Traffic is king in the online world. And ranking higher on Google is key. The Internet is an extension of real life, and you can see it in the many ways you can earn a living online. Just as brick-and-mortar businesses need foot traffic to generate revenue, blogs, online shops, and everything in between rely on views and clicks.
Techniques such as search engine optimization or SEO help you get the traffic you need. You can create your own SEO strategy or hire an SEO professional in Perth to plan one for you. Either way, to execute an SEO strategy, you need to follow Google’s lead.
With a 92% market share, Google is the only search engine that matters, and ranking higher on Google should be your main goal. And if you’ve dabbled in SEO, you probably know that the rankings on Google’s results page are determined mostly by its internal algorithms. Of course, nobody knows exactly what goes into their algorithms, which changes all the time. The SEO community holds its breath every time Google updates the algorithm. Everyone gets affected, for better or for worse.
The algorithm aside, there are certain SEO practices you should always follow. Here are 3 of the best ones:
1. Switch to HTTPS
If your website still doesn’t have an SSL certificate, you’re missing out on a lot. While your page doesn’t need HTTPS to be indexed, you’re more likely to rank higher if Google deems your page secure.
HTTPS is a more secure version of HTTP. Requests and responses are encrypted, making them more trustworthy for anyone using the website. Sensitive data such as credit card information and personal details are protected during transit. And if you haven’t upgraded to HTTPS, some browsers might flag your site as insecure.
If you want your visitors and Google to trust you, you should switch to HTTPS as soon as possible.
2. Avoid exact-match domains
In the early days of the Internet, if your domain name exactly matches a popular search query, the search engine might rank you higher on the results page, driving more traffic to your website. Let’s say a typical search query is “flowers for sale in Perth,” and you’d call your website FlowersForSaleInPerth.com. That’s called an exact-match domain.
Google has cracked down on this practice. Today, exact match domains are a sure sign that the website is spammy and questionable. The algorithm no longer considers the URL as a factor in deciding a results page’s rankings. It might even work against you.
3. Create longer and better content
One old common SEO practice is filling pages with long-form content. Whether or not the content was good didn’t matter. The algorithm couldn’t differentiate good content from the bad ones. What mattered was the word count.
Today, Google penalizes websites for posting a lot of low-quality content, regardless of length. The algorithm can now separate the good from the bad, rewarding legitimate sites and punishing scammy ones. While word length says nothing about an article’s quality, studies have shown that long-form content attracts more traffic than short articles. Write useful, long pieces, and you’ll be fine.
While good SEO practices will help your page rank higher on Google, always remember that it’s not the be-all and end-all of things. Focus on developing your niche, whether you’re a lifestyle blog, an online flower shop, or a professional looking to expand your reach. Google’s algorithm rewards developed websites with a clear sense of identity.