No matter how great your website, it’s only as good as the people who see it. Since the majority of web surfers head to search engines first when trying to find information about something, where you place on search engines is extremely important.

Many users never browse past the first page. Of those who do, making it to the third or fourth page of search results is even rarer. By appearing as close to the first search result as possible for certain terms, you can drastically increase traffic to your website.

So how does it work? That’s the tricky part. Popular search engines like Google and Bing deliberately safeguard the algorithms they use to rank search results…for good reason. If the site gave step-by-step rules for increasing rank, the results would lose their authenticity. Still, there are many businesses that have managed to move up the rankings by using search engine optimization (SEO) in the text on their websites, social media posts, and even YouTube video descriptions and comments.

To improve your visibility in search engine results, here are a few helpful tips:

  • Review your website. Does its title include words that search engine users might type in to find businesses like yours? Do your image titles include relevant keywords? Don’t go overboard on this—that can get your site flagged by search engines. But one or two key words in your image titles can make a difference. Next, review the content of your page. Does your text contain keywords that might be used in searching for you?
  • Compare your website to those ranking well in your particular industry. Pick keywords you think customers would use to find you and type them into the popular search engines. Note which sites come up first and study what content made that happen. Were there four mentions of that set of words? Five? Don’t assume that by covering your website in SEO keywords, you’ll rank higher than anyone with less. Search engines will penalize you for having too many keywords, so to avoid what is known as “keyword stuffing,” use it just enough to be effective.
  • Provide opportunities for content. Yes, your site likely has text but if it’s the same, stagnant text month after month, you may find your site drifting downward in the rankings. Consider using articles or a daily blog to not only keep your site fresh, but incorporate keywords that will help move you up.
  • Consider hiring a professional. While you may be able to eventually “crack the code” and improve your search ranking on your own, if you’re pressed for time already, it may be more cost effective to hire a professional. Better search engine visibility and ranking can be achieved faster if your website is set up right, the links are search engine friendly, and keywords are used carefully. At Front2Back Studio we develop websites with SEO in mind, knowing that success of a website is only built on a solid SEO foundation.

Most of all, be patient. Good search engine placement isn’t an overnight thing. You may find it takes weeks, even months, to see drastic improvement but as you gradually move toward the top of search results, you’ll begin to feel more confident that your efforts are working.