How to Improve your Google Search Ranking

There is no magic formula to instantly get a higher ranking on google, but there are lots of handy techniques to make sure you are well on your way!

It really hinges on how relevant your page is to the search keywords people type in: ie your main keywords should appear in the page content and the page title.

Another good move is to list your website on as many online directories as possible, particularly ones relevant to your industry. Are there any industry websites you use daily/weekly? (ie miningnews) Worth checking to see if you can advertise your website on those sites.

If your business has a physical address, you should also ensure your Business is listed on Google Maps. See the fly out box to the right for other Australian business directories.

There are a number of search engine specialists that offer Pay-Per-Click advertising services, (Like Google Adwords or Ineedhits.com.au), where you set an advertising budget and then have an ad at the top or side of the screen in google. Adwords or Pay Per Click wont get your site to the top of the list immediately, (except in the advertising areas), but it will help your ranking go up over time, as google will realise that your site is more relevant for the particular search term. (Ie: if you pay for the ad words "fluffy slippers", the more clicks you get, the higher your site will rank for those keywords over time).

So, an action plan:

1. Register your website for free with Google (this is different to adwords). If your business has a physical address, it is also worthwhile to register with
   Google Maps.
2. Register with Google Analytics to keep track of visitors to your site
3. Devise a succinct business description (1 paragraph or so) that uses as many relevant keywords as possible.
4. Compose a list of key words and phrases that your clients are most likely to search for (including locale) and use as many of these keywords as possible throughout the pages of your website.
5. Negotiate with industry peers to link to your website
6. Add your keywords and description from steps 3 & 4 to your META html tags
7. Add your website to as many local/national business directory listings as you can find (see the fly out box to the right)!
8. For further reading, visit the E-Business Centre website for a fantastic article on how to improve your google search ranking.