Every marketer’s goal is to rank at the top of search engine results pages. The search engine results page, or SERP, is the first place your potential customer sees when looking for a product on the internet. The higher you rank on these pages, the more clicks and conversions you will get.
To prove how important it’s to rank on top, page one results receive 31.7% of all clicks while the second page gets 0.78%.
However, SEO is a never-ending game of cat and mouse. Google, the ultimate judge, has been playing with SEOs for years by changing their algorithm to weed out spammy tactics. It’s the job of website owners and marketers to stay one step ahead of them in order to rank at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs).
Many different factors go into ranking high on SERPs, but it all starts with understanding what a “search engine result page” is. Read on for a guide on how to get on the first page of Google.
What Is SERP?
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Page. It is the page that appears in Google search results when someone searches a keyword or phrase.
SERPs are often ranked by an algorithm and include links to different websites. The higher your website is on the Google SERP, the more visibility you will have for potential customers.
The SERP is made up of four sections:
The search bar: Where you type in your keyword.
The website links: These are pulled from “authority sites” or websites with a good reputation on Google’s index.
Curated content within those results (such as images and videos).
Paid search results: Paid results are when businesses pay to be included, which can help them rank higher than competitors who are not paying for this privilege.
Importance of SERPs in Website SEO
Ranking at the top of SERPs is important because you’ll be able to show up first when your desired keyword gets searched. For example, people interested in “organic tea” may type that into Google and see a listing for an organic iced green tea before they see any other listings on the page — this means more clicks!
Google’s algorithm has changed many times over time, and it changes based on what users search for most often. If your website appears higher than others, people will trust you as an authority site with accurate information. This can lead to increased traffic which leads to more sales or signups.
So, how can you optimize your website pages to rank higher? Here are some steps to follow:
Understand Google’s Ranking Algorithm
Google changes its algorithm all the time, and it’s tricky to keep up. Moz estimates about 500 changes in a year.
Google does not announce, so it’s difficult to know when or why something changed. So, how should you keep up to date with these algorithm changes?
To stay on top of it, you need to read up on the latest changes and updates. Keep an eye out for Google’s announcements as well as monitoring industry news sites or blogs that report on these sorts of developments.
Focus on Link Building
If you are trying to rank higher in SERPs, make links a priority. This includes both internal links and external links from other authoritative sites. The best links are ones that:
- Are from reputable sources, i.e., other high-quality websites in your niche
- Include keywords and phrases relevant to the page you’re linking back to
- Are editorial, meaning they come from an unbiased source and offer value for readers
Some ways to get these include writing guest posts on related blogs or contributing to popular sites within your industry. The more powerful the blog is, the better chance it has of getting shared all over social media, leading people to click through. You can also do some outreach— contacting bloggers who may be interested in publishing a guest post by you.
Write SEO Friendly Content
Content is the foundation of SEO, and the better it is in terms of quality and relevancy to your industry, the more likely you are to get on top of the SERPs.
Be sure that your content is written with readers in mind — not search engine robots. This includes using natural language keywords instead of keyword stuffing them. Use a variety of different words when possible while still maintaining relevance.
Provide value for users by sharing some tips or insights they may find interesting. Be concise without sacrificing depth. The goal should be writing something good enough, so visitors want to link back again from their own blog posts.
Build a Responsive Website
Responsive web design (RWD) is an approach to web design that makes a website compatible with all devices, from mobile phones and tablets to desktop computers.
Regardless of the device, a user should be able to access the same content and interact with it in a readable manner. You want your site to appear equally good on all devices, meaning they should look nice regardless of screen size or orientation.
This is important for mobile users — statistics show that around 80% of internet usage now comes from mobile phones.
Building an effective website starts by ensuring your site loads quickly on all devices. This is important not only because consumers prefer fast websites but also because Google prefers faster sites to index and rank them better in SERPs.
If you’re struggling to build a responsive website that ranks on page one, you need to seek the services of experts in digital marketing. They can help you develop a strategy that gets maximum exposure for your company’s products or services. One such team of digital marketers is Productivity Life.
Get Noticed on the SERPs
One of the most important things about SEO and digital marketing is this—it’s not just about what works today, but what may work tomorrow. That means constantly reevaluating your strategy based on changing technologies, trends, and needs from consumers.
We’ve compiled this guide on how to rank at the top of SERP so that you can learn more about what makes certain sites show up first when people are searching online. Whether you have an established company or just starting, these SEO basics will help you get noticed by customers who might not know about your brand yet.
Check back here often for new information on how to improve your business. We update our blog regularly with new content.