SEO is difficult because of the secrecy surrounding Google’s algorithms. It takes a lot of research to find out what works and what doesn’t. It only takes one update to change something that worked into something that can actually damage your rankings.

SEO is a challenge, but today we’re sharing some of the techniques that are currently working, according to the research carried out by data scientists who analysed over 1 million search engine results.

How to Improve the SEO on Your Blog

1. Find out where your current blog posts are ranking in the search engines. Use Google Webmaster Tools and find the keywords that you are already ranking between 11 and 30 in Google. These are already doing quite well and a little tweak here and there could be all they need to advance to the first page of the SERPs. Check the word count for each blog, if they are below 1000 words; give them a boost by adding more content.  Pages with longer content usually rank higher in the search engines, so a few more words could make all the difference. You can also revisit all of your shorter blog posts and add content to pad them out (ensuring the content is still relevant and of interest), but begin with the pages that are already performing quite well in the search engines.
2. Work on reducing the bounce rate of your pages. Google want to provide their users with excellent results that don’t require the users to back out and continue looking down the list for more relevant information. Therefore, it’s important for you to ensure your content is relevant and engaging for your readers. Think about how the information is being shared on your page – is it easy to read? Is it attractive and does it draw the eye? Simple changes to layout and images can make all the difference to the readers and keep their attention for longer.
3. Update your old content as Google wants to provide users with the most up-to-date results as they are more likely to be relevant to today’s audience. Check your content and update blog posts with fresh information and the date will change in the SERPs.
4. Shorten the URLs to your posts. Matt Cutts, the head of Google’s spam team, said that Google takes only the first four or five words of the URL into account. They like URLs that are easy to read. Make sure the URL is short but it does give people an idea of what the page is about. Shorter URLs have been proven to be more successful on social media too.
5. HTTPS is now considered as a ranking signal by Google, so add it to your site to give you a boost. It’s also great for building trust and provides greater referrer data allowing you to gain more insight into where your traffic comes from.
6. Speed up your website. Slow loading websites are not popular with Google or with visitors. Google announced that speed was a ranking factor back in 2010 and it remains so to this day. The longer your page takes to load the lower down you’ll appear in the search engines.  You might be able to speed up your website with some simple steps such as optimising your images, but you might need the assistance of a web developer to make significant speed improvements.
7. Add more content to your website. Websites with over 500 pages get more leads that the ones with under 100. The more content you have the more traffic you can attract. Content creation takes time but you could save time by outsourcing this task.

SEO Takeaways

Some small changes to your website can drastically improve your rankings.  You need:

• Freshly updated content
• Longer blog posts
• A fast website
• Content that engages your audience
• A HTTPS website
• Shorter URLs
• More pages

Ask us for information on our SEO services by emailing or calling us on 01905 27007 today.