Simple SEO techniques to increase your site’s rankings

People often ask us why Google is displaying their site on page 15, and not on page 1. There’s never a simple answer to this question because Google’s complicated algorithm, which decides how sites rank, takes into account more than 200 factors based not only on your site, but your competitor’s too.

But while the answer may be complicated, the solution need not be. So often when we run a free SEO report on websites we make just a few simple recommendations that will make the world of difference to its rankings. Best of all, they require virtually no technological understanding of how websites work.

As a Wellington SEO, some of the search engine optimisation recommendations we make over and over again include:

Keywords
Keywords are the important words and phrases people type into Google that you want your site to appear for. The very first and most basic step of optimising your site is to make sure those keywords appear in your text. If you want your site to rank for the phrase “cheap dog food”, but nowhere on your site do you mention food that’s either for dogs or cheap, you shouldn’t expect to rank for that phrase.

To be even more effective, put your important keywords into your site’s title. This is also a biggie for Google, and will certainly help getting your site off the 15th page.

Backlinks
A backlink is a link on someone else’s website that links to yours. Basically, Google sees a backlink as affirmation that someone else has visited and appreciated your site. While it often depends on the type of website that’s linking back to yours, generally speaking, the more backlinks, the more Google figures your site is worth, and so ranks it higher.

Social Bookmarking
Some people hear “social”, assume you’re talking about Facebook, and switch off. But getting your site listed on social networks and platforms is a good idea, and need not even involve Facebook. One of the more important bookmarks you should be seeking is Google Places. It makes sense, since you’re trying to rank in Google, to use Google’s own tools and services. Google Places is easy to set up and even gets your company name listed on Google Maps! It also lets Google know that your site represents a legitimate business, which is great for your site’s reputation.

So these are just a few of the simple recommendations we make to all our clients. You’d be surprised at how your site’s ranking improve with just a little tweaking!