A website is essential to the success of your business in the modern age, and a quality website will help establish the trustworthiness of your brand. However, a good website will only get you so far if your potential customers can’t find you on the web. To have a truly successful website, it will need to be ranked well on Google to help your potential customers find it. We’ve broken down the methods to improve your website’s ranking and ensure that your potential customers find you on Google.

Organic Traffic

First and foremost, you’ll want to create a website that will be ranked well on Google through organic efforts. When you create a good website with quality content keeping in mind the factors that Google uses to rank your websites, you can organically improve your tank on Google.

Optimization

To improve your ranking for relevant search terms, you should optimize your page around target keywords. When writing your content, it should include the topic for which you wish to rank and related subtopics. In addition to including your keyword, you should include as many related words as possible to help Google understand what your page is about. You should also include questions and long tail keywords that your potential customers might use via voice search. The best way to make sure that your website pages rank for your target keywords is to include relevant terms to help Google understand your page.

Blogging

Website pages with properly optimized content will help with your website’s Google rank, but blogging can be very valuable as well. When you create expert, quality content, Google will see you as a resource for your field. Use your blog to educate consumers and answer common questions they might have. Within your blog, you should also link to other valuable resources. When you create a quality blog, Google will see your website as valuable resource and your business as a leader in your field, leading to a high rank on search results.

Referral Traffic

In addition to the action you can take on your own website to improve your Google rank, referral traffic can improve your rank as well. When Google sees that people are visiting your site because of a referral, it will see your site as high quality, thus improving your tank. Although blogging can lead to other websites linking to your site, this method is not the only one to yield referral traffic.

Social Media

One of the best ways to get referral traffic is social media. When you create quality, shareable content, it will spread on social media. The more visibility your social media posts receive, the more referrals your site will receive through your social media channels. If you want to ensure visibility, you can also consider social media advertising. Especially on Facebook, paid social media is the only way to ensure visibility on social media. You can also target your audience based on key demographics to reach your target audience. When you get referral traffic through social media, Google will see your site as more interesting and valuable, increasing your search rank.

Retargeting

Another great way to gain referral traffic is through retargeting. When people visit your site, they drop a cookie that then follows them around the web. Through retargeting, these visitors will continue to see ads for your business as they search the web. These ads will help remind potential customers of your website until they are ready to buy. They can then click on the ads to visit your site once again. Each time someone clicks on one of these ads, it creates more referral traffic to your website, improving your Google rank.

Paid Traffic

Through organic efforts, you can improve your Google rank over time. However, this process is slow-building and will often take months to establish your website on the first page of Google search results. For an immediate presence on the first page of Google, you might consider paying for it.

Paid Search

Paid search involves paying Google to show up at the top of the first page when searchers enter certain keywords. You will choose a keyword you wish to rank for, then bid on that keyword. The prices are determined by the competitiveness of the keyword in question. When you buy a paid search ad, your website will show up at the top of the first page of Google when a searcher enters your keyword. Every time someone clicks on your ad, you will pay the specified amount. For this reason, these ads are referred to as pay-per-click ads. Paid search is a great way to push seasonal products or to establish an immediate presence on Google while building your organic presence. If you’re looking to establish your presence on Google immediately, paid search is the best option.

ImageWorks, LLC | CT Search Engine Optimization

It’s important to optimize your site for voice search, but it’s best to have a site fully optimized for every type of search. If this task seems too daunting, don’t be afraid to call in the experts!

While professional SEO services can offer many opportunities to your business, you should never depend on SEO alone for the growth of your business. The companies that thrive on the online world have a comprehensive approach and utilize both online and offline marketing strategies. SEO can be a big piece; however, it is only one slice of the marketing pie.

By integrating all of today's Web tools such as SEO, social media, pay per click, and blogs, ImageWorks, LLC can turn your site into a lead generation tool.