5 Hacks to Improve Your Search Rank for Free

5 Hacks to Improve Your Search Rank for Free

Attracting quality leads starts with onsite search optimization. If your website is performing poorly or simply not ranking, you need to make tweaks to boost your rankings. Using seo tools such as free audits are a useful place to start. You can check how each of your pages ranks, what keywords may be relevant to your business, and what issues are lurking on your site. 

But what can you do once you collect this information?

Fortunately, you can take a number of steps today to improve your site’s search ranking without spending a penny. The following are some simple ways to improve your business’ search engine optimization.

  • Double check your mobile site

About 60 percent of searches come from mobile devices, so you could be missing out on leads if your website isn’t mobile friendly. Websites that aren’t compatible with mobile devices will likely rank lower than those that are, so it’s important to optimize your entire site for mobile. Making changes such as larger buttons and font sizes, having easily accessible information, and disabling flash features can immediately improve mobile search rankings. You can later work with a developer to ensure that your page is completely responsive. 

  • Improve your on-page keywords

Onsite keywords are central to organic search. But your keywords can easily become irrelevant if you aren’t keeping up with SEO best practices. Do a search to see what keywords your competitors are ranking on, and note which keywords are performing best on your site. 

Tweak your copy to include more descriptive titles, geotagged keywords, and more readable content overall. Revamp your meta descriptions to include strong keywords and location-specific information. These adjustments can improve rankings and user experience. 

  • Speed up your loading time

Google’s algorithm generally sends sites down in the rankings if they  have slow load times. Potential customers might click away from your page if they have to wait more than a few seconds, lowering extra page visits. Take steps to improve your page load time to improve your site’s search ranking. 

One main way to help your site run faster is to upload smaller images. Large photos take more time to load and are often necessary in a web format. You can also delete plug-ins that you’re no longer using or that haven’t been delivering a clear benefit. If you have the knowledge, look through your site’s code to keep it as streamlined as possible. 

  • Fix broken links

Broken links lead nowhere, which weighs down your website and harms user experience. Keep in mind that a broken link may cause a potential lead to click away from your site. The link is also a missed opportunity for added search value. Fortunately, you can quickly comb through your website and replace all of the broken links. Be sure to do so regularly, catching any issues before they harm your ranking. 

  • Add your contact information

Clear contact information makes your website and business look more legitimate, which is favorable to Google’s crawlers. You can improve your ranking by placing this information in multiple areas on your site. First, create a clearly labeled contact page. Update the meta title and description, and write keyword optimized copy. Add your info to the home page, about page, and even the footer. 

Remember that boosting your website’s SEO rankings does not need to involve a full overhaul. Often, just a few tweaks can improve your site’s visibility. Just be sure to use SEO tools regularly to check your rankings and learn where you can improve. Because Google’s algorithm and user behavior both change often, it pays to stay diligent.