Search engine results page visibility has always been the key to e-commerce. Users will rarely bother to go through the motions of going through pages 2 and beyond when looking for the things they need on the Internet. It is for this reason that marketers need to come up with ways to read up on Google’s algorithm changes and adapt to them.
Here are ways to increase your site’s SERP visibility:
Adjust Your Title Tags
This is a basic tenet of advertising, yet businesses commonly neglect to do so. It is a simple task frequently recommended by free SEO audits.
When it comes to page title tags, it’s common knowledge and good practice to keep title tags under 60 characters. If your title tags are longer than 60 characters, they will get truncated in the search results.
Go over your website’s title tags. Then check the list below to see if they’re consistent with best practices:
- Page titles should be under 512 pixels. When translated into characters, this is typically between 55 and 60 characters.
- Make sure your title tags are readable. While it’s important to create title tags that positively impact your rankings, keep in mind that you’re also creating them for users, in other words your potential customers.
- Include your brand name in all of your title tags, especially if you’re not a globally recognised brand or you’ve just set up your business. Placing your name will increase brand awareness as well as the ranking position for your brand name.
- Avoid having duplicate title tags for any of your web pages. Generate unique ones as duplicate title tags can have a negative effect on your SEO rankings. Duplicate content will also be pointed out in your free SEO audit.
- Don’t stuff keywords into your page titles. It will turn off search engines as well as potential customers.
Make a Sales Proposition Through Your Meta Descriptions
Google suggests that meta descriptions should inform users what that web page is about. Based on the details you provide in a meta description, users will either click on your link or move on. As click-through rate is major search ranking factor, having a higher CTR (click-through rate) results from well-written meta descriptions.
Meta descriptions are like a pitch for your site or web page. Highlight why the web page will be beneficial to the reader, and make sure it clearly and accurately talks about the page’s content. If a reader doesn’t find what the meta description promises, they’ll most likely exit your site, which will lower your CTR.
Here are some tips on writing amazing meta descriptions:
- Answer the question – Most people on Google are searching for answers to questions. Use meta descriptions to answer those questions with solutions or benefits. For example, your web page is a beginner’s guide to SEO services. The question users will most likely ask Google is “What is SEO?” Your meta description should then tell users that your web page is an SEO 101 for those who are just starting out.
- Keep them concise – Your web page’s content is where you’ll educate your audience, so you don’t need a lengthy meta description. You can either highlight salient points that will stand out to readers or provide a quick summary of the page Also, make sure your meta descriptions are under 160 characters.
- Be engaging and unique – If you can, make your meta descriptions enaging and fun to read. If they’re eye-catching, readers will stop scrolling and click on your link instead of moving on to competitors.
Add Photos and Videos
Google’s algorithm updates are increasingly prioritising websites with image and video content and it’s not something you’d want to ignore. Visual content simply makes things more engaging for users, which has a knock-on effect with other SEO ranking factors you’ll find in a free SEO audit like dwell time and bounce rates.
Especially today when instant gratification is a major motivator for many online users, the ability to view short videos is a great way for them to gain valuable information without needing to read huge chunks of text. Those big blocks of text can frustrate readers when they scroll up and down on a website. But when they’re presented with a video, they can either choose to watch it or not while they’re browsing. The visuals that accompany the content also make for a very good user experience
Just as video can improve the user experience, so can images. Whether it is a photograph, an infographic, or some sort of chart, images provide a great deal of visual information that enhances the user experience and increase dwell time. Additionally, when a popular image is shared on social media platforms, Google, and other search engines will reward the website that posted by boosting its rankings on the search results.
A New Player in the Game
Only last week, web development consultant Jan Moesen noticed that Apple is running a web crawler. It was written in the programming language Go and has led to speculations that Apple would soon be releasing its own search engine, believed to be slated for 2015. Companies the world over will have to keep them in mind in addition to the strategies they already employ to increase SERP visibility.
While everything is purely speculation thus far, it pays to be prepared for the upcoming changes should this new search engine come into fruition, instead of being caught blindsided and unprepared for the coming changes and its subsequent effects. On the other hand, we may just be worried over nothing at all. Until we hear from Apple, there really is no solid ground to gain a firm footing on.
By adjusting your strategy to accommodate these changes, you will see quick results in SERP. Feel free to get in touch with our team to map out your digital marketing strategy today. At SEO Services Australia, we provide consistent results across different industries. We also provide a free SEO audit that lets you check on the overall SEO health of your website.