One of the main reasons for businesses to get websites made is to attract more customers and in turn, increase profits. Websites that have better SEO, rank higher in search results and are easily spotted by potential customers. Unfortunately, just having a website made is not enough to rank higher. Proactive methods need to be taken to improve and gradually increase a website’s position in search results.
What is SEO ranking
To understand ranking, you must have a basic understanding of SEO. SEO is a process of improving a website to increase its visibility for relevant searches in search engines such as Google and Bing. This optimisation increases your chances of ranking on search engines. That being said, ranking is your website’s position on search engine results pages (also known as SERPs).
Ranking on the first two pages of SERPs is fiercely competitive (75% of people do not browse past the first page) and a website will have to have excellent SEO built over time to be placed there – organically. Paid advertising methods can be used too but it will be temporary unless you have a very large budget.
How does ranking work
When people are browsing for products or services online, they will enter search terms to find what they are looking for. These search terms are known as keywords and are one of the main criteria (amongst others) that search engines use to determine the validity and relevance of a page to a person searching for products and services online.
Based on these keywords, search engines (eg Google and Bing) will then show people the most relevant, high-quality results. Paid results are shown at the top and are marked with the word “Ad” so that people can differentiate them. These paid results are then followed by the most relevant organic (non-paid) results displayed successively over the rest of the pages.
How can my website rank higher
One of the best ways to rank higher is to work on increasing your SEO. This is because SEO and ranking work hand in hand. Here are some other ways you can improve your ranking:
- Ensure the “About Us” page on your website is well written and details what you do.
- Clearly display any positive reviews/testimonials, awards or certificates on your website.
- Respond to all reviews (positive and negative) promptly.
- Optimise your website with relevant keywords.
- Ensure your website is mobile friendly and also easy to use.
- Include a “Contact Us” page on your website that is easy to access and has more than one way to reach you or your team.
With a continued and consistent effort of the methods above your ranking will improve. As with SEO, improving your ranking does take time. You will have to be proactive, consistent and most importantly, patient. Contact us for assistance with improving your ranking and SEO.
