No one builds a website for the sake of it. The dream of every website owner/admin is to get on the first page of search engine result pages (SERPs). This is understandable as studies have shown that the first page of search engines gets about 95% of web traffic. You must have heard of the popular saying “the best place to hide a dead body is page 2 of google. This is so true as about 75% of internet users don’t go beyond the first page of google, making sites on page 2 invisible. Well, people need to see your website for them to click on it right?

There are different ways to get your site on the first page of google. One of them involves you paying to rank for selected keywords in your industry. However, consistency is key and that may be an expensive idea to realize when you pay to drive traffic to your site.

Another means is through SEO, an ongoing process of optimizing your website content, architecture and other elements, not only to get on the first page but also to maintain your position on the first page without paying a dime. All it requires is your dedication and persistence to improve your SEO ranking

There are a number of things that can boost your website traffic in line with SEO practice. Here in this article, you’ll be learning about 7 SEO tips that are sure to increase your website ranking on google.

1. Optimal Page Speed

Making sure your web pages load fast is very important. According to studies, 57% of people will leave a website that takes forever to load while about 80% of them will not return. If this keeps happening, it becomes a big leak of traffic. There’s a lot of alternative businesses that visitors can patronize, a slow website is just a good reason for them to switch to a competitor’s website; which only takes a few clicks.

Another thing is that Google will notice it if your website doesn’t retain traffic – increased bounce rate. This may result in a penalty that will draw your website farther behind than it was before. Google’s mission is to provide the best information possible to people across the world. People leaving your website just as soon as they get on it simply translates your website doesn’t have valuable content. considering the fact that your site may actually contain valuable contents, you should avoid factors that increase page load time such as unoptimized images.

2. Mobile Responsiveness

According to studies, 60% of searches are done via mobile devices. This is probably because mobile devices are handy and can be used anywhere anytime. As a business owner, it is safe to assume that most of your potential and existing customers will probably visit your website with their mobile devices and viewing a desktop version is a great turn off which can decrease affinity for your website. If they manage to keep up with it once, the subsequent visits may just be impossible.

To check if your site is mobile-friendly, use Google’s mobile-friendly test. All you need for this test is your website address and the result will be provided in no time. If your site is mobile-friendly, the result will be Yes, but if it is not, the result will be No.

3. User-friendly Site Architecture

The effect of site layout and structures over SEO cannot be overstated. From the color to transition from one page to another. The color on your website should resonate with your brand color so that people won’t get to your site and feel like they are on the wrong website.

This along other elements work together to influence the way the site’s quality is perceived in the mind of visitors. It is also important to ensure that the pages on your website are arranged in a way that users move from one page to another seamlessly.

Normally, it shouldn’t take more than 2-3 clicks to get to a page from another page on the same website. Whatever tweaks or arrangements you have to take on your website, ensure it is always optimized to provide your audience with the best experience possible.

4. Google My Business

This directly improves your website SEO and lets it rank better, driving more traffic to your website. It is an important way of being at the top of local searches, especially if you run a brick and mortar business. With this Google tool, you get to set the address of your business, opening hours, website as well as phone numbers.

Google my business also projects your business’ authenticity to potential customers based on the review made by existing customers. This is a great tool you should capitalize on; it gives you an edge over your competitors who are not utilizing it. If you’re not yet using this as part of your SEO strategy, now is the best time to set up Google my business for your business.

5. Blogging

Regardless of the industry or the nature of the business, blogging is a great tool that brings about lots of positive effects on a website which includes driving great traffic continuously, improving SEO, providing solutions to visitors as well as existing customers.

Blogging is basically a way of providing valuable and relevant content to your audience, basing on your expertise in your field or industry. It is about sharing your knowledge with people. This will make you a thought leader in your field and you’ll be the top of mind whenever a solution is needed. Most times, people use Google when they seek answers to a question and if your blog provides the solutions, Google’s job is to suggest it to searchers when they search.

6. Optimized Images

Studies have shown that people prefer visuals to texts. Images, infographics, and videos are all ways to get your audiences to engage more with your content. You should also ensure you optimize images by using your keywords as the file name as well as “alt text”.

Also, avoid the usage of huge image files, this will increase the page load time as well as take up storage unnecessarily. you can reduce the size of the image and retain the quality by using compressor.

7. Content readability

You should always put it in mind that the main purpose of creating a website and putting content on it is to pass information across, not to exercise your strength in English. It is pertinent that your web content is simple enough for people to understand. Another thing to consider is maximizing white space.

A long paragraph may look overwhelming, but breaking it into several bits will make it look smaller and easy to read. Develop the habit of using headers in your articles, this will make visitors develop an affinity for your articles since it doesn’t look bulky to them.

Conclusion

A sure way to drive applaudable organic traffic is to rank on the first page of Google, thereby becoming visible when people come searching for what you offer. The actionable steps mentioned above are proven ways to make Google increase your website ranking. A quick recap of the tips mentioned.

• Optimal page speed
• Mobile responsiveness
• User-friendly site architecture
• Google my business
• Blogging
• Optimized images
• Content readability

Although it’s not a get rich quick scheme, however, in the long run, it is worth every bit of work put in it. Be intentional about putting these tips to practice and watch your website rank increase.

Feel free to drop your thoughts or questions in the comment section.