THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO INCREASING YOUR GOOGLE PAGE RANK
Mar 04, 2013
When we meet with business owners on our website consultations, one of the first things people ask us is, “can you get me to the first page of Google?” This is a great question – it shows us that you want to people to see your website, and that you care about its reputation.
If The Creation Lab had a magic formula to get you to the first page in Google, trust me, we would use it. We’d also be very rich! But despite what SEO companies may tell you, you can’t guarantee a first page ranking because Google’s Penguin and Panda algorithm updates make it impossible.
We tell our clients that raising your website’s profile in Google is an organic process, and the best thing to do is concentrate on making your website attractive to your users. If you do this, you are likely to see a rise in your page rank.
But what, exactly, can we do to make a website attractive to our users (and Google)? There are a number of things:
Give it time
These things don’t happen overnight. In time, if people like your website they will tell others about it. Also, one of the factors Google uses to measure page rank is how long a website has been live.
Content, content and more content
Provide your users with information they want to bookmark and share with others. Write latest news to keep them updated, write a blog answering customer FAQs, and think about including video in your content. People love good content, and Google does too.
Get social
Committing to social media is a great way to promote your website. Remember though that quality beats quantity – it’s better to have one or two accounts with a big following that dozens that you never use.
Mention your website everywhere
Email signatures, letterheads, business cards, newsletters and brochures should all have your website clearly displayed next to your address and telephone number. The more you mention your website, the more users you are going to attract.
Google Adwords
Instead of throwing an advertisement out and hoping the right people see it, Adwords brings your target audience to you. This pay-per-click service guarantees your website to appear when people search for your service in Google. The price per click depends on the popularity of your chosen keywords.
Write a newsletter
Let your trusted customers know what’s new on your website, reminding them how great you are and encouraging them to pay you a visit.
Include location in content and meta-tags
This was a valuable piece of advice I picked up in my SEO discoveries. Think about it – if you live in Dartford and you want a plumber, you’re going to Google “Plumber in Dartford”. Try to mention your location on every page (without making it sound contrived). Remember not to overdo it, as Google will consider this "keyword stuffing".
Avoid black hat SEO
SEO companies that promise you high search engine rankings will try to sell you a job-lot of backlinks. While you used to be able to get away with it, nowadays if Google finds you with a large number of irrelevant backlinks you’ll be pushed down the ranks or even black-listed. To find out how to do it properly, read our other blog post, How to Get Backlinks.
Hopefully these tips will help you increase your Google page rank. However, if you still have unanswered questions, don’t be afraid to ask us! Or if you have any more ideas for increasing page rank, we’d love to hear those too.