Google’s statistics are almost incomprehensible – there are more than 63,000 searches completed each second. That translates to over 5.5 billion per day and upwards of 2 trillion per year! While those numbers come from 2016, Google has reported growth each year since.
It has gotten to the point where if you want your business to be successful, you need to use SEO so your site ranks highly on Google and other search engines.
While Google keeps much of the specifics of their algorithm under wraps, they do offer some insight to how their site rankings works.
SEO agencies like Swot Digital can be a great resource any site, but there are some things you can do own your own. Following these relatively simple steps can have some immediate effects on your website’s search ranking.
Pick a Relevant Domain Name
Before actually launching your new site, you will have to choose a domain name. While your URL might be shortened, your domain name will always appear in full when it shows up on a search engine results page.
As your website address, it is one of the easiest ways for Google and its users to learn about the overall content and purpose of your site. Keywords within the domain name will be used as a factor for ranking your page.
Make Page Titles and Descriptions Eye Catching
Every web page on your site can have a title and description. The page title is the clickable link that appears after a search query. For the most part, Google displays between 50-60 characters of a title tag. Keep yours within that range to ensure that it will be displayed correctly.
Page descriptions are basic summaries of the content on the page or on the site. Google typically keeps these concise, too, cutting them off around 160 characters. You will have to find that sweet spot where it is short enough to make the cut, yet long enough to provide a proper description of your page.
Include Alt Text for Images
One part of determining ranking results on search engines is the actual content of your site. Content includes both words and images and raises a problem – search engines can read through any wording, but have not yet become adequate at determining what is in any images on your site.
Alt text is used to help solve that problem by letting you incorporate words within the HTML coding of your site to describe images and pictures. It is a way to turn images into language that search engines can read and understand.
Increase Your Search Rankings
Even though your page’s content is the most important factor for appearing higher in search results, there is a lot that you can do on your website to help.
First, a good domain name will help search engines determine the subject of your content.
Then, both search engines and users scan titles and descriptions to determine their relevance.
Finally, alt text will allow you to use images to improve your ranking.
If you are interested in working with one of the leading SEO companies in Dublin, check out our portfolio items or contact us.