The significance of your website’s rank on Google is unquestionable. It’s a testament to your online presence, impacting your brand visibility, audience reach, and overall business success. However, do you know where you truly stand in this vast digital landscape? In this article we dive into the intricacies of understanding your website’s real ranking position, beyond the deceiving first-glance results.
Understanding Keywords and Terms
The core of SEO starts with understanding keywords and terms. Keywords are phrases or individual words that describe the content of a page. They are what users type into search engines to find relevant information. The term ‘keyword’, in SEO, is a shorthand for ‘search query’ which matches the content on your website.
For instance, if you run a bakery in Manchester, your keywords might include “bakery in Manchester”, “best cakes in Manchester”, or “gluten-free bread Manchester”. The correct identification and effective usage of keywords can significantly affect your site’s visibility and ranking.
The Essence of Organic SEO
Organic SEO refers to the process of optimising your website to improve its natural visibility in the unpaid section of search engine results. These practices include but are not limited to, utilising relevant keywords, producing high-quality content, enhancing your site’s loading speed, and creating an easy-to-navigate website structure.
Unlike paid advertising, organic SEO is a long-term strategy. The credibility and trust you build with consistent SEO practices can offer sustainable growth and a solid online presence. Organic SEO also contributes to a better user experience, often translating into higher engagement and conversion rates.
Your Version of Google May Deceive You
One of the common misconceptions is that when you Google your company and it appears on the first page, it will appear the same for other users. However, that’s not the case. Google provides personalised results depending on the user’s previous behaviour, location, and device.
This means your search results are tailored to your browsing habits, making it an unreliable source for checking your actual site ranking. The rank you see may be significantly different from what your audience or potential customers see.
Analysing Your Site with SEMRush and Moz
Tools like SEMRush and Moz can provide a comprehensive analysis of your website’s health and its recognised key terms. These programmes scrutinise your site’s performance, finding potential weak spots and recommending ways to improve them.
SEMRush, for instance, offers insights about the average position your site ranks for each of its keywords. It helps you understand the competitive landscape and devise strategies to outperform competitors. Similar functionalities are also present in Moz, where you can track your keyword rankings, study backlink profiles, and much more.
So, how can you accurately determine where your website ranks in Google’s search results? One method is to use an SEO tool like SEMRush or Moz. These tools provide an ‘average position’ metric that indicates the median position of your website for all monitored keywords in a certain period.
To do this, enter your domain into the site audit tool and navigate to the ‘Organic Research’ section. Here, you’ll see a wealth of information about your site’s performance, including your main organic competitors, the top organic keywords your site ranks for, and, of course, your average position.
Another method is to use Google Search Console, a free tool offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results. Navigate to the ‘Performance’ report to view your site’s average ranking for various search queries.
Remember, these tools provide an unbiased view of your ranking, untarnished by personal search histories or local search biases. However, keep in mind that results may vary slightly between different SEO tools due to different algorithms and data collection methods.
For a detailed, customised report and actionable steps to improve your ranking, consider reaching out to a professional digital marketing agency like The Last Hurdle. SEO experts can provide in-depth analysis and strategic recommendations tailored to your specific business and industry.
How to Optimise Your Website?
Proper website optimisation is crucial for gaining higher visibility. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Keyword optimisation: Make sure your website content, including the meta titles, descriptions, headers, and body, contain your target keywords.
- Content quality: Engaging, original, and valuable content is highly prized by search engines. It helps you retain visitors and earn quality backlinks.
- Mobile-friendly design: More than half of the web traffic comes from mobile devices. Hence, a mobile-responsive design is a must for better ranking.
- Website speed: A fast-loading website not only enhances user experience but also ranks better on search engines.
- Backlinks: Having reputable websites linking back to yours increases your site’s credibility, thereby improving its ranking.
Google’s web crawlers (also known as ‘spiders’) scan your site for updated content, relevant keywords, website usability, page loading speed, and more. Google also evaluates the quality and quantity of backlinks pointing to your site.
Aspects such as secure HTTPs protocol, user-friendly site architecture, and the absence of duplicate content play a crucial role in your site’s crawlability and, thus, your overall ranking.
Take Action for Better Rankings
It’s time to step into the shoes of your audience and see where you truly stand in their search results. Empower your business with the right SEO strategies and leverage the potential of tools like SEMRush and Moz.
At The Last Hurdle, we can help you make the most of your digital presence, ensuring that your website doesn’t just exist online, but thrives. Let’s join forces to climb the ranks together!