Have you ever Googled yourself? If you haven’t, you really should. No, really, go ahead -- your secret is safe with me.
Search for your business’s name with Google. Where does your website rank among all the others? Is it at the top, or close to the top? Good for you! Or is it?
Things are not always as they seem. Why? Because Google actually adapts to your own past behaviors. You may be seeing your website on the first page of results, but that’s because Google knows you want it there, since you frequent it often. The important question is, what are your customers actually seeing?
Go Undercover
No need to dig up your fake mustache or dark sunglasses -- all you need is an incognito browser. This will give you a true picture of how your site ranks in the real world. Where does your business rank now? If you’re still not ranking high enough, it’s time to revisit your marketing strategy.
A Few Pro-Tips
Here are a few things you can do to give your Google search ranking a shot in the arm:
- Chalk It Up To Experience. The top four ranking factors are website visits, time on site, pages per session and bounce rate -- all of which are related to the experience people have when visiting your site. The more people are engaged with your site, the better the experience, the better your ranking.
- A State of Contentment. High-quality content is one of the best ways to increase site traffic, and better content makes everybody happy.
- Baby Got Back. Backlinks (links from other sites to yours) are one of the most heavily-weighted Google ranking factors.
- If It’s Broke, Fix It. High-quality links are another fantastic way to boost traffic, but they gotta work. There are many online tools you can use to check this, like the aptly named BrokenLinkCheck.
- Heads Up. There is a strong correlation between Google search rank and the use of H1 and H2 header tags in the body of your content.
- Feel the Need, The Need for Speed. Make sure your website is as fast as possible to help increase its rank and make it a “top gun.”
- Shop Local. To improve the chances of your business showing up in relevant local searches, optimize your site for local search. Claiming your Google My Business listing is a good start.
- The Mythical Google Algorithm. It’s mythical because nobody seems to know with 100% certainty how it is created and precisely when it’s updated. Keeping an eye on Google Webmaster Central can help you stay on top of things.
- The Keys To Success. The right keywords can drive more people to your site. Use SERPs.com and type in keywords to check your rank.
- Measure Up. Tracking and measuring vital metrics will show you areas that need improvement. Google Analytics offers some useful tools for this.
- Goin’ Mobile. No, not the Who song, but your website -- is it mobile-friendly? With over 60% of searches taking place on mobile devices, it’s important. Check your site with Google's Mobile-Friendly Test.
Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a more Googleable you. But for maximum impact and a sure-fire way to up your rank, call on the digital marketing experts at OOHology. Go ahead, Google us -- you know you want to.