Best Practice SEO - 6 Techniques For Ranking Naturally on Search Engines

If your website isn’t ranking on the first page of Google, then it’s likely your presence is going almost completely unnoticed. 

Aside from paid search, to be visible on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) your website needs to rank naturally in the top ten results. Research conducted by Hubspot found that approximately 75% of people searching online don’t search past the first page of Google, which means that if you are not ranking in the top ten you are missing out on a large percentage of potential website traffic.

We want to help you rank at the top of the search, so here are six of Digital Insider’s best practice Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques for ranking naturally on the first page of Google.

Six Best Practice SEO Techniques

1. Keywords, Content & Search Intent

When people search online they use keywords that specify what they are searching for, such as “buy furniture online” or “Italian restaurants near me”. This indicates the goal of the searcher and is referred to as Search Intent. Google’s search engine will prioritise results that fulfil the searcher’s query, so we recommend selecting target keywords that align with your business and the searcher’s intent and use these terms throughout the content on your website. 

For example, if you have an eCommerce website you will want to use keywords with purchase intent, such as “buy” or “purchase”, as these are the search terms someone will likely use when looking to shop online.

2. Use Your Keywords Effectively

Once you have your target keywords, you need to ensure you are using them as effectively as possible on your website. To optimise your keyword usage, the ideal keyword density you want to strive for is 2% - you don’t want to overstuff your page with keywords. This is typically 1-2 uses per 100 words, but can be calculated by dividing the number of times the keyword is used by the number of total words on the webpage. 

Places you can utilise your keywords, include; page headings, body content, the page URL and page meta tags (the title and description that appear on SERPs).

3. Optimise Meta tags

While we’re on the topic of meta tags - these give users a quick insight into what they’ll find when they click to your website and can often be the deciding factor as to whether the user clicks or not. When optimising meta tags, we aim to include the relevant target keywords and use a description that matches search intent, all whilst being concise.

4. Obtain Authoritative Backlinks

Backlinks are an important key to ranking in the search. Google recognises a backlink to your website as a type of endorsement. The more backlinks you have the higher your chances of ranking in the search results, but it’s important to remember that not all backlinks are created equal. Aim to obtain quality backlinks from authoritative sources as this will help to boost your rankings. At Digital Insider, we get references on industry-leading websites with high Domain Authority that refer potential leads and customers back to you.

5. Optimise Your Website For Superior User Experience

Have you ever clicked on to a website and then immediately clicked off because the website wasn’t what you expected? Maybe it didn’t load quickly, or it was poor quality? To avoid having a user bounce from your website immediately, ensure that the user experience has been fully optimised and ease-of-use has been carefully considered.

Consider the following points:

• Does the page content align with the meta tags that the user saw in the search results? Content that doesn’t fulfil what the user thought they were getting could lead to immediate bounces.
• Did the page load quickly?
• Do all of the links and buttons on your page function properly?
• Are your images optimised?
• Is the website mobile-friendly?

6. Publish New Content Regularly

Publishing fresh content is an important part of obtaining rankings. Regular updates to page content will also ensure effective keyword usage. Posting blogs to your website also acts as a portal for visitors, allowing them to access engaging and entertaining digital content, whilst also driving traffic to your website through the use of internal links. Blogs are also a good opportunity to establish your brand voice and personality, and identify your target audience.

There you have it! Six of our best practice SEO techniques for ranking naturally. These techniques do require consistent monitoring and analysis, but we can assure you that ranking on the first page of Google is well worth the effort.

Ask us about Search Engine Optimisation! If you would like to know more about how we can help you optimise your website to rank at the top of the search results, get in touch on 0459 845 633 or request a strategy.