Imagine a scenario where you’re repeatedly trying different combinations of keywords in an attempt to find your website on Google’s SERP (SERP stands for Search Engine Result Page). But to your dismay, you can’t find it. You dig deeper but no luck.

You may wonder what possibly could be the reason for Google turning its back on your website. The sheer indifference and lack of trust can prove to be demotivating for small businesses or anyone who want to rank their website on the top of Google’s SERP. Therefore, the only way to succeed is to turnaround this distressing situation of sheer indifference into empathic trust.

You’ll have to literally win the trust of Google by proving that your website is worthy of all the love and adulation. And when Google starts loving your website (almost blindly) then sky is the limit. It will open the floodgates of unlimited organic traffic, paving way for great number of lead generation and customer acquisition.

In other words, if Google loves your website then nothing probably will stop your business from growing.

In this blog post, I will discuss four simple methods or tips that can turnaround the fortunes of your website, which in all likelihood is currently living an anonymous life in Google’s SERP.

On this note, let us start discussing these methods.

1. Backlinks are the heart & soul

Labelling backlinks as the heart and soul of the SEO may sound like I am stretching things too far. But the fact remains that your website doesn’t stand a chance of ranking even on Google’s 10^th page without quality links linking to your website. In fact, it is mostly only through backlinks that Google is able to discover quality webpages for its end users.

Get this straight: No backlinks = no ranking on Google.

Below are some hard statistics & data that sums up the importance of backlinks:

• A comprehensive survey by Ahrefs in 2022 found out that a single backlink from a website with a domain authority of more than 90 0r 90+ can increase organic traffic by as much as 52%.

• A 2019 study by Moz found out a strong connection between a number of backlinks that a website has its ranking in SERP. Websites with the most backlinks had the highest average ranking positions.

But do you know one fundamental truth about backlinks. Getting or earning them isn’t all that easy. Earning backlinks is the toughest job in SEO. Ask any SEO professional and they will tell you the incredible efforts they have to put even to secure a single quality backlink.

If it is so challenging then one might wonder that whether they should be taking up this challenge. Well, if you’re dead serious about ranking your website then you don’t have an option.

But wait. There is one way that can spare you from the pain and challenge of securing quality backlinks.

I’ve discussed in detail about this so-called shortcut in one of the below points. Keep reading this blogpost to know more.

2. Mobile friendly website

Today with most people hooked to their mobile phones, Google unsurprisingly has a strong bias towards mobile friendly websites. In fact, for all those who are not aware, since 2015 Google has been prioritizing mobile-first index, implying that by default Google ranks and indexes mobile version of a website on a priority basis then the desktop version.

In other words, if your website isn’t mobile friendly then its chances of ranking higher in Google’s SERP is almost or nearly zero.    

I have sourced some interesting facts about the growing prominence of mobile friendly website. 

• Today nearly 63.4% of all web traffic emanate from mobile devices.
• According to Search Engine Journal, today almost 70% of search clicks on Google originate from mobile devices.
• A study by LocalVox claims that the chances of mobile users contacting websites that aren’t mobile friendly are lowered by almost 52%.
• Companies that boast mobile friendly website usually witness 27% increase in its conversion, according to Search Engine Journal.

All these facts and data make one thing abundantly clear. Not taking mobile optimization into consideration while designing or redesigning a website is a blunder that you probably don’t want to commit. If anything, it is a self-suicidal attempt for your website.

3. A Basic on-page SEO is all you need

Just as a solid foundation can go a long way in building a strong and robust house, on-page SEO assumes same importance for your SEO campaign. Therefore, if your on-page SEO is weak your organic traffic is bound to suffer.

A on-page SEO basically does two important things. First, it tells Google what your website is all about and second it improves the user experience of the browsers.

Here are some of the key on-page SEO elements you should be focusing on

• Keywords and their placements
• Title tags & meta descriptions
• Headings
• Image alt text
• Internal linking

By prioritizing the above-mentioned elements of on-page SEO, you can lay a strong foundation for a successful SEO campaign.

In the end, I’d like to retraite that on-page is one of the two foundations of a successful SEO campaign, the other being backlinks. Since backlinks is part of the off-page SEO, both sit on the opposite spectrum. Their convergence is necessary for the success of your SEO campaign.

4. Digital PR leads to tones of organic traffic

I had promised you about a shortcut to backlinks. Well, that shortcut is Digital PR. Digital PR is nothing but high-tech version of traditional PR or public relation. I rightly call Digital PR a shortcut because it saves you from the inconvenience of chasing and securing backlinks, which as I already told you is the toughest challenge in SEO.  

Since Digital PR tremendously increases the brand awareness of your product across digital landscape, it puts you in a sweet spot where you’re not left begging for backlinks. Instead, several high authority websites may talk about your product or even link back to your website without even you asking for it.

In other words, Digital PR is the secret sauce of procuring quality backlinks, without you having to make any efforts.

Here are some statistics and data that clearly amplifies this fact:

• According to Search Engine Journal, Digital PR can procure 20-40% more backlinks compared to traditional SEO tactics alone.

• GoFish Digital claims that brands consistently achieving high-quality PR coverage witnessed an impressive 50% growth in their backlink profile within six months.

• Digital Third Coast claims that 52% of backlinks procured through successful digital PR campaigns come from domains that has a domain authority of more than 50.

You can do digital PR either through in-house or a third-party digital marketing agency.

As for the cost, yes digital PR is little expensive. However, the relatively high cost is more than worth it considering the high ROI you get in the form of good online visibility and increase organic traffic.

Another unique advantage of digital PR is that it very rarely navigates into controversial territory of black hat techniques, which means your website will always remain safe from Google’s penalty.

Conclusion

It would be merely a matter of time for Google to take notice of your website if you consistently follow the above-mentioned tips and suggestions. What can start as an infatuation can very transform into a long-lasting love affair, paving way for tonnes of organic traffic. But love without challenges isn’t really worth it, be it for achieving success in SEO or otherwise. But for all those who remain perseverant and dodged in the SEO game, Google never fails to shower unconditional love on them.