Had my team look at client traffic the last two years. Totaled over 100,000,000+ visitors, and I’ll tell you how we approach websites to increase traffic like that.
We added it all up across big international clients, down to some mom and pop local stores that have been with SEO National since year one, over 16 years ago.
One. Hundred. Million.
That’s nearly 500,000 visitors per month.
Here’s a really simple secret to understanding how to show up higher on Google. Google will reward the websites that make the search engine look good. It’s that simple.
What does that mean?
If your website is painfully slow and has poor content, that makes Google look bad for recommending it. But if someone searches for something and finds the answer easily on your fast-loading website, they’re more likely to use Google again. That’s why Google will reward websites that load quickly, are easy to use, are mobile-friendly, intuitive, and have good content.
How do you do that?
You can simplify the concept of search engine optimization down to three categories.
- How good or bad is your website built?
Nobody likes a slow-loading website or clicking on a link that takes them to a dead page. Google will reward websites that are quick, with clear navigation and good call-to-action, making the site easy to use.
- Do you clearly communicate your value propositions and why you’re better than the competition?
- External credibility
Do other websites link to your website or mention your brand name? Each link and mention counts as a vote in the search engine popularity contest.
Most of your visibility on Google will come from the last two categories; your content and credibility. But those will only be as effective as your website structure because that’s the foundation. You must have a well-built website for your content and external credibility to bounce off of.
That’s where you want to start, ensuring that your website has a clean design, is intuitive, loads quickly, and is mobile-friendly.
From there, focus on sharing value-added content. Give away all the answers for free, and showcase why you’re the best option for your customer. Build trust; the more problems and pain points you solve and questions you answer, the more people share your content. With each share, you increase the votes and that search engine popularity contest. In return, Google rewards you with top rankings, which drives more traffic and sales.
