You’ve worked long and hard on a beautiful blog that displays your work or business in a thoughtful and effective way, but there’s just one problem: when you search for it on Google, it’s on page 7, not page 1. Everyone knows that, in doing a quick Google search, the top few links are the ones that generate the most clicks. Why? People don’t have the time to click through page after page to find what they’re looking for, so they settle for the best on that first page, usually toward the top. And you know what? Usually they’re more than happy with that decision.
If you have a fashion blog, there’s a strong possibility that someone else has one that’s just as good, if not better, and that visitors clicking around on the world wide web will hit theirs before yours if you don’t learn how to better rank your blog in Google. So, if you’re interested in being one of the first in a search instead of one of the last, pay attention to the following tips.
Consult the Experts
First thing’s first: consult a search engine optimization expert. The world wide web is a deep, deep place, filled with codes and metadata and things that the everyday person just can’t grasp with a little research. People go to school for this stuff, so don’t think that you can know all there is to know about search engine optimization with an hour of clicking around online. It take more than just writing articles and slapping them up on your blog. Keep in mind, it may cost you a few bucks, but in the long run, having an expert look at your site will get you the most bang for your buck in terms of better ranking in Google.
Make Your Web Site Mobile
You may not know this, but people access the Internet from their phones just as much (if not more) than they do their computers. Gone are the days of suspicious Internet charges from your flip phone that had a mysterious “World Wide Web” button… the Internet on smartphones is free with most data plans and is super easy to access. That said, Google has decided in recent years that in order to be ranked toward the top of a search, your web site or blog has to be optimized for mobile use.
This means if your blog looks exactly the same on your phone as it does on your computer, and you’re having to pinch and zoom and click tiny links with your suddenly oversized fingers, your blog will be at the bottom of the Google ranks in a search. What’s the fix? Finding a blog platform that is optimized for mobile – that’ll push you toward the top of the pile in a major way.
Don’t Go Crazy With Hyperlinks
The proper use of hyperlinks are another way to drive your blog toward the top. Hyperlinks, in case you’re unfamiliar, are when you link to other sites or pages via a word within your post. More often than not, the word will be underlined or highlighted in different color and will cue the mouse that it’s linkable in some way, shape or form when you scroll over it. Adding a few outbound hyperlinks to highly relevant sites shows Google that you’re willing to promote other sites who are considered an authority in your niche. So, if you’re a photographer, hyperlink the location of your shoot, maybe the gear you used or another photographer who inspired the work. Know that Google sees each link and may reward it with upward motion within the search results.
Be Thoughtful in the Title and Site Description
Never have keywords been more important! Google will rank results based on keyword matches in the words searched, the title of the post, and the meta description for the site (listed immediately under the link and title of the site in the results). So, when you’re thoughtfully crafting the title and description for each post that will appear on Google, consider the most common words that people may type in to find a site or business like yours. An example: a photographer who prides themselves in their ability to shoot film and who does beautiful weddings in North Carolina, might title one of their blog posts, “Bobby and Rachel Raleigh, NC Film Wedding”, with the description: “Bobby and Rachel’s Fall wedding at Meredith Chapel in Raleigh, North Carolina was stunning; see more of their film photos on the blog!” When a newly engaged girl is searching for the perfect film photographer for her Fall wedding in North Carolina, she might search, “NC Film photographer fall wedding” to see what’s out there. The photographer who thoughtfully crafted a title and description will be in luck since Google likely ranked them higher than others.
Search engine optimization is a bear to tackle all on your own, but is crucially important when it comes to ranking in Google’s search results. Be thoughtful in your title and site description, go crazy with hyperlinks, make your web site optimized for mobile, and consult the experts, and you’ll find your site at the top of Google’s search results instead of on the last pages.