate content, slow-loading pages and so on. It’s often the easy things that make the most difference when it comes to fixing ranking problems.
The next more common issue usually stems from content that doesn’t match search intent which in turn leads to poor user engagement and ranking signals This alone could be the cause of your ‘Google search not working’ problem. The solution is to perform a content audit and keep your content periodically updated to better address user expectations. Also ensure your website is fully responsive or mobile friendly, keeping in mind that Google has evolved to a ‘mobile-first indexing’. If things get a little more complex or serious, then engage the help of an SEO expert to help diagnose and fix what could be a more intricate problem. From the process flow mentioned above, the point where the most monitoring is required is when you notice a decline in your rankings. Constantly reevaluate your expectations and plan of action against your rankings – this will prepare you for any sudden changes or drops.
Conclusion
Google ranking algorithm ranking algorithm rank checking tool keywords Ranking higher on Google isn’t a one-time thing. It’s something you have to constantly care about, plan, do, and monitor. And as long as you are aware of Google ranking algorithm and have the know-how to do keyword research, attentively take care of your on-page SEO elements, build high-quality backlinks, and have such tools as Google rank checker at your disposal; it’s possible to see your website on the top of Google more often, receive more traffic, and achieve more of your business goals. Fixing your SEO problems when they might seem negligible is also a crucial thing, so that to stay on course of your website’s progress and not see your efforts slipping away due to some unforeseen circumstances. If you do things by those rules, eventually you will be able to see your website rank on Google’s top more consistently and move more traffic from the search engine.
