A new year is here and if your resolution is to take a fresh look at your online marketing strategy, you're probably wondering how to improve Google rankings in 2020.
The truth is, not much has changed. There are always quick fixes that come and go, but the best long-term SEO strategy is simply to publish well researched, well written content.
I'm clearly biased in saying that, but Google aren't, and good quality content is something they regularly recommend in their advice to webmasters.
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| New Year's Eve fireworks in London © Greater London Authority - Kois Miah |
There are some technical issues you might need to address, such as having a mobile-friendly website, but generally speaking, all other things being equal, publishing good text content on a regular basis is your best bet and it doesn't cost a fortune either.
Google's Guidelines
Google's own Basic Principles from their Webmaster Guidelines are a good place to start when understanding what Google want in 2020.
Basic Principles for Google SEO
- Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines.
- Don't deceive your users.
- Avoid tricks intended to improve search engine rankings. A good rule of thumb is whether you'd feel comfortable explaining what you've done to a website that competes with you, or to a Google employee. Another useful test is to ask, "Does this help my users? Would I do this if search engines didn't exist?"
- Think about what makes your website unique, valuable, or engaging. Make your website stand out from others in your field.
- Google Webmaster Guidelines, January 2020
Again, if you're not confident writing about yourself or your business, hire a writer. It's sometimes useful just to get a second opinion on what to write about from someone on the outside of your industry.
A freelance writer can suggest suitable topics, or you can brief them on exactly what to write. You could even just hire a writer to edit your own blog posts and other website content to make sure it's grammatically correct and error-free.
Helping Pages to Rank Higher
The focus in recent years is increasingly on mobile-friendly pages that are fast to load, and text content works well compared with the larger file sizes of images and video, plus it's much cheaper to commission somebody to write website content than it is to hire a photographer, videographer or graphic designer.
And every new page you publish is a new opportunity to rank highly in Google's search results in 2020, as well as to make sure your website includes all of the different words and phrases your customers might use when searching for you.
It's a way to grow your website organically, and it delivers organic SEO results almost automatically (although a good writer will make sure to include the right words and phrases in the best places on the page to help you get the best Google rankings in 2020).
Top Tips for SEO Website Content
- Publish frequently - weekly if possible.
- Publish good quality, useful content.
- (This could be news/blogs, detailed product pages or updates about your company's activities.)
- Include words and phrases that people might use when searching for your site.
- Make sure your site loads fast and looks right on mobile devices.
I'm lucky to be starting 2020 with some great regular clients and I'm really proud of the quality content that we produce together, but I'd also love to help some new customers improve their rankings and overall search presence as this year progresses.
If that's something you're looking to achieve too, let me know and we'll soon have your website ranking higher in Google.
All that remains is for me to wish all my clients and readers a very happy new year - may you always find yourself on the first page of Google in 2020!
