What is Search Engine Optimization? We could go into a complex definition here, but for the sake of brevity we’ll simply say that search engine optimization is a set of steps you take to ensure that your website appears on the first page of search results. The fact is that most people search with Google. According to SmartInsights, Google owns about 75% of the search engine market share. This means that three out of four people search using Google instead of Yahoo, Bing, and other search engine platforms. Google is king when it comes to search engine optimization. Therefore, if you want to succeed in SEO, you’d better learn the qualities Google looks for when deciding whether or not to serve your website to the top of search results. Fortunately, you don’t have to play a guessing game. Here are some helpful guidelines to follow in order to keep your website at the top of Google’s lists.
Mobile Responsiveness
Most search engine users are on their mobile devices. In fact, Zenith reports that 75% of global internet use is driven by mobile devices. Statistics also show that mobile device users who click through to a website that is not mobile responsive, usually click away within seconds. Just imagine how annoying it would be to have to resize every page on a website just to get basic content! It’s not fun. Google’s answer to that problem is to serve up websites that are mobile responsive. These websites are ultra modern and they are outfitted to automatically resize to any device whether it be a phone or a tablet. This allows visitors to get answers to their questions at a much faster pace which is Google’s ultimate aim.
Keyword Association
Speaking of getting answers, Google needs your website to answer search term inquiries, hence why we SEO experts live by the keyword. You see, Google has robots that crawl every site on the internet aggregating keywords and organizing that information in order to list the best matching websites for every search inquiry. A big part of your SEO strategy should employ smart keyword usage. Your keywords should mimic the same search terms your ideal customers would be using in search inquiries. They should be dispersed all throughout your website. A good way to harness the power of keywords is through a blog. We shared some tips on how to optimize your blog for SEO in our article here.
Fast Load Times
In today’s instant-gratification driven society, speed is a must. If for some reason, your site loads slowly, then you’re automatically losing points with Google. There are a number of culprits that can cause slow load times. It can be extra large images, outdated java scripts, too many back-end requests, or poor server performance. Whatever the case may be, it’s always good to check your website’s performance to see how quickly it loads among other things. This can provide an invaluable amount of information on what you need to do to fix common problems.
Credibility
Whether you want to call it popularity or credibility, Google looks for some sort of networking with other sites. Google search algorithms attribute prestige to sites that have other sites linking to it. In other words, if your website has many other sites linking to yours, it’s a good thing. The caveat though, is that these other websites have to be credible in their own right. For example, Google views a .org or a .edu site as very credible. If one of these sites link to your site, then Google is very impressed with your site. The thinking is that if a University or Non-profit Organization finds your site important enough to link to, then your site must be important. Here’s a Pro tip: If you donate a scholarship to a University or create a sales event benefiting a Non-Profit Organization you can obtain one of these prized links quite easily.
As we mentioned earlier, Google owns 75% of the market share for search engines. They want to keep it that way, so they’re constantly tweaking their search algorithms to make sure they’re serving up the most qualified websites possible. Does your site meet the criteria? Will Google prioritize your site for search results? Your job as the website owner is to keep an eye on these trends and make sure your website meets Google’s qualifications. Make your website an SEO winner, by following the guidelines we outlined above. We believe in you! If you’re interested in having our expert SEO team evaluate your website, drop us a line.
