How To Get Your Website On The Search Engines Listings

Is Your Website On The Search Engines?

The rules of SEO (search engine optimization) are constantly changing, leaving online business owners scrambling to try to keep up with the latest ways to get their website on the search engines listings. If you get it right, the likes of Google, Yahoo and Bing can supply a constant stream of free traffic to your online business. But get it wrong and your website can get lost in the online wilderness.

The algorithms that determine what position your website gets in the search engine results pages (SERPs) are forever changing, especially for the Google search engine. Keeping up to date can mean the difference between a top spot on a search engine list and falling out of the rankings completely.

The 3 Main Elements to Search Engine Algorithms

There are 3 main elements to most search engine algorithms, or formulas: content, authority and age of the domain. These are elements that decide the placement of your website on the search engines listings.

1. Content

Content is of course the most important. The words on the page, commonly referred to as keywords, serve as signals to the internet search engines and to humans as to what the page is about. The formula calculates relevance based on those words – not just on their own, but taken as a whole in relation to each other, something called semantic support.

2. Authority

Authority is determined in various ways. It used to be the number of quality links pointing to your site, and your amount of traffic. But not all links are are created equal. The only links to really aim for are high-quality ones from well-respected websites. Mutual links cancel each other out. Paid links and links from poor-quality websites can actually do damage to your reputation.

3. Age of Domain

Older websites tend to get more highly rewarded than new ones. This is most likely because they have more quality links built up over time. Having said that, even if your website is quite new, you can still get traffic if you are set up as a blog, because Google loves recent content. If your content is really up to date, you might even get a listing in Google News as well as the regular search engine. The important thing is to create high-quality content consistently and on a regular basis.

FREE Checklist: SEO For Beginners
 
Other Important Influencers To Get Your Website On The Search Engines Listings

1. Mobile Friendliness

To get your website on the search engines listings your content must be mobile friendly . Google can see which device people are using and will only list mobile-friendly sites in the results they deliver to them. If you have an old site, it’s time to update it. If you have a WordPress blog, your site should be accessible and attractive-looking.

2. Make Your Site Https//:

Your site should be secure in order to comply with Google’s new rules, and to inspire  confidence in your website visitors. Ask your hosting service about purchasing what should be an affordable secure site certificate and making the changeover.

3. Page Speed

Google and other search engines reward websites which load faster, with no lag time where visitors have to wait for clunky images and so on to appear. No one wants to wait around for their information, so check the speed of your site at a site such as Pingdom and if you can, make all the changes they recommend.

Your site should be fast and accessible within milliseconds. If it’s loading slowly, people will click out, and when they “bounce,” Google will see this as a sign that your content is not high quality and will determine it to be irrelevant. Optimize all images and keep your pages clean and clutter-free.

4. Add Media

Video, audio, podcasts and images can all get you additional listings in relation to a page, not just the content on the page itself. Google allows images to be searched, and includes YouTube videos right on the search engine results pages. Name all of these items using keywords to boost your SEO and make them discoverable.

5. Make the Most of Social Media

Social media is a great way to make your site more visible and get backlinks to it, which can count as SEO credit. Comments, likes, shares and so on convey to Google that your website is relevant and worth paying attention to.

6. Long-Form Content

Create longer articles or posts of around 2,000 words to lure the search engines with meaty content and lots of interesting keywords. Write with the needs of your target audience in mind, offering them content that shows you are an expert. Create a variety of content in terms of length and formats. In particular, start paying more attention to infographics, memes, eBooks and other content that is likely to be shared on social media.

7. Use A Site Map

If you’re not already using a site map, add one. In particular, if you’re using WordPress for your blog, install the Google XML site map plugin. Edit the settings so the site map “talks” to Google and the other search engines as soon as you publish new content. Google loves blogs because they’re so current and up to date, so a site map can give you even more chances to rank highly.

8. Don’t Be Lazy with Metatags

Some online business owners don’t spend enough time on this because they’re told that Google doesn’t give ranking weight to metatags. However, a good article or post title, description and keywords you want to rank well on are a must for Bing and Yahoo!. They also make your content more searchable at your website.

9. Dig Deeper on Your Keyword Research

Chances are you have a top 20 or 30 list of keywords you would like to rank well on. If not, it’s time to draw up that list. Next, search for each word on Google. Are you on the first page of the results? If not, look at who is. Is there any way to get a back link from them or contribute to the site, such as guest blogging? Next, go down to the “Related Searches” section. What suggestions do you see there that you could build content around and try to rank highly in? Add these under your main keyword and get planning.

10. Use Rich Snippets If You Can

Rich snippets help classify content and signal what it is to search engines. Classifications include articles, recipes, videos and more. If you are using WordPress, install the All in One Schema plugin. Your interface will change and you will need to start filling in those boxes with what can basically be described as metadata for the content, such as title and description.

Free Checklist: Get Your Website On The Search Engines

Without search engine optimization (SEO) you’re just hoping that Google and the other types of search engines will somehow stumble across your website, figure out what your content is all about, and then hopefully send relevant and targeted traffic to your website. You’ve put a lot of work into your online business so it makes no sense to just pray for luck where traffic and success is concerned. For a simple guide to getting your website on the search engines listings, download my free checklist, SEO For Beginners.