How to Improve Rank on Google

December 17, 2021 Lauren Taylar

The websites that appear on the first page of results when you search a term on Google (and therefore get exponentially more clicks than websites that don’t) aren’t random—and, despite what you may think, it is possible to get your website to appear there for popular search terms.

The magic (AKA technical engineering) behind this is called SEO (or search engine optimization) and isn’t as mysterious as it may sound. It’s actually a variety of factors working together, which I am detailing in today’s blog post!

One of the biggest reasons why I recommend Squarespace for coaches and creatives is because it comes with built-in SEO tools that make the process much easier.

[P.S. I also recommend Showit as a platform if you want more flexibility and customization with design.]

As an SEO specialist for coaches and creatives, I’m no newbie to SEO. I’ve been in the SEO industry since 2016, and I love breaking down concepts that may seem daunting and explaining them in simple terms.

If you are looking to improve your website’s rank on Google, be sure to check the following off your list of to-dos!

1. Optimize your website for speed so it loads quickly

One thing that can wreak the most havoc on your SEO (and bounce rate, or the percentage of people who leave your site after visiting only one page) is loading speed.

We live in an age of instant gratification—and, if your website isn’t loading quickly, someone else’s is.

Be sure to optimize your website for speed by condensing and optimizing large files such as images and banners, and including alt text for each!

2. Write unique title tags and meta descriptions for each main page

Google likes words—and lots of them.

Furthermore, Google likes unique words and descriptions that aren’t found anywhere else on the internet.

For this reason, writing unique title tags and meta descriptions for each page of your website is important for ranking on Google.

Title tags

Title tags typically include the keyword you want associated with the specific page, along with your business name. As it states, you’re giving your website pages a title.

Generally, you’ll want to create titles tags no longer than 60 characters so they don’t get cut off in the search results.

Meta descriptions

Meta descriptions describe to a user what information is on your page before they decide to click through to your website.

Your meta description should be between 100 and 200 words and encompass the topic of its respective page (including relevant and often-searched keywords so that users see the correlation between posts and topics they’re looking for).

3. Infuse keywords into website copy

Whether or not your website will show up in search results on Google for a given search term or keyword has a lot to do with whether those search terms or keywords can be found on your website (in the copy.)

Be sure that you write your copy intentionally, including relevant keywords that are searched often on Google.

There are a variety of keyword research tools that can help you find which phrases to target based on your niche—just do a little bit of research and pick the one that’s right for you!

Once you’ve found the keywords you want to use, weave them into your copy, including your titles, headings, and meta descriptions to ensure that Google sees your website as a match for those keywords.

But don’t go overboard. Spammy SEO tactics like keyword stuffing do not help your SEO. In fact, they have the opposite effect. Click here for spammy SEO examples.

Be sure to note the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords. Generally, short-tail keywords are keywords composed of two or fewer words, such as “blog” or “beauty blog,” while long-tail keywords can be three or more words, such as a phrase like “how to start a beauty blog.”

As a rule of thumb, it’s usually easier (and more productive) to rank for long-tail keywords, as they are less general and more likely to allow your ideal audience to find you.

For example, someone searching “beauty blog” may be looking to start a beauty blog, read a beauty blog, or something else, while someone searching “how to start a beauty blog” is clearly looking for that specific topic.

4. Add valuable content to your website in the form of a blog

As I said before, Google LOVES words—and the more unique, original content your website has, the better.

One of the easiest ways to do this is to add a blog to your website where you can not only prove to Google that you’re an expert in your field, but prove it to website visitors, as well.

PSST...Keep in mind that all of your blog content should be completely original, as content plagiarized or taken from elsewhere on the internet will hurt the authority of your website.

(Not to mention, if it’s been taken without permission from the original author, it is illegal, and could result in legal action.)

If you are having trouble keeping up with your blog content (and, as a fellow business owner, I hear you!) consider hiring a content writer!

Blog posts are important because they give you the chance to rank for new and different keywords without changing the core copy of your website. They’re a great investment in ensuring your website gets found by your target audience.

5. Review your mobile website’s design and user experience

Gone are the days when Google only ranked desktop websites—now, it crawls (AKA analyzes) and ranks mobile websites, as well.

The reality is that a large portion of people who find your website will find it on a mobile device. We no longer live in an era where you have to wait until you get home to your desktop computer to look something up on Google—instead, we can look things up at all times with our handy mobile devices.

For this reason, partnered with SEO, it’s important to review and optimize your website’s mobile design and user experience instead of just desktop.

Oftentimes, important buttons, images, or text can become misplaced or hidden on the mobile versions of websites (and this will need to be corrected manually in most cases by switching your editing view from desktop to mobile.)

Imagine getting tons of traffic to your website and realizing that your “Book Now” button had been hidden the whole time!

The bottom line

Ranking on Google won’t just randomly happen. Even slight issues with your website (under any of the aforementioned categories) can keep your website from appearing in the first search results.

If you are struggling with page rank on Google or even with broader SEO for your website, be sure to check out my services below. I’m a Squarespace website designer with years of experience in SEO—meaning I not only build beautiful websites, but make sure people see them.

I hope to see you there! Until then, happy reading—and be sure to leave me a comment with any questions you may have!

Looking for more Squarespace SEO tips? Check out these blog posts: