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Did you know that a whopping 90% of the population never scrolls past the first page of Google? When was the last time you've taken a moment to check where your website shows up when you type in your business name or important keywords related to your company? If you just so happen to be like countless other businesses out there, then chances are your website might not pop up within the first 10 spots. Heck, it might not even pop up on the first page at all. The good news is – you have the power to change this. If you’re interested in learning more about how you can effectively monitor and improve your search engine ranking, then this article is just for you.
What are SERPs?
"SERPs" is simply an acronym which is widely used to abbreviate the term search engine results pages. SERPs are the pages which pop up when you type an inquiry into a search engine such as Google. There are countless pages which are often returned upon the input of an inquiry -- far too many to go through. This is because Google alone indexes trillions of website pages. So, what Google does, is it prioritizes these results for you based on their likelihood of providing you an accurate and robust answer and then displays them to you in hierarchical order.
Why search engine rankings are crucial to success
Google's search engine algorithm essentially attributes a SERP score to every page on your website. Your SERP score, or search engine ranking, is directly related to the effectiveness of your search engine optimization (SEO) tactics, your marketing campaigns, as well as the length of time that your website/brand has had to establish trust with Google's algorithm. Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that it's extremely difficult to outrank major brands and companies for the simple fact that they have significantly deeper pockets than you. But, this doesn't mean that all hope is lost. You still have a chance at ranking high for keywords, especially niche keywords and getting on the first page of Google. All it takes is some hard work and commitment.
How to improve your SERP ranking
Fortunately, there are numerous steps you can take to help improve your SERP rankings. However, in order to be effective, you'll need to stay dedicated and focused. By crafting effective marketing and SEO campaigns and staying patient, you can work to begin to improving your SERP ranking one day at a time.
1. Marketing
Crafting effective and compelling marketing campaigns is a crucial step when it comes to improving your SERP score. The more mentions, hashtags, articles your brand has, the stronger it becomes in the eyes of Google's algorithm. To be honest with you -- it's pretty much a popularity contest. And to be blunt -- the major corporations are always going to win. This is because they have countless resources they can pool into their marketing strategies, whereas the average business is often limited by their budget. But, this doesn't mean that you can't create viral content, work on increasing your popularity on social media or work hard to get influencers to tout your brand/services!
Fortunately for you, there are numerous tools available which can aid in your efforts to craft more effective digital marketing campaigns. Much of it begins with performing diligent research and finding the right keywords, topics and trends to touch upon. Most recently, influencer marketing has become an extremely popular way to get your brand out there and repped by popular figures within the social media space. So, take the time to tap into some influencer marketing agencies to see how they can help you increase brand awareness and establish an authority presence in the digital space!
2. SEO
SEO is another critical component to improving your search engine ranking. Is your website optimized to the fullest? Are you leveraging niche and long-tail keywords as a way to combat against the monopoly that many large corporations have over SEO? We're not just talking on-page SEO -- technical SEO is just as important.
Lucky for you, there are also numerous tools available on the market to aid you in these efforts as well. Whether you use a plug-in such as YoastSEO or tools such as Google's Keyword Planner, Backlinko or Ahrefs, you can rest assured that you're in good hands. If you find that you just don't happen to be the savviest when it comes to this, don't be afraid to reach out to an expert and ask for help. Companies such as ours specialize in aiding businesses such as yours in increasing their search engine rankings effectively and efficiently.
3. Being Patient
The truth of the matter is that increasing your search engine rankings doesn't happen overnight. So, naturally you're going to want to be wary of any services which promote instant or unreasonably fast results. You simply can't rush the algorithm. You can help it along by doing your best to implement strong and effective tactics, but overnight success is few and far between. Be patient. It takes a while to establish your brand/website as trustworthy in the eyes of Google's algorithm. But the good news is that the longer you stay dedicated, the more you'll continue to build up your trust.
Monitoring your search engine ranking
When it comes to establishing your presence on search engine results pages, you'll need to do more than just implement tactics in order to improve your ranking. This is because rankings are far from static and constantly changing as information continues to be indexed by Google's algorithm every second of every day. This is why consistently monitoring your ranking is so essential. When you monitor your rank, you gain access to valuable information which can help to fuel your strategies and tactics for improvement.
For instance, let's say that you decide to implement a keyword strategy. You pretty much will be left mostly in the dark with regards to how effective it is or isn't without monitoring. However, when you do implement a process for monitoring, you are able to see how effective your strategies are and how your website is performing in response to their implementation. Fortunately, there are numerous tools on the market such as SEMRush, MozPro and Ahrefs which can help provide you with in-depth analytics and tools which can be leveraged in order to help you monitor and track your rank.
Monitoring your competitor’s SERPs
Monitoring your search engine rankings is crucial in determining your status and driving your strategies. However, it's not just your own website that you should be concerned about. Who are your biggest competitors? We're not talking big name companies and corporations. We mean the companies within your niche which are performing slightly better than you. If you don't know the answer to this, then you'll have to dig in your heals and do a little research first. Once you know the names of a handful of companies as such, you'll need to start monitoring their status, performance and progress as well. When you begin monitoring your competitors' rankings, you gain access to valuable information which can help fuel your strategies for improvement.
For instance, let's say you find that your competitors are ranking high for a certain number of keywords. This is great information to know, because it helps inform you on which keywords you should use in your strategy. Or perhaps, you've noticed that their ranking is fluctuating a bit or has taken a nosedive after the implementation of a strategy. This can help you be aware of things not to do so that your website doesn't have the same fate. On the other hand, if they're performing well, then gaining access to analytics on their performance can help you effectively mirror some of the positive tactics they've implemented. Remember: consistently monitoring your competition is every bit just as important as monitoring your own performance because it can help provide further insight into the steps you need to take in order to stay one step ahead.
Conclusion
Your SERP score is arguably one of the single most important things to focus on if you’re looking to improve your online presence and grow your business. If you're looking to increase your search engine ranking, then you'll need to focus on a combination of effective marketing, SEO and monitoring/tracking strategies in order to do so. Fortunately, there are numerous tools available on the market in order to help you achieve your goals. Use this article as a guide to keep yourself on track and to get off in the right direction when it comes to improving your website’s SERP score. And remember – nothing is going to happen overnight. Beware of any products or services which promote unrealistic results. This takes a tortoise versus a hare mentality. Improving your search engine rankings takes time, dedication and consistent effort. However, the benefits are extremely worthwhile.
Which tools do you use to monitor and/or improve your SERP score? Let us know your experience with them in the comment section below! We'd love to hear from you!
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