
Let’s begin by looking at what SERP rankings are and how they affect businesses.
SERP stands for Search Engine Results Pages, and this refers to the “pages that a search engine returns after a user submits a search query. In addition to organic search results, search engine results pages (SERPs) usually include paid search and pay-per-click (PPC) ads”.
So, when you pull up Google and type something into the search bar and hit enter, the pages displayed are the search engine results pages or SERPs.
Your website needs to appear on SERPs so customers can find you, and you can do many things to boost these rankings.
Use Keywords on Your Website - You could have the most stylish and user-friendly website in the world, but it won’t rank highly in search engine results unless you’re using keywords within the website.
Businesses need to identify and target specific keyword phrases relevant to their offering and which potential customers will be searching for. For example, if you are the owner of a coffee shop in Cardiff, you might target the keywords ‘independent coffee shop in Cardiff’ so people searching using that term will be able to find you.
Using keywords isn’t just as simple as using the chosen words once on each page of your website or using them as much as possible in your content. Keywords need to be carefully considered, and your text must make sense to a human reader as well as a search engine.
Publish Relevant Content - One way to boost search engine rankings is by regularly posting content relevant to your industry. Posting quality content shows search engines that you are a trustworthy authority in your industry and will help to boost your SERP ranking. Using keywords throughout your content is also essential, as is using heading tags, images, and links.
Make Use of Metadata - Metadata can be included within each webpage, and it provides search engines with information about the content of each page. This includes title metadata, description metadata and keyword metadata. Understanding and utilising all these together will help improve the SERP rankings of any website.
Pay-Per-Click - Pay-per-click (PPC) adverts such as Google Ads help reach new customers and get quick results from a marketing campaign.