How to get to the top of Google search
Part science, part dark art, with a dash of technical wizardry is often the perception of search engine optimisation (SEO). And many in the industry would like it to stay that way – playing their part in keeping up the illusion of smoke and mirrors.
However, it needn’t be like that. At its core, SEO is easy to understand and mostly pretty straightforward to do.
Simply put, SEO consists of the activities you do – on your website and in your surrounding marketing – that increase or lift a website or web page’s ranking in search results (let’s face it – that’s mostly Google) to be as high as possible.
In the early days it was possible to game the system, with white text hiding on white backgrounds or other tricks to achieve a high ranking. Now, the ‘‘Wild West’’ days are over and it’s about actual (and ethical) marketing – providing interesting content that is relevant and valuable to your users.
Google as a business
Although we think of Google as our trusty answer engine, they’re essentially a business.
And, like any business, they exist to serve their customers – the world’s searchers.
In order to provide the best possible customer experience, Google wants to give the best and most relevant information to users as quickly as possible.
So what does this mean for successful SEO?
Google’s user-experience focus is good news for non-techies. Sure, basic technical features are important, but user-based features trump the technical.
For those looking to DIY their SEO, this means common sense and an understanding of the human experience will come in handy. You can translate this into good SEO practice in the following ways:
Write for your users – keep their interests and questions in mind and use natural language, which will become even more important as the prevalence of voice search increases.
Think about what action you want your users to undertake on each page – make that clear and intuitive.
Think about what others would search to find you and, beyond primary keywords, consider longtail search terms and more specific queries as the basis for planning content.
All of this will set you in good stead to support Google’s primary goal of serving users with what they are looking for.
Test and iterate
And if at first you don’t succeed, try again. This is where testing comes in – allowing for constant tweaks and improvements. It’s Marketing 101 and in the search sphere it’s super simple – Google Analytics allows you to track the actions you take to give you an idea of what’s working, and what’s not.
It won’t happen overnight
At pureseo.co.nz we always tell clients that successful SEO is a slow burn; it takes time to have an effect. There are no shortcuts – and if anyone promises you quick results, steer clear. It’s never worth gaming the system, so do things properly over time – with a usercentric approach and an understanding of how Google works. The results will come, and they’ll be much easier to maintain (allowing you to hold on to your top spot) if you’ve done the work.
DIY or call in an expert?
So, who do you get to do the work? Do you tackle it yourself with good ol’ Kiwi ingenuity? Or hire a specialist? Either can work – but even if you go the DIY route, you don’t need to go full ‘‘number eight wire mentality’’ and bumble through. Whether you’re employing them to do it for you, or finding the advice to go your own way, find an ethical and trusted source to cut through all the conflicting and confusing information that’s out there.
Richard Conway is author of How to Get to the Top of Google Search, Random House NZ, $35