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Lesson 4 of 8By Sana Afreen
Nothing could be more disappointing than your website not ranking on Google, despite your continued efforts to rank high. With a vast amount of content available on the internet, finding out the accurate answer on how to rank on Google would be close to impossible. Google has a few ranking factors, but it makes these ranking factors up of not just one but a wide variety of algorithms. To help your website rank on Google, we have come up with a few solutions.
Let’s get started with our first ranking factor, i.e., choosing relevant keywords.
When a user enters a search query, Google ranking refers to the position at which a webpage appears in Google SERPs.
When you search for something on Google, the search engine displays a list of relevant web pages. The order in which these pages are displayed is determined by Google's ranking algorithm, which considers various factors to determine the relevance and quality of each page. A higher Google keyword ranking means that a webpage appears closer to the top of the search results, making it more likely to be seen and clicked on by users.
Achieving a high keyword ranking on Google is a primary goal for websites, and here are five reasons why:
To boost your Google keyword rankings, you need to know where the website currently stands in the search results. You can do this manually by entering your target keywords into Google (assuming incognito mode to prevent your personal search history from affecting the results). Alternatively, you can use specialized SEO tools that track your positions for the necessary keywords in just one click and show you additional data for ranking analysis. Among the most popular ones are SE Ranking Rank Tracker, SEO PowerSuite, and Spy SERP.
The second way is more insightful and efficient. Tools provide detailed insights into your website's position for all the needed keywords across various locations and other data. For instance, you can monitor ranking fluctuations, check keyword cannibalization issues, or see the SERP features you get.
Now that you grasp the significance of ranking highly on Google and know your current positions on SERPs, the question arises: How can you climb to the top of the SERPs? It's a multifaceted journey involving numerous stages of website optimization. Let's delve deeper into these pivotal steps.
The aim of ranking websites on search engines is a dream of every marketer. But, to accomplish the task, we require a lot of effort.
However, targeting the right keywords and audience is the major tip to improve your website ranking. Along with that, creating well-optimized content will give a good boost to your website ranking.
Your website can reach on top much sooner than you think, but only if you follow the steps mentioned below:
Moving further, let's discuss how creating high-quality content can help your website rank #1 on Google.
Stated below is an example of a Machine Learning video ranking #1 on YouTube search result.
Primary keyword: Machine learning
Secondary keyword: What is Machine learning
To outperform your competitors and excel in your niche, you must surpass them. Achieving this requires a careful analysis of their strategies. By conducting a thorough SERP analysis, you can gain valuable insights into ranking high on Google.
Upon selecting relevant keywords, your next step involves a detailed SERP analysis for each query. Begin by entering the keyword into Google and then analyze the top-ranking pages, focusing on their:
Moreover, pay attention to the Google SERP features displayed for the query. Maybe optimizing your website page to appear in SERP features is a good idea.
Understanding what users are looking for when they type in a specific query and tailoring your content to match that intent is essential for user satisfaction and search engine visibility. To effectively match your content with search intent:
1. Examine the keyword you're targeting. Is it informational, transactional, navigational, or commercial? This will guide you in understanding the user's purpose. Search a reason behind a user's query—whether they're seeking information, looking to purchase, comparing options, or exploring a topic.
2. Look at the top-ranking pages in Google for your keyword. Are they blog posts, product pages, comparison articles, or guides? This provides insights into what type of content aligns with user expectations. For example, if you type “what is SEO” in the search box, your SERP will most likely look like this:
3. Craft your content to fulfill the user's needs based on intent. For informational queries, provide in-depth explanations. For transactional queries, offer clear calls-to-action and product details.
By checking and matching your content to search intent, you provide value to users and increase the likelihood of higher engagement, lower bounce rates, and improved search engine rankings.
So what is high-quality content? We can explain it to you in simple words if you ask us.
Quality content accomplishes its marketing goal.
Marketing goals include increasing brand awareness, improving click-through rates, gaining leads, and gaining maximum social shares of a website.
Content Marketing Institute confirms that 88% of B2B companies give priority to content marketing.
Content marketing involves a wide variety of content types, such as blog posts, newsletters, webinars, videos, and so on, to attract the target audience.
Below we have listed down some of the useful tips to consider while creating high-quality content:
Note: White hat technique is a technique used to improve search ranking on SERP. It follows search engine rules and policies
Note: When a reader stays on your web page for a longer time, Google will favorably rank your website. To increase user attention/dwell-time, always create comprehensive, long, and engaging content.
Some of the steps to create high-quality content are:
In the video format, showcased below is an example of high-quality content for the keyword: what is machine learning?
Moving onto the next technique, let's see how to Optimize on-page SEO.
On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing web page elements. On-page SEO includes:
Optimizing on-page SEO is easier than you might think. What follows is some practical advice.
The title tag is the web page title that appears on the search engine results page.
Let us discuss some of the ways to optimize on-page SEO:
It is a summary of the content of your web page.
Let us discuss some of the ways to optimize on-page SEO:
The header tag provides structure to your site by identifying headings and subheadings of your web page.
Optimize your tags by:
Below is an example of a well-optimized web page in terms of on-page SEO. The keyword used here is: Digital marketing certificate
So far, we have discussed 3 ranking factors on how to rank on Google. Next, we will look at how to optimize website level factors to improve website ranking.
Website level factors include a sitemap, security, and page speed. Optimizing these three elements will improve your rankings and traffic.
A sitemap is one of the important ways to enhance your website's ranking by providing information about the pages.
Some of the crucial ways to improve sitemaps are:
According to EDGY, "Using sitemaps for SEO can increase your website's visibility and help get it indexed."
Sites with HTTPS server boost in website rankings, whereas Google calls HTTPS as a ranking signal.
Some of the ways to improve site security are:
It is one of the most important ranking factors on Google. It is the time taken to load the content on a web page.
Page speed with poor performance results in a high bounce rate and low average time spent on the web page.
Below are the ways to optimize page speed:
Note: Page speed with poor performance results in a high bounce rate and low average time spent on the web page.
For example, Neil Patel had confirmed that Walmart experienced a decline in conversions when the page speed increased from one to four seconds.
Acquiring backlinks from other websites is one of the important ranking factors.
Neil Patel says, "75% of people will never scroll past the first page on a Google search." which indicates the ranking your website on the second, third, or fourth page of Google will not improve your website ranking.
In that case, building external links to your website can increase your organic search ranking.
Some of the benefits of link building are:
Now, you might be wondering: ‘What is a high-quality link, exactly? And how do I build them?’ That's what we are going to cover now.
Let us tell you a few essential techniques that could help in building links:
Note: Backlinko has confirmed that pages with more backlinks tend to rank higher than web pages with fewer backlinks
For example, the web page below has a high number of backlinks.
The below screenshot is taken from the Ahrefs tool:
According to Neil Patel, "A good site structure provides your site with site links."
Having many web pages on your website is no longer important. Still, it is essential to have a website appropriately grouped into categories so that based on the search query, Google can know what content to display on the search engine results page.
A well-defined website architecture helps in ranking. This way, bots can effortlessly access and index the content, which results in improved indexing and a higher probability of website ranking.
Following are the important techniques used to improve your website structure:
Keywords are still important for rankings, but subject relevance is equally important, and one of the ways to accomplish this is through a good website architecture.
Below is an example of a strong logical site structure, where individual sub-pages are connected to one another.
Internal links help users navigate your site, promote your main pages and give a deeper understanding of a particular topic or concept. As for Google, internal links help to understand and find all the pages for better crawling and indexing. Moreover, by passing link juice, they also signal to search engines the importance and relevance of specific pages.
Therefore, there is no way to do this without internal linking. Here are a few basic ways to do it effectively.
The first rule is incorporating internal links in your website's navigation menus: footer, sidebar, header, etc. This gives users and search engines easy access to important pages and improves site structure.
Next, add contextual links across all the essential pages of your website.
Link relevant content together. The good idea is to create content hubs by identifying cornerstone content pieces that cover broader topics and are comprehensive guides. Link related blog posts or pages to these hubs, forming content clusters that signal your site's expertise to search engines.
Avoid the temptation to add links solely for the sake of quantity; each link should genuinely enhance users' and Google's navigation experience.
Another important thing is to work on an anchor plan. Use different anchor texts, mostly descriptive text that gives readers and search engines an idea of what they'll find when they click the link.
Bear in mind that internal links can become broken or outdated. So, you need to review and update these chains. Use tools like Google Analytics to monitor the effectiveness of your internal linking strategy. Analyze user behavior and engagement metrics to refine your approach.
Schema markup, also known as structured data, is a unified code that provides additional context to search engines about the content on your website.
Schema markup enhances search engine results by creating rich snippets—extra details displayed beneath a search result. You’ve definitely seen snippets with ratings, price, phone number, and event date, as shown in the screenshot below. This additional data improves click-through rates and user engagement and helps your content stand out.
Moreover, Schema markup benefits mobile users and voice search by presenting concise information that's easy to consume.
Adding schema markup requires embedding structured data in your website's HTML. You can manually code it or use tools like Google's Structured Data Markup Helper or Schema.org's Markup Generator.
The finalized code must be added to the page through the site’s admin panel or directly to the HTML file.
You can also implement structured data with the help of CMS. CMS developers provide special software that structures the code. For instance, All In One Schema Rich Snippets and Markup (JSON-LD) structured in schema.org modules; Drupal employs Microdata and Schema.org extensions, while Joomla uses Google Structured Data.
A continuous content optimization process is essential to maintain and improve your rankings over time. Google's search algorithms are dynamic and constantly evolving. Content that ranks well today might not maintain its position tomorrow.
The first step in content optimization is conducting periodic content audits. You need to identify outdated, irrelevant, or underperforming content. You can do it with the help of the major of analytic tools. Track key performance metrics such as bounce rate, time on page, and conversion rates. Delete unnecessary pages that are duplicates, have not had any sessions in the past year do not focus on specific keywords or offer minimal value to your audience.
Other pages should be improved by updating content:
Don’t forget to regularly publish new content on relevant topics to demonstrate your expertise and authority in your niche.
Maintain a balance between optimization and natural, engaging content.
Content marketing tools by SE Ranking, Clearscope, MarketMuse or Letterdrop can help you improve your content effectively.
The search engine frequently updates its algorithms to enhance user experience, provide accurate results, and thwart black-hat SEO practices. Certain algorithm updates target practices like keyword stuffing, link spam, poor mobile usability, weak E-A-T signals, etc.
Now, Google makes thousands of changes every year. These updates can significantly impact your website's rankings, making it essential to stay informed to avoid penalties.
Here's how to stay on top of algorithm updates:
UX signals are behavioral patterns that affect your page rankings. Among the most crucial are click-through rate and bounce rate. In essence, it's important to Google that users click often on your snippets and stay on the pages for a long time.
Google Analytics will be your best friend when it comes to measuring your bounce rate. 
Google Search Console will help you to monitor CTR.
Once you spot UX issues, try to do everything possible to follow basic rules to improve user experience:
Google Business Profiles increase your chances of appearing in local search results (so-called Google Local Pack), a coveted spot at the top of SERPs. This leads to higher visibility among users in your area.
According to surveys, 21% of customers use the Internet to search for local businesses daily, and 35% do so multiple times every week. Having a Google Business Profile is essential if you have a physical business.
If you haven't already, claim your business profile, providing accurate and consistent information, including:
Add high-resolution photos that showcase your products, services, and location. Visual content increases engagement and provides a glimpse into your business. Choose accurate business categories to help Google understand your services and match you with relevant searches.
Once you're in the local pack, track your results: monitor the number of views, website visits, searches by keywords, phone calls, direction requests, reviews, etc.
Remember to promptly update data if there are changes to your address, phone number, or other details.
Without a clear understanding of how your SEO strategies are performing, you're essentially flying blind. By identifying which strategies yield the best results, you optimize your resources, saving time and money.
First, define KPIs that align with your goals, such as organic traffic, conversion rates, and engagement metrics.
Second, utilize SEO tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and other trustworthy SEO tools to access detailed data about your website's performance.
Don’t forget to continuously track your target keywords' rankings using SEO tools or specialized rank-tracking software. This helps you understand your visibility and track progress.
Off-site engagement aims to boost the value of your content by the practice of earning links from other authoritative websites. The impact of link building on SEO is high. A website owner needs to develop an effective and long-term approach to link building rather than earning links through non-authoritative websites.
Attaining backlinks from multiple domains is crucial, as they help in bringing referral traffic to your website.
Some of the off-site engagements are:
The below example has a high number of views within a period of 1 month:
And with that, we have come to the end of this article on ‘How to rank on Google’.
In this article titled ‘how to rank on Google’, we discussed the top 16 techniques that could rank our websites well on search engines. Focusing on these techniques alone will drive more organic traffic to your website and improve your search rankings without risking a Google penalty.
Whether you’re an experienced Digital marketer or you’re aspiring to break into this exciting industry, enrolling in our Post Graduate Program in Digital Marketing will help you master Digital Marketing techniques and strategies and become an AI-powered marketer.
Sana Afreen is a Senior Research Analyst at Simplilearn and works on several latest technologies. She holds a degree in B. Tech Computer Science. She has also achieved certification in Advanced SEO. Sana likes to explore new places for their cultures, traditions, and cuisines.
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