Improve Google ranking sustainably – this is how it works

In the world of search engine optimization, a lot revolves around a good ranking on Google. Everyone would like their website to appear on the first page of the search results and preferably in a good ranking. But what is this Google ranking all about and how do you get into the top positions of the search results? We would like to give you a few tips and tricks to the hand, with which you can improve your Google ranking sustainably.

How does Google ranking work?
Our top 7: How you can influence the Google ranking
Why does Google reviews affect SEO ranking?
How long does it take for a search engine optmized page to be on the first Google page?
How exactly can Google Search Console help you?
Do Google updates affect the ranking?
Our Conclusion

How does the Google ranking work?

One thing should be said in advance: Unfortunately, we cannot give you a clear explanation of how the Google ranking works. Google has an algorithm according to which it evaluates the websites and ranks them accordingly. However, this algorithm is one of Google’s trade secrets and is not clearly communicated to the outside world. However, there are certain Google ranking factors which are known and which you can use as a guide to achieve a good Google ranking.

Our top 7: How you can influence the Google ranking

In the following we will give you an overview of our TOP 7 ranking factors, which you should definitely start with if you want to improve your Google ranking.

1. Target group
   In order to achieve a good Google ranking, you must first know which target group you want to address. Only if you know what makes your target group tick and what your target group is looking for, you can optimize your website accordingly. In order to find the right target group for you, an initial keyword research can already be very helpful. For the analysis of the suitable target group, for example, the creation of a persona can also be very useful. A persona is a fictitious person, which you think up, which corresponds exactly to your target group in terms of age, everyday life, way of thinking and needs. This makes a very theoretical part of your optimization for Google ranking a little more tangible for you.
   
   
2. Keywords
   Keywords are also called “key words”. These terms are entered by the user in search engines. For this reason, you should use keywords on your website that match your service or product. Integrate them meaningfully into your content. Especially your main keyword should reflect the content of your page meaningfully and above all address your desired target group. You have already determined the keywords that are suitable for your target group.
   
   
   
3. Content
   Of course, the content of your website is also an important ranking factor. Make your content meaningful and informative for the reader – you should offer the user added value. Make sure that you prepare more complex content for the user, for example in an infographic, or include lists and tables. It is also important that your texts are grammatically correct and free of spelling mistakes. This strengthens the reading flow of your content. If a user likes to read and interact with the content of your website, so will the Googlebot 😉

Here you will find a guide to content optimization.

4. Design for mobile devices
   For some time now, Google has been selecting according to the guiding principle “mobile first”: websites that are well optimized for mobile devices are placed higher in the search results. You certainly know this from your own experience. You are on the road and want to get information quickly. You Google a question or a keyword on your cell phone. Nothing is more annoying than landing on a page that is not optimized for cell phones or tablets. This is exactly why the design for mobile devices is an important ranking factor in Google’s search results. Google recommends using a responsive design for this. Optimize your website for desktop, tablet and mobile views. This way you enable the user to enjoy using your website, no matter which device he uses.
   
   
   
5. Loading speed
   We will stay a little bit with the technical aspects, which can bring you further forward in the Google ranking. Surely you have already heard about the loading time. This is about the pagespeed of your website. Try to keep the loading time of your website as low as possible. To achieve a fast pagespeed, you should check if the image sizes and files you use are optimized for the web. You should also take a close look at whether your website may have unused JavaScript or CSS files. This can also slow down the pagespeed of your website.
   
   
   
6. Metadata and alt tags
   After you have already checked the size of your image files, you should also check whether you have properly maintained the metadata and alt tags of your data. These are read by the Googlebot when crawling your website and are included in the ranking of the search results on Google. The bot is able to recognize that there is a graphical element on your website, but it cannot read out what the graphic shows. For this very reason, you describe what the graphics, images, audio files, etc. are about and indicate what can be seen on them. This also ensures the accessibility of your website, because users who, for example, have a visual impairment, can have the entire content of your website read aloud, including the graphical elements.
   
   
   
7. User interaction
   Ensure that the user feels comfortable on your website with an outstanding user experience. A sensibly structured website is the first step in the right direction. You can also work with internal links & external links to navigate the user through your website to the content he is looking for. Again, you surely know from your own experience that it takes time and nerves to search for the desired information on a website. This is exactly what should not happen to your users. Your website should be clearly designed and offer the user added value at all times. The resulting dwell time on your website also has a positive effect on the Google ranking. But don’t panic, a shorter dwell time does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. If the user has found what he is looking for within a very short time and perhaps even made a purchase, this is also a positive ranking factor.
   Make the visit to your website an experience that the user likes to remember. So he probably comes to you more often 😉

Why do Google reviews affect SEO ranking?

Google takes into account in its algorithm for ranking the reviews that your company receives on Google. Thus, the quantity and quality of your reviews are taken into account in order to rank you and your website correctly. In short: “Word of mouth” marketing has a high value for Google.
Especially when shopping online, we often rely on the reviews of other customers, especially when it comes to larger purchases. Surely you have also looked closely at the reviews of a product or service to confirm your purchase decision. It works the same way with Google reviews.

Misuse of, for example, purchased, positive reviews can be detected by Google, which would worsen your ranking instead of improving it.

How long does it take for a search engine optimized page to be on the first Google page?

Unfortunately, we can’t give you a clearly defined period of time for this, because as you have surely already noticed, this depends on several factors. The Googlebot crawls the Internet regularly for new content and information. How often it does this, however, is also a trade secret of Google. Our experience has shown that the first results can be visible after only a few weeks. A really measurable success can be perceived by you after about 3-4 months.

How exactly can Google Search Console help you?

The Google Search Console is a very helpful and free tool from Google, with which you have many analysis options available. The Search Console not only gives you information on technical topics of the SEO world, but can also help you see your most popular pages and increase organic traffic.

Furthermore, you can use the Google Search Console to check whether all your pages have already been indexed by Google:

1. Click on the “URL check” item in the sidebar on the left side
2. Enter the URL you want to check into the free space above

As soon as you confirm your entry with “Enter”, the data from the Google index will be retrieved and you will be shown whether this page has already been indexed. If this is not the case, you can request the indexing of your page in the next step.

If you have successfully requested indexing, you can test your URL again after a few days to check whether indexing has already taken place.

Do Google updates affect the ranking?

Not every Google update has an immediate impact on the ranking of your website. Of course, Google regularly runs smaller updates in the background to present the best possible search results to users. However, you usually don’t notice this at all.
However, Google also makes larger updates at regular intervals, which can very well affect the ranking of your website. Through these updates, changes are usually made to the algorithm. Surely you have also heard of “mobile first”. This is, for example, due to a Google update and has caused that websites, which could show a responsive design for mobile devices, were preferred by Google in the ranking in the future.
As already mentioned, most updates from Google take place in the background and are not clearly communicated. However, so that you do not miss the announced updates, you should regularly check Google Developers. Here Google informs you about major changes, so that you can revise your website in time for the new Google requirements, if necessary.

Learn more about the latest Google Lens Multisearch update here.

Our conclusion

To improve your Google ranking and make it consistently good, it requires some work on your website. Unfortunately, this is also not done with one-time work and may then lie. To achieve a sustainable good Google ranking, you must make sure that your website is always up to date and interesting for the user. To do this, always take the following points for regular review:

• Have you chosen your target group correctly?
• Are you using the right keywords?
• Does your content offer added value and is the content meaningful and error-free?
• Is your website optimized for mobile devices?
• How good is your pagespeed?
• Have you carefully maintained the metadata and alt tags?
• Are there internal & external links on your website?
• Can the user interact with your site without difficulty?
• Is your site listed on the Google index?
• Are you informed about the latest Google updates and have you already taken the first steps towards optimization?

If you keep working on your website, meet technical requirements and present your target group with high-quality content that also interests them, you have a good chance of good Google rankings! 😊