Website Optimization Strategies to Boost Google Rankings
Learn about the website optimization strategies that can help you attain higher rankings on Google and tips to maximize your website's visibility.
May 27, 2023
Introduction
Most of our brand audit clients ask us to review their websites and make recommendations to improve the layout, content, and to resolve technical search engine optimization errors. Essentially, they want us to do anything we can to help them grow organic traffic and rank higher on search engines.
Google’s site optimization and search guidelines are a big part of that process.
In this post, I’ll share some website performance strategies you can use to generate targeted traffic and boost search rankings.
Google’s Recommendations to Improve Search Engine Rankings
According to Google, ranking a website starts with answering the following five questions:
Is my website showing up in search results?
Do I serve high-quality, relevant content that matches user intent?
Is my local company showing up in Google's business listings?
Is my website's content easy to access on all devices?
Is my website secure?
Any website optimization strategy you use should align with at least one of these questions. Otherwise, you could be wasting your time.
There's another consideration: things change. And technology changes rapidly. At The Brand Auditors, we focus on strategies that will survive algorithm updates and other events that can wreak havoc on search rankings.
Now, let’s dive deeper into the details, starting with an in-depth look at how to address each of the five questions above.
Search Engine Visibility
Search engine visibility refers to the percentage share of website traffic that comes from organic search results. It's an important metric for brands because it allows them to measure ROI on the investment they've made in search engine optimization and content development.
For example, let’s assume your website or landing page is in second place for a specific keyword query. Google may estimate that the second-place website receives 14.6 percent of all clicks from the target audience for that search term. That means your website would have 14.6 percent visibility for that keyword.
Total visibility is the average traffic share from all ranking keywords.
Brands should track their search visibility to help them determine if their current SEO or content strategy is working. Software and other SEO tools are available to make the job easier.
Google Search Console, for example, allows you to access details on your website’s existing traffic, search performance, and user experience. Paid website optimization tools provide more data on other valuable metrics related to web pages and user behavior.
Monitoring visibility over time helps companies assess how well an SEO or content strategy is performing and what they need to do to improve it. Keeping track of other SEO metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), average time on site, and bounce rate can tell you whether users are engaging with your content or if branding efforts are impacting user behavior.
Website Content Quality
Quality content is imperative, and not just for websites. In recent years, Google has released algorithm updates that emphasizes a site's content quality. There have been three recent updates in particular that I'll mention here.
The first, released in 2018, was the EAT update. E-A-T stands for expertise, authority, and trust. The purpose of this algorithm update was to boost the authority of websites with relevant, high-quality content that provides the best information.
For example, Google considers a medical website with posts written by a doctor to be trustworthy. This stands in contrast to a wellness website with posts written by a casual blogger with opinions on specific health topics. This is because the doctor’s credentials and expertise give her more content authority on the subject matter.
The second update was the Core Web Vitals update released in 2020. This update was designed to assess website speed and the user experience. This update forced many brands to make sure their sites remain properly optimized.
But early in 2023, Google decided to retire site speed and design for mobile users as search engine ranking factors. Instead, they implemented updates to reward the overall quality of web page content.
The Helpful Content Update, was released in mid-2022. This update is Google’s attempt to promote more diverse and original content. The update not only evaluates the quality of a single web page, but the entire site as well.
By satisfying the algorithm’s criteria, your site stands a better chance of ranking higher. This will lead to an increase in website visitors.
A content quality check should be included in your website optimization efforts. One way to check content quality is to assess readability. Content should be relevant to the user's search intent and well-researched. It should be genuine and written for humans, not just for ranking.
Given the rise of artificial intelligence, many companies are tempted to use AI writing tools to create content. If you elect to use these tools, we advise that you proceed with caution. Though Google does not directly forbid the use of AI for content creation, the quality of AI-generated content tends to be poor without human oversight.
SEMRush’s Content Quality Score is a valuable tool for evaluating the content quality. It provides a score based on several factors, including readability, originality, and grammar.
Local Rankings
Google My Business (GMB) is a free tool offered by Google that helps entrepreneurs, businesses, and organizations build an online presence. Companies can add their profile to Google Search Console and Google Maps. The profile includes contact information, business hours, a description of services and products, and customer reviews.
This platform helps companies increase local reach by allowing them to post updates and promotions. GMB Insights provides performance data so businesses can adjust their optimization strategies accordingly to stay on top of competitors.
Google My Business allows customers to access the brand’s details when searching for businesses in their area. This contributes to brand authority and increases visibility on a local level.
Website Content Structure
Content structure can be complex, but it plays a vital role in website rankings. You must make it easy for search engines to figure out what your business offers and who will value from it most.
One of the best ways to do this is to organize content using category pages or sub-categories.
The site should also have a clear navigational pathway for visitors. This means users should be able to toggle between different levels and types of content on the site in order to find what they need.
Clear headings and hierarchies can help visitors find their way around the site. Hierarchical organization of page content allows search engines to understand what each page is about.
If your website has complex information that is difficult to organize into categories or sub-categories, then use structured data markup with Schema.org tags. This will make sure the machine-readable data helps search engines understand more about what is on each page and how it might relate to other information it finds elsewhere online.
The size of image files has a significant impact on how quickly your site loads, so compress them as much as possible without affecting quality. Also, be sure all images have descriptive ALT text so search engine spiders can crawl them for keyword relevance. This helps improve SEO rankings for important keywords associated with your business that may not otherwise appear anywhere else on your website.
Website Security
Cyberattacks are becoming a bigger problem as each day passes. Even small businesses and websites with low traffic volumes are at risk. The best way to stay safe is to have a properly optimized website and added layers of security.
Create strong passwords, use two-factor authentication, and update software, plugin, and operating systems regularly to protect against cyber threats. You should also watch user accounts for suspicious behavior or any other concerning activities.
One of the most important steps towards website security is selecting a trusted hosting provider with excellent customer service and strong safety measures in place. Good hosting companies can protect your site and reduce the chances of cyberattack.
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Website Optimization Strategies to Boost Performance
Now, let’s review some effective optimization strategies that your business can use to boost rankings on Google.
On-Page SEO
Now, let’s review some effective optimization strategies that your business can use to boost rankings on Google.
On-Page SEO
The goal of on-page SEO is to improve performance and enhance the user experience.
Here are a few examples of on-page SEO tactics:
Keyword Research
Good keyword research separates many of the excellent sites from the bad. A strategy that focuses on finding relevant keywords and identifying the searcher's intent is the foundation of higher rankings.
The “right” keywords are those that have enough search volume to be worth targeting but aren’t so competitive that you can’t rank on the first few pages of Google’s organic results. Strategic—and intentional—placement of keywords not only attracts more organic traffic from engaged audiences but can enhance the performance of your paid campaigns.
Without a proper SEO analysis, it’s difficult to make sure target keywords appear in title tags, meta descriptions, and other important locations.
Internal Links
Internal links helps Google understand and discover the context of a website. They allow users to navigate from one page to another within the same site and help search engine bots index the site’s pages.
With strategic placement, webmasters can build a structure within the website to optimize user experience, aid navigation, and send relevance and expertise signals to search engines.
Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that lead to your own website. They act as votes for your website, showing Google that your site is valuable and authoritative. Google views a site with quality backlinks as one that has more authority and trustworthiness. So, if you can get more backlinks, it will help you rank higher.
Focus on getting high-quality backlinks from industry-level websites. These backlinks should relate to your topic. It also pays out to have a manual outreach campaign that targets popular publications. Some of them may cite you as a source for their own content.
Fix Broken Links
The last type of link I’ll mention is the broken link. These are one of the common website problems. Changes in content structure or updates to URLs usually result in a broken link. These can block user access, so it’s necessary to have a process for replacing or deleting broken links.
Regularly scanning your website for broken links is an essential optimization strategy. It improves click-through rates and increases page views. Most of all, it prevents users from becoming annoyed when they can’t access a page.
Deleting outdated posts and pages should remain a priority. If you edit any website URLs, include 301 redirect that sends users to an updated page.
XML Sitemap
A sitemap is like a blueprint for a website that helps search engines index the content of that site. It shows which pages on the website are important and makes sure all the vital pieces, including updates, are in the map.
Sitemaps help search engine crawlers locate critical content more efficiently. Companies should keep their sitemap up-to-date so that it reflects any changes made to their site’s structure or top pages. This increases visibility in SERPs over time, which leads to more traffic.
Use Google Analytics to Improve Your Website Performance
Google Analytics is a powerful tool. It enables a brand to analyze and improve several aspects of a website. For example, companies can track a user’s browsing behavior (i.e., user intent). This includes the pages viewed, time spent on each page, and other events.
Analytics data can help businesses assess search engine traffic and identify ways to improve user satisfaction.
It is also the best way to check traffic sources. For example, this shows companies which channels generate the most visitors and conversions.
To use Google Analytics:
- Sign up for a Google Analytics account.
- After registering for an account, add the code to your website. We recommend installing it in the website’s footer. Then, read these instructions to install the code.
- Once you have added the code, you can track website visitor behavior.
- You can also adjust marketing strategies based on traffic sources. For example, you can see if users visit your site via social media, organic search, or a paid advertisement.
- Analytics can also measure the effectiveness of your website’s marketing campaigns. So, you can track how many visitors convert into customers after landing on your website. This data helps companies make informed decisions about their marketing efforts.
Conversion Rate Optimization
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is key to getting high ROI from your website. The goal of CRO is to reduce a site’s bounce rate and increase the chances that visitors will take action. Signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase are examples.
A/B testing is a page optimization strategy and one of the most accurate ways to measure the effectiveness of various design features. Testing reveals which elements are the most successful in getting users to act.
Here are some conversion rate optimization tips:
- Test Your Call-to-Action: One of the most critical elements of any website or page is the call-to-action (CTA). Test colors, sizes, and statements on your CTAs to see which gets the highest conversion rate.
- Simplify Forms: Long or complicated forms can discourage visitors from completing them. Make sure all forms are short and succinct and only ask for essential information.
- Use Persuasive Copy: Crafting web copy is an art form, but it’s essential for getting visitors to convert. So make sure your copy is clear, concise, and compelling.
- Use A/B Testing: Testing is the only reliable way to determine the page design, copy, or layout most effectively converting visitors. Test different versions of your page or website to see which gets the most responses.
- Leverage Social Proof: Social proof is a powerful tool for increasing conversions. For example, suppose a website has a lot of positive reviews from customers. In that case, other people are more likely to make a buy.
In website design, social proof can create trust and credibility. We can do this in many ways. Displaying customer reviews, Facebook likes, or the number of newsletter subscribers are examples. These signals help build brand authority. As a result, people are more likely to respond to a company’s offer.
How The Brand Auditors Can Help Your Company Leverage Website Strategies
Most brand audits include a website performance review. We have helped many brands develop optimization strategies based on their business goals. As a result, they have seen transformative changes in their website rankings and visibility.
Our web optimization services include:
Google Analytics: user behavior analysis and organic traffic assessment.
Search Engine Rankings: organic search, search query analysis, voice search
UI / UX Design: website structure, navigation, layout, images, and other factors related to user experience design
Content Marketing: audience segmentation, long-form content, content accessibility guidelines, content relevance, duplicate content issues
Mobile Optimization: responsive performance on mobile devices
Web Hosting & Security: issues that may compromise security—includes checks for hosting quality, content delivery network, and cost comparisons
Technical SEO Audit: analysis of page speed, compression, core web vitals, and other technical SEO issues
Click on the button below to talk with an expert and find out how The Brand Auditors can help you improve your website's performance and rankings in search engine results.
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- Increase ROI on lead generation and sales conversions.
- Reduce marketing expenses.
- Strengthen brand positioning to become more competitive.
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