How to Rank Higher on Google in 2023: 15 SEO Tips To Conquer Search

With thousands of businesses and over 20+ social media platforms at consumers' disposal with the sole purpose of marketing, brand, and their marketing teams have tons of data to mine through. Constantly tracking followers, likes, shares, tweets, retweets, tags, comments, and more can be exhausting; however, it also makes it difficult for marketers to execute SEO on Google effectively. After all, haven't social media altered how people look for information? Have we reached the point where these channels might potentially replace Google?

As per a report by Semrush, Google remains a go-to website globally, receiving a total of 95 billion+ monthly visits. In context, Facebook receives only 20 billion monthly visits, while Instagram and Amazon receive slightly more than 4 billion. Google has maintained a top rank as the most popular website to search queries for the past decade. 

Hence, the answer is "Yes," you still need to rank higher on Google. Even though Google has been such a tremendous force in our lives for at least the last ten years, ranking high on Google remains one of the most difficult problems. For starters, it's competitive. Hosting Tribunal estimates that roughly 2.75 million posts are published daily on WordPress alone. Second, you must understand how Google's algorithm works.

We've compiled a list of 15 best practices to assist you in cracking the code of how to rank higher on Google. You may already be doing some of them, while others may be new to you. In any case, go over each of these and consider where you may make adjustments in the new year. 

Why does your Google Ranking still matter?

Although digital marketing is known for involving new platforms to gain traffic and achieve a high Google ranking for your website, the most popular five organic results on page one generate almost 67% of all clicks!

Finally, the more individuals who visit your website, the more likely it is that these visitors will become new clients. Furthermore, if you rank higher than your rival, you can snatch some of their potential customers. 

However, attracting new consumers (or converting some of the potential customers from your competitors) isn't the only goal. It also helps your brand's or company's reputation. In comparison, credibility may sound more boring than new customers; however, in the long run, it can convince your target audience, allowing you to convert leads into paying customers.      

15 Tips to Rank Higher

1. Focus on On Page SEO

On-page optimization is one of the basic strategies to improve your Google rankings in 2023. You will not only save time, but you will also get results rapidly. It refers to all aspects of your website's pages that can be optimized, such as page names, headlines, and graphics. Off-page SEO, on the other hand (which is as essential), enhances search engine relevance by gaining more backlinks, for example.

Here are some best practices for on-site SEO to get you started:

• Put your keywords at the start of your title tags. 

• Concentrate on producing long-form material (at least 1,800 words). 

• Place your keyword two to three times per page (keyword stuffing has the opposite effect).

2. Don’t Neglect Technical SEO

In a nutshell, technical SEO ensures that your website is constructed so that search engines can easily crawl and index it. Although content is still king, search engines must find, crawl, and index your pages to ensure your efforts are successful. 

You must, for example, ensure that:

• All of your pages are safe.

• Your website is mobile-friendly.

• You have no plagiarised or comparable content on different pages of your website.

• The pages load swiftly.

• All of the links are functional.

Security: Google prioritizes websites that use HTTPS (hypertext transfer protocol secure). It helps to ensure that any information exchanged between the user and the website is secure. If you don't have HTTPS yet for whatever inexplicable reason, make it a point to get an SSL certificate in 2023 to confirm your website's identity. After all, it's not only about pleasing search engines; it should also be about keeping your users safe. That Google would reward you for taking this extra step is a lovely gesture.  

Speed: Not only will faster-loading pages reduce your bounce rate, but Google's algorithm considers it when ranking websites. While many other aspects are do-it-yourself projects, if you have little technical knowledge, you'll probably need to hire an SEO or website design firm to help you with this stage. Google's PageSpeed tools, on the other hand, can be valuable. It will analyze the content on your sites, provide you with information on your "Speed Index" score, and then make recommendations on improving loading speeds. 

User Experience (UX): It should be simple for consumers and search engines to navigate your website. Not only should your pages be easy to navigate, but they should also seem professional and appealing. 

Mobile Optimization: While all these elements are necessary, your website must be mobile-friendly. No one should have to zoom in to read text on a mobile device or fight to click a button. Certainly not in 2023! 

If you're still not sure that it's a major deal, consider the following: 

Mobile devices generate more traffic than computers. Furthermore, Google ranks and indexes websites mostly through their mobile versions. 

While the mobile website design and style can alter to improve the user experience, the content must remain the same as on the desktop site. So, if you thought it was as simple as erasing some text, you were mistaken. Just as you'll require the assistance of professionals to boost your page speed, mobile optimization is best left to website design firms specializing in technical SEO.

Alternatively, comparable to testing your page speed, using Google's Mobile-friendly Test Tool is a smart place to start. It's quite simple to use. Enter your URL, and it will show typical errors such as text that is too small to see, buttons that are too close together, or material that does not fit the screen size in less than a minute. 

3. Don’t Settle for low quality content

Backlinks (links to your website posted on a third-party website) are crucial in Google's algorithm. As a result, one of your primary aims should be to encourage people to share your pieces on social media. Visitors will only return if you continually deliver high-quality content. 

Backlinks not only demonstrate that consumers find your content beneficial, but they also demonstrate to others that you are educated about your niche. Furthermore, the more people who link to your content, the more Google believes that your content is credible and shareable. 

However, you should not simply generate content and sit back and wait for others to share it. Instead, actively seek it by contacting other authoritative websites and companies and asking if they would be interested in publishing a guest post you've authored. You can use this method to add hyperlinks to your website's relevant material. Furthermore, getting authoritative websites to link back to your website will help your domain authority (DA) score. This method, once again, will only work if you publish high-quality material. This implies you should avoid coming out as too spammy, which is a common pitfall when writing guest blogs. 

Overall, rather than the number of keywords on a page, the emphasis is now on high-quality, relevant content. We indicated earlier that you should strive for at least 1,800 words, but posts greater than 3,000 words work much better for link building. After all, your content's overall quality keeps people interested in your page, not particular keywords. In other words, relevant, entertaining, and well-written writing is your greatest shot at reaching the top. 

4. Create Internal Links

While we've written extensively about the value of backlinks, you should also focus on developing internal links. An internal link connects to another page within the same domain. In a nutshell, they assist Google in identifying and indexing your web pages. 

One advantage of internal links is that the anchor text matches the content. As a result, they are relatively simple to construct and do not require the use of third-party websites. Internal links should ideally be placed near the top of the web page. This can also help you enhance your bounce rate (we mean lower, but more on that later).

5. Include LSI Keywords

LSI keywords (latent semantic indexing) are similar keywords that search engines like Google can use to understand a page's content better. They aren't quite synonyms but phrases and words strongly related to your core keyword. 

For example, if your primary keyword is influencer marketing, LSI keywords could be marketing campaigns, social media, brands, Instagram, marketers, endorsements, etc. You get the picture. 

You can still utilize synonyms, but you'll also need to use LSI keywords. This is because search engines have evolved. You no longer need to be guilty of keyword density for Google to understand what your website is about. 

Optimizing your content for a small number of keywords is no longer sufficient. Google instead wants to know what your page is about in general. As a result, it will use these keywords to confirm that your material is, in fact, about the topic. 

Furthermore, adding LSI keywords improves your topical depth, improving relevancy. Topical depth will be more essential in 2023 (thus the preference for long-form content). As a result, construct and grow your content around related keywords and subtopics. 

After all, you have no excuse not to put in the "extra effort" when free online tools will do this research for you. You can use a tool like LSIGraph or KeySearch to locate relevant LSI keywords.

6. “E-A-T” More

While SEO is one of the most often used acronyms when discussing Google rankings, another three-letter acronym that can help you in the new year is Google E-A-T. It conveys knowledge, authority, and assurance. These are the three elements that Google analyses when calculating the ranking potential of your website. It's even more critical if your website concentrates on YMYL issues (your money or your life). This is frequently content that offers medical, legal, safety, or financial advice.  

The credibility and experience of your author(s) are referred to as expertise. Will visitors to your website find content written by trustworthy and skilled authors? You can demonstrate your knowledge by including short author profiles on your website.  

Authoritarianism is primarily determined by your internet reputation and the recognition you receive. That is another reason authoritative sources should link back to your material. A press release, for example, can be useful if you want to obtain mentions from the right kind of press (there is such a thing as bad publicity in SEO).

7. Match Search Intent

Do you know what your intended audience wants to know about the topics you intend to write about? You may believe that they already understand the fundamentals of a topic, such as influencer marketing, and wish to learn more in-depth, or vice versa. 

Essentially, Google pays websites that share material that people frequently look for. What does your target audience most frequently type into Google's search bar? Do they search the internet for how-to instructions, real-life examples, or starting tips? 

Examining the information on the first page is one process for ensuring that your content is relevant to the search intent. Do your articles cover that subject? If not, see it as an opportunity to repurpose some of your previous content to make it more relevant to your target audience's online searches. 

8. Improve your Bounce Rate

Visitors who land on your site, look at one of your pages, and then return to the search page will harm your rankings. This indicates to Google that users are dissatisfied with your website. In other words, a lower bounce rate means that consumers love exploring your website. 

A low bounce rate is better for search ranking and means that visitors have more time to get to know your business, which can enhance sales and customer loyalty. Isn't this your ultimate objective at the end of the day?

To reduce your bounce rate, ensure all key information is visible above the fold (in other words, visitors should not have to scroll down to locate the information they require). Including a table of contents (or a summary, as we do) can further assist visitors in quickly navigating to the area that is relevant to their question. And, to make your material more digestible, include visual elements such as infographics and films, which takes us to our next SEO approach. 

9. Incorporate Videos

There has been a great deal written about content and keywords. This is usually related to written content such as white papers, blog posts, state of industry reports, etc. Content, on the other hand, can take the form of video. 

Today's search results are more likely than ever to incorporate videos in the form of video carousels. Remember that for a better user experience, Google provides text results, videos, photos, and news items. 

Aside from embedding videos on your website, you can create your own YouTube channel and upload these videos there. It will catch Google's attention and keep visitors on your site for a longer period of time, signalling to search engines that your page matches search intent. 

10. Share Statistical Data

You could also offer stuff, such as statistics and data, that people can use on their blogs occasionally. Statistics are frequently linked back to by content writers, which can earn you valuable backlinks. 

You may include information in the form of an infographic, for example. Visuals such as infographics might help minimize your bounce rate, which can boost your Google search page results. 

You will know we enjoy publishing statistics if you read our blog regularly. As Exhibit A (the screenshot below) illustrates, it has assisted us in generating a large number of backlinks (from authoritative sources, if we may brag a little). 

11. Boost your Click-through Rate

While rankings are vital, organic traffic should be noticed. After all, what good is it if your target audience found your website via an online search but never visited it? This is why it is critical to monitor your click-through rate. 

To improve your click-through rate, pay attention to your meta data, such as the URL and description that appears below the search result. It may appear tiny, but if this information seems useful and reliable, your click-through rate will improve, raising your ranking. 

Overall, shorter but descriptive URLs perform better. Be bold and play on your readers' emotions regarding title tags. This is one of your few chances to convert users to your link. 

12. Create a Google My Business Listing

By having a Google My Business profile, businesses can improve their Google ranking for local searches. In summary, a Google My Business profile allows you to manage your company's appearance on Google products like Search and Maps. 

So, double-check that all of your company's information, such as contact information, business hours, and address, is correct and full. According to Google's help page, relevance and popularity are essential factors. 

Google finds it easier to match your GMB profile to the correct queries if it is closely linked to what your target audience typically searches for. Additionally, having more Google reviews for your business can increase your local rating on Google. 

13. Audit your brand and content

Your entire branding can also affect your ranking. As previously said, your Google E-A-T score considers whether or not your brand can be trusted. Are you an expert in your field? While the quality of your content is crucial, it will be less effective if your branding is inconsistently applied. 

In addition, while most of the emphasis is on developing new content, remember to evaluate your old material. If your current skill level or standards have outgrown a prior post, it is preferable to delete it. Perhaps your target audience's requirements have shifted. Don't keep content on your site because you believe it will make you look better. Like many other things in life, quantity shouldn’t replace quality.  

14. Keep Track of Your Results

You should not only assess your brand and content on a regular basis, but you should also monitor your SEO performance. While it won't immediately enhance your SEO (Google won't be aware of this step), what's the use of knowing how much organic traffic you're getting? This also helps you to double-check that you are ranking for all of the keywords that you want to rank for. 

Also, does the increased traffic result in more customers and sales? SEO takes time, and if you measure your results, you'll need to decide where to improve or whether it's worth the time and effort. 

15. Don't be afraid to hire an expert

While there are more technical areas, such as mobile optimization and web page speed, that you should leave to the specialists, it doesn't imply you should do everything else yourself. Hire the services of professionals whether you require a freelance UX designer or a content writer or need assistance with any other component. We're discussing your online presence here. There's a lot in the queue.