That SEO has continued to remain THE buzz word in online branding for years speaks enough of its relevance. There is far greater competition on the squeezed world of the internet in terms of popularity and recognition than on the local streets today. After all, 75% of internet users never scroll past the first page of search engines.

The key, however, is to understand relevant tips and tricks that can help your brand rank high enough on search results to end up on the first page. These tips and tricks, however, are not magical potions you can slurp overnight and take over the next morning. Effective SEO requires time, patience, strategy and, well, effort.

So, let us take a look at 7 expert tips on making any brand rank high on search results.

Publishing Quality Content

With 70 million new blog posts getting uploaded on the internet every month, it is difficult to stand a chance without effort. Now, we can tell you where to start. The number one reason for high search rankings, no matter what the genre and niche, has to be content quality. There is indeed no substitute for great content because, well, search engines love it!

Getting more and more viewers to your site owing to its terrific content also leads to improvement in site authority and relevance, which has a direct impact on its search rankings. Therefore, the key focus here is to have well-researched and well-written content on your website, intended for a specific audience pool.

To achieve this, there are a few pointers you need to keep in mind. First is identifying relevant and high-traffic keywords for your site content by analysing what the reader could search to be able to land on your page. Besides researching the keyword, how to place it is equally important. You might want to use a keyword phrase instead of just one word. Therefore, you must try ways to incorporate the phrase in the page title, URL and headings/sub-headings appropriately.

Tip: Use the keyword or key-phrase in the first paragraph of your page to improve search rankings.

Regularly Updating Content

One of the most important markers of a site’s relevancy is regular updates to its content. Therefore, you can try sticking to a set schedule for auditing pages and content, updating them as per the latest information or opinions as well as any other changes you deem fit.

Tip: Look out for similar content or topics as yours online to always stay in touch with the latest trends and trivia.

Using Metadata for the Best

Each page on your website contains a space for entering the metadata, that appears in search results as the summarized content of your page. It is important to leverage this small part of your site too if you want better rankings. You may cleverly include keywords and key phrases within the metadata and prepare a crisp but well-rounded summary of page content to improve rankings.

Now, there are different types of metadata you must learn to utilize whenever drafting content. the title metadata is the one that appears as a headline in search results, which we have mentioned above. It is the most important metadata of all. Apart from this, there is also description metadata, which browsers may sometimes use in your page search return. Usually about two sentences long, this metadata is like a window display to encourage viewers to enter your site.

Tip: Try previewing how your metadata looks on the search engine, and compare with similar sites to assess your standing.

Incorporating Descriptive Links

Try to incorporate relevant links within your content text itself, which can boost search engine rankings for both the content page and the page you have entered the link to. However, make sure these links are descriptive – you do not want to leave a link that says “Click Here” or “Learn More” alone, if possible.

Instead, you can try using descriptions such as the title of a video or page you are linking to. Remember, search engines are constantly on the lookout for value addition. This is why using descriptive links can work the trick just right for you.

Tip: Keep the descriptive links short and crisp, without losing out on keywords.

Lining up Content with Search Intent

One of the keys to better search rankings is to manage your site’s bounce rate. In simple terms, search engines do not prefer sites that viewers only open for a few seconds before bouncing back to search results. But how do you work on it?

The answer lies in crafting content that is centred around search intent.

Stop beating around the bush. Leverage the most powerful part of your content – the first paragraph – to convey to the viewer what you are presenting ahead in your content. Push your content on the top of the page. Use graphics that can speak for your content on their own and place them strategically to catch the viewer’s eye early on, preventing them from bouncing back. Structure your page to convey to readers that you have written a piece that will be useful to them.

Tip: Combine content creation with effective web page design for the purpose.

Building Back Links to your Site

Content writing and publishing are the only baby steps to making your brand rank high on search engines. The next and equally important step is content marketing. On the internet, which might have a hundred posts even on a unique keyword, you must master the art of promoting content on multiple platforms for people to see, get curious and visit your website. This is what we mean by creating backlinks.

There are several ways to do this – social media marketing, guest posting, resource pages – just take a pick or pick all of them.

Tip: Look for best performing backlinks that are working best for you over a period of time, and work harder on them.

Tracking and Monitoring Results

Eventually, one of the most important and fundamental rules to improving your performance in any field, including content campaigns, is to keep a tab on them from time to time. It is only by assessing what is working and what is not that one can imbibe, improve and improvise.

Tip: Fix a schedule beforehand on when and what you are going to review.

Final words

Content that has been crafted especially for users, keeping in mind their queries, doubts, interests and background can generate enormous site traffic. Therefore, create content that serves a purpose and solves the user’s search query or information gap. No matter how tricks and tips people ask you to have up your sleeve when it comes to digital success, shortcuts can only give you momentary outcomes.