So, you’ve worked hard and smart on your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) to get your website to the top in rankings. Congratulations! That is a huge achievement and you’re living the digital dream. But the work is not over just yet. Since SEO is a long-term marketing activity, you need to be continually working at it.
Just because you are at the top now does not guarantee that you will be there forever. You have experienced first-hand how easy it was to outrank your competitors. The tables can turn at any moment and they might be able to outrank you in no time.
Did you know that 60% of organic clicks are made on the first three results in a search? This is one reason why it is so incredibly important to stay on top of your SEO-game once you’ve achieved significant results. Plus, you gain more credibility the longer you hold your spot at the top.
Additionally, since Google keeps changing their algorithms, you will need to regularly retweak your tactics to remain up-to-date. Doing all this will help you to become a search engine giant and allow you to stay in the lead.
Here are 4 great ways to defend your top-ranking position and keep generating traffic:
- Staying updated is the key
Everyone loves a good makeover, even your website. It is not necessary to completely redesign your website often. However, it is important to keep updating it, whether it is with new content or a few new graphic elements.
Google’s algorithm takes into consideration both the quality and freshness of your content when ranking. Thus, it is a great idea to update your content at regular intervals in order to hold your top spot. A blog or news section on your site is the perfect way to do this. But be sure to add some images or videos to your posts for better ranking. This will enhance your audience’s experience.
Additionally, do consider the design and layout of your site, since it’s the visual appeal that will draw your audience in. Make sure to create an awesome, easy-to-use layout. This also reduces bounce rates and increases engagement.
- Keep it speedy
In the age of instant gratification, we all know that loading speed matters… a lot! That being said, so many websites still load way too slowly, and ultimately lose traffic. Did you know that over two million new blog posts get published every day? That means that if your site does not load quickly enough, then there is most certainly a faster site out there with the same information. This is especially important for mobile sites because the majority of searches occur on mobile but the loading speeds of these sites are slower overall.
In general, Google has urged website owners to aim for a loading speed of less than a second for mobile sites. Sometimes this isn’t possible, but every second still counts! So, if you can make your loading speed just a single second faster, then this will help to increase the number of page visitors.
The good news is that you can actually speed up your page’s loading speeds by yourself. Firstly, you can change your hosting service to one that is faster as well as more reliable. You can also enable image compression and use a CDN (content delivery network) for quick downloads. If that doesn’t help, you can always make use of Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool. It helps to pinpoint the issues that are slowing your page down.
- Build substantial links
You have probably heard it time and time again: “link building is key”. What a vast number of marketers get wrong is focusing on the number of their backlinks and not the quality. Let’s face it, Google is highly intelligent and can detect if you are linking excessively to a keyword for one of your pages. If your link building occurs too quickly, you’ll run the risk of getting your website banned, which is far from ideal.
So, be smart and ensure that your inbound links cover all the pages on your website. Google will favour this since your backlink profile will be highly diverse. Also, it shows Google that you are providing users with useful and relevant content.
Further, contrary to popular belief, outbound links are just as important as inbound links. For instance, Google favours websites that contain outbound links for authority brands. This helps Google to determine your website’s relevance by pairing you with another high ranking site’s content. Just be sure you are linking to a website that is in your niche and provides relevant information.
Another method of link building to consider is internal linking. Internal linking may sound counterproductive, but it is actually good for keyword rankings. This strategy will help Google to understand the importance of each page you are linking to. Plus, this gives visitors easier access to other relevant content on your website. It makes them stick around a little longer. However, be careful to use these in moderation, otherwise, it won’t look good to your audience as well as Google.
- Engage in social activity
A social media presence is a necessity nowadays, whether you choose to join Twitter or Facebook. It is not yet known if engagement on social media profiles is a ranking factor for SEO. However, what we do know is that major social platforms can help one gain brand recognition and aid your climb to the top of search rankings.
Furthermore, getting links to your sites on social networks helps Google to realise the relevancy of your site. The aim here is to get people to like and share your content on social platforms to boost your visibility. These quality backlinks are the perfect way to hang on to your SEO title.
Consider adding some social sharing icons alongside your web articles. You can encourage your fans and followers to share your content with their friends. Also, if you are really generous you could offer them something for free just for sharing.
