SEO checklist – the easiest way to get on the first page of Google

Promoting a website on Google is a labor-intensive process, since visibility in the search engine depends on many factors (as Google employees themselves stated, there are more than 200 of them). Some of them are described in our article “Key factors for website ranking in Google“.

The optimizer can influence many of the ranking factors only indirectly, and therefore considerable experience and skill are needed to ensure effective promotion.

It is extremely rare, in fact, less than 3% of Internet users move from the first search results screen to somewhere further, and that is why all business owners want their company to appear on the first page of Google results.

Are you confident that ranking high on Google will increase your sales and visibility? Keep in mind that search engines pay special attention to websites that are primarily relevant to users. Therefore, you must consider these factors to optimize and improve the performance of your website in a timely manner. So here are some suggestions.

There are certain guidelines to get your business to the top of search results (even Wikihow talks about it). And we have a proven formula for how to do it. There are several opportunities to achieve top rankings in Google and also to get to the top spot.

To get to the top of the front page and ahead of your competitors, you first need to ask yourself four important questions:

• What to do to get an optimized snippet for Google?
• How do you place your pay-per-click (PPC) ads at the top of the page?
• How about search engine optimization (SEO) to make the site appear at the top of the page?
• How Can Local Search Engine Optimization (LSEO) Help You Get More Keywords?

Below you’ll find answers to these questions, as well as specific recommendations to help you achieve that coveted spot on Google’s first page.

How to get an optimized snippet?

You’ll be surprised to know that 33% of Google searches don’t generate a single click! This is absolutely true because more and more Internet users are getting the information, they need directly from search results. This is done using optimized snippets (also called featured snippets).

A quick answer is often used when the search query is a question. Optimized quick answers, commonly referred to as “position 0”, are always displayed at the top of the results page.

It would be nice if several pages were presented as them. Indeed, because Google is very good at providing Internet users with results of this type, making its engine a kind of search assistant. Here’s what quick answers might look like in search results:

What to do to improve your content for optimized snippets:

• use headings and bullets;
• answer the question clearly;
• summarize and narrow the information in the answer to obtain a simple and short answer;
• you need to be as precise as possible;
• use good images.

The main difference between knowledge panel results and optimized snippets is that you can control its content. You have less control over optimized snippets, but you do have the ability to query and edit knowledge panels.

We also recommend implementing micro-markup on your page using JSON-LD (a format recommended by Google). Explicitly specifying ratings, titles, and descriptions this way makes Google’s job much easier. You can read more about what micro markup is and how to configure it in our other article.

How to increase your Google ranking using SEO?

You’ve seen that paid results take up a significant portion of the page, but if you want to rank higher in organic search engines, you’ll have to rely on SEO.

You need to understand that you need to be in one of the top three organic positions to get maximum profit. Look closely at the illustration above. This is the percentage of users who click on the results at the top of the page. 65% of users click on the first three posts!

Finding a place for your website among them is not easy, especially if you are a young company. The best way to rank properly is to increase the content on your site. High-quality content helps you rank and at the same time creates a better experience for your users. In addition, the more useful information you offer on your resource, the more likely it is that other Internet users will visit it.

When other users link to your site, Google interprets this as a higher authority for the resource. As a result, it displays it more prominently in its search results.

How to get to the first page of Google with paid search campaigns?

Maybe you think that SEO and PPC disagree, but no, they work hand in hand and we recommend investing in both. If you want to rank high on Google, you will need to invest in paid search.

The tandem of SEO and PPC is one of the best options. Their simultaneous use helps well in cases where you need to get the maximum effect from business promotion. With proper SEO, you can achieve a constant flow of customers and conversions over a long period of time, but at the beginning of optimization, in order to improve behavioral factors, you may need to launch contextual advertising. Moreover, context brings good results during promotions or special offers, niche analysis or presence in areas where SEO may be powerless.

The use of these two promotion tools can stimulate comprehensive business development if approached correctly.

How to combine SEO and PPC:

• Using Common Keywords

The overall work of SEO and PPC starts here. This helps increase audience coverage and improve overall visibility.

• Data research for optimization

Use analytics data as a basis for optimizing these two strategies. Knowing which keywords drive the most traffic and conversions can be used for both SEO content and PPC strategy adjustments.

• Joint advertising campaigns

Create joint advertising campaigns for SEO and PPC. For example, using the same headline or promotion in both types of advertising will help strengthen brand perception.

How to generate more leads with local SEO?

Local search engine optimization (local SEO) is important for business growth, especially for companies providing services in a specific geographic area. Research has shown that of the 3.5 billion daily searches on Google, 46% are local queries. This highlights the importance of local SEO, as 44% of users turn to one of the companies featured in the TOP 3 local pack results. This means that local SEO plays a key role in increasing the visibility of a business and attracting customers searching for products and services in a specific geographic region.

When you Google something like “taxi”, “cafe near you” or “pizzeria”, you probably noticed that Google uses your location to show businesses/establishments nearby.

Therefore, it is very important for companies to optimize their NAP (name, address, phone number) credentials online. This way your site will appear in search results.

Local SEO consists of the following types of work:

• registration of the site in the Google My Business service;
• adding a site to online maps and geoservices;
• inclusion of the company address in the lower part of the site (footer);
• working to improve the company’s reputation, collecting and processing reviews;
• authorization in regional directories, catalogs and aggregators.

Benefits of Local SEO:

1. Increases the likelihood that a business will appear at the top of search results, which is important given that most users don’t look through dozens of results. The link that ranks first in Google’s organic results gets the most clicks. On desktops this represents 30.5% of all clicks, and on mobile devices it is 27.23%. Therefore, ranking at the top of search results is desirable to attract maximum clicks.
2. Allows you to accurately target customers close to your office, which inevitably attracts repeat customers.
3. With the increasing number of requests from mobile devices, it helps to adapt the site to the needs of modern users who often use gadgets.
4. Gives an advantage over competitors who do not use all the possibilities of local optimization.
5. Helps build trust in the brand by providing relevant and complete information on the Internet.

Companies are also able to significantly increase their online visibility, which leads to increased website traffic, a larger customer base and, as a result, increased sales.

To summarize

SEO is a long-term process that requires constant monitoring and updating. In this article, we looked at 4 questions, the answers to which will help you optimize your website to attract organic traffic and improve visibility in search engines. Remember that SEO results do not come instantly, but patience and consistency in optimization will lead you to the desired result.

Stanislav Nikitiuk

Linkbuilder

Author's page