Rank on Google: Your SEO Checklist

Finding strategies to rank on Google and meeting the algorithmic demands can be tricky. It seems almost impossible to get onto the first page of Google, especially in those first three results after the sponsored PCC (pay-per-click) advertisements.

According to FirstPageSage (2024), there is a 39.8% click-through-rate (CTR) on the first organic webpage result on Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP), while the second result has an over 20% drop in click-throughs at 18.7% and 10.2% at the third position. Being the time-strapped individuals we are, we know this is true and as Leverage Marketing (2024) puts it:

"The average web user won’t go past the first five listings on a search engine results page".

Gone are the days of keyword stuffing and spamdexing (spamming of links to unrelated outbound pages to attempt to improve search ranking): Your devilish Black Hat Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) tactics (Bjorkdahl, 2023). Today, you have to follow Holistic or White Hat SEO tactics.

Google itself (n.d.) states:

"Search algorithms look at many factors and signals, including the words of your query, relevance and usability of pages, expertise of sources, and your location and settings".

This goes to show, that it is not only about your content and the keywords used but a whole bunch of other factors that impact your ranking. Even with paid search marketing, you need to follow the above criteria and it is not having the biggest budget that wins. It is about user-friendliness, accessibility, readability, load speed, user experience, and research.

The most important aspects of SEO include keywords, metadata, and quality content and this is what those Google spiders (AKA bots or crawlers) crawl for when they trawl your site. With keywords, it is vital that you do not stuff them, but rather have synonyms of and paraphrase your focus keyword/keyphrase. With metadata, it is imperative that you fill this in for every single page as this was what helped me most when it came to ranking. Lastly, quality content is crucial for Google ranking, but also for journalistic integrity - creating high-quality content makes the content available on Google that much better. We all need to create quality content for our users (and scholars looking for those web references). Let us make Google a useful place!

When it comes to keywords, you need to be doing keyword research. Neil Patel (2022) mentions that it can be peeking at what your competitors are doing, doing geographic research, and finding what people are Googling, whether this is through traditional typed search or voice search, this all can be helpful. Doing your research helps it all boil down to the bottom line: Return on Investment (ROI) - profits, conversions, and quality leads, while also establishing "trust and credibility". The key is to make your keywords look natural like they have not been smooshed in and have been there all along. You simply have to write your content like how users would be Googling it - put yourself in their shoes. Consider user intent - what will they be Googling and how will they be doing it? SEO is people-first, so remember that when putting together your SEO strategy.

However, SEO is all about consistency and must be done constantly - you have to keep at it and do it across the board if you want to rank. It is not a do-it-and-done-with-it task, but a long-term effort that pays off. Also, there are no shortcuts.

With Google's complex ever-changing algorithms and those pesky Google spiders, it can be difficult to keep up to date with what is currently in vogue, but some simple tactics can be applied to help you rank higher up on Google.

Through my experience working as a content executive, blogger, digital journalist, and digital marketing lecturer with a Master's in Journalism and a dissertation on Search Engine Optimisation, you can say I know my stuff.

Here is an SEO strategy checklist of some tried and true methods to get those webpages to rank higher on Google's SERPs. Believe me, I have tried them, tested them, analysed them, and they work:

? Alt tags/text (keywords to describe images) - Ensure you have them for every single image you have on your site. The whole point of this is not only for accessibility for the differently abled but also to tell Google what your image actually includes: Google spiders cannot "read" the image and this is how you can help them do so.

? Images - Have one feature image at the top (if this is the format/style your site follows), and have others used throughout with alt tags and figure headings (that use a variation of your focus keyphrase). Speaking of images and keywords, save your images with the title of the keyword/phrase so it can again be discovered by Google. This is a way to visually break up the text.

? Tags ("keywords" relating to content in the webpage) - Have some keywords that categorise your content for users' ease of search, but also to help Google. Think of these like hashtags for your page or blog post.

? URL - This must be descriptive, not have any joining words, include the focus keyword, and have each word separated by dashes. No numbers, symbols, or funky letters here. It is basically a deconstructed version of your headline.

? Buttons/links - These must be placed throughout, but do not overdo it. You want to be sure to have CTAs (call-to-actions) in the forms of buttons or hyperlinks placed throughout and especially above the fold (before you scroll down). Have a mix of internal (links that direct users to pages on your website) and external links (links that direct users to pages on other websites).

? Title tag (this is your SEO headline and will only be found on Google's SERP when you enter in that search query) - Include the focus keyword here, and be straightforward in how it is written - do not get too creative. This is where you tell the Googler exactly what to find on the webpage, enticing them to click through. Additionally, use punctuation like ampersands ( "&" ) and colons to limit the characters used, as well as not typing out numbers. You can also use pipes ( "|" ) to segment your headline into themes of what is covered on the page. Think of this like an email subject line - it needs to pique interest but also be specific enough to show and tell the user what exactly they will find. Include a CTA and create a sense of urgency - they MUST click to get what they want and need. Importantly, keep it short and limit it to 65 characters. Also, always front-load these headings - include the most important words first that people need to see and will want to click on as it answers their query (see mine for an example). Lastly, end with the website or brand's name. Every page on the website should have one and every page should be different - this shows Google that your site is diverse.

? Meta description (Google search description that appears under the title tag and with the URL) - It is the descriptive text that explains what you will find on this page. This is a supplement to your title tag and should do just that. It adds value to your SEO headline and contextualises it - providing more information for users so that they know exactly what to find on the webpage. This must be 155 characters. Every page on the website should have one and every page should be different.

? Keywords - This has to be words or phrases that people would search for, like mentioned above. They should be synonyms of the focus keyword or paraphrased versions of it to not be penalised by Google and commit the atrocious Black Hat SEO. Please also integrate throughout, NATURALLY, and include it in the important places: The heading, the first paragraph, in the URL, and in the figure headings of the images (along with the image saved names and alt text).

? Links - As mentioned above, these are CTAs driving your user to what to do next. Have mostly internal links with a few external and have a maximum of 10. It is also helpful to end on a link to further direct your user to another page/blog on your site, keeping them in the sales funnel and brand ecosystem.

? Quality Copy - The most important part! Ensure it is what people want to read and need to see; it is what they are searching for and answers their search query. Keep it simple, informative, and purposeful. Write with some journalistic integrity (honesty, people), but have your liberties when it comes to tone and style. Then, if you want your page to appear on Google, your webpage needs to have at least 300 words on it. Quality copy needs to be readable, digestible, easy to get through and should show personality.

? Subheadings - This is another way to visually break up the text. These should be filled with keywords and to direct people to the information they need. For long articles, use anchor text (links that link to the subheadings and take you there). Think of each subheading section as a mini blog post, you should be doing what you do with high school essays, you PEEL (Point, Explain, Example, Link back to the topic). PEELing ensures that you keep one point per paragraph and makes them succinct and to the point.

? CTA - Like I mentioned with the links, have call-to-actions throughout and always end on it - your user needs to know what to do next or what they should be left with (LOL, see below).

? Bullet points/lists to break up text - Listicles are what we love as users. Who does not like a good "Top 10 best..."? It helps us know how long the article is and gives us enough information (at least enough for what we need). Use numbers and bullet points to separate a list. Anything that can be turned into a list, cut it down, and listify it!

? Break up the text - Chunk it: Break ?? it ?? up ??. Keep your paragraphs short and sharp. Use those lists, subheadings, images, bold important words and phrases, and use pull-out quotes (like the above to also break it up). Have one or two sentences per paragraph (whoops, LOL). Make it easy to digest and read. Users do not want to read walls of text and especially think about how it would appear on mobile - you do not want an entire screen of text, you want short paragraphs that retain your attention.

? Short paragraphs - Make it mobile-friendly and follow the above.

I hope this has all been helpful and assists you in your SEO strategy journey. Why not give this article a like?

Reference list:

Bjorkdahl, C. (2023). "What is Link Spam and How Does it Impact Your Search Rankings?". Vazoola. [blog]. 6 October. Available at: https://www.vazoola.com/resources/link-spam#:~:text=Link%20spamming%2C%20also%20known%20as,an%20attempt%20at%20link%20manipulation (Accessed 7 June 2024)

FirstPageSage. (2024). "Google Click-Through Rates (CTRs) by Ranking Position in 2024". [report]. Available at: https://firstpagesage.com/reports/google-click-through-rates-ctrs-by-ranking-position/ (Accessed 7 June 2024)

Google Search. (No date). "How Search Works". [online]. Available at: https://www.google.com/search/howsearchworks/how-search-works/ranking-results/ (Accessed 7 June 2024)

Leverage Marketing. (2024). "How Far Down the Search Engine Results Page Will Most People Go?". The Leverage Way. [blog]. April. Available at: https://www.theleverageway.com/blog/how-far-down-the-search-engine-results-page-will-most-people-go/#:~:text=The%20average%20web%20user%20won,past%20those%20first%20few%20results. (Accessed 7 June 2024)

Patel, N. (2022). "Local SEO Keyword Research (Step-by-Step Guide)". Neil Patel by NP Digital. [blog]. 8 September. Available at: https://neilpatel.com/blog/local-keyword-research/ (Accessed 7 June 2024)