{"id":173221,"date":"2022-11-28T11:51:53","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T11:51:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/realbusiness.co.uk\/?p=173221"},"modified":"2024-03-30T12:16:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-30T12:16:48","slug":"improve-sme-serp-score-google-search","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/realbusiness.co.uk\/improve-sme-serp-score-google-search","title":{"rendered":"How To Improve Your SME SERP Score For Google Search Success"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Sadly, it\u2019s not enough for websites to create great content in order to be recognised by the likes of Google and other leading search engines. It has to be the <\/span>right<\/span><\/i> content. Many businesses have struggled to win over Google\u2019s fickle army of crawlers over the years, but over time we can see how certain tweaks and approaches to content creation appear to be more effective than others.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, this doesn\u2019t require you to rip out your existing content and start from scratch, but with the right adaptations, you may be capable of making your blog posts, articles, guides, and other content stretch further and <\/span>rank higher among Google\u2019s SERPs<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Google Crawling?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Firstly, let\u2019s cover what is actually meant by Google\u2019s \u2018crawlers\u2019. Crawling takes place when Google\u2019s bots assess all the content and code that make up a website and analyse it. This process helps to index pages and to ensure that a page is good enough to show up in Google\u2019s search engine ranking positions (SERPs).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With each update, Google is liable to change its criteria for websites. For instance, since Google\u2019s Panda update, the importance of domain names has grown by a <\/span>notable measure<\/span><\/a>, and businesses are required to maintain a level of accessibility and relevance with the names they choose.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Google considers a wide range of factors that are relevant to categorising your website appropriately, and many revolve around good on-page SEO relating to your content. With this in mind, let\u2019s take a look at some of the most notable adaptations that can be made to your content to ensure that it\u2019s given the credit it deserves by Google.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Size Matters when it Comes to Content<\/span><\/h2>\n

When it comes to studying Google\u2019s attitude towards content, one recurring theme is that longer-form articles and posts generally perform better.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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(Image: <\/span><\/i>Kinsta<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

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As Kinsta data shows, the top two pages of Google search results typically feature articles that stand at more than 2,400 words in length.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Because Google consistently <\/span>values long-form content higher<\/span><\/a>, it\u2019s worth exploring your existing blog pages or on-site content and asking yourself whether it\u2019s possible to expand your articles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that search engines are ever-improving in ways that are more focused on directly answering queries, it\u2019s also worth anticipating what your audience is asking when they run queries in Google.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Audit Your On-Page SEO<\/span><\/h2>\n

To better optimise your content, it\u2019s worth adopting one of the many free SEO checklists available online, with the Lawrence Hitches <\/span>2023 on-page SEO checklist<\/span><\/a> standing as a handy resource when it comes to analysing what\u2019s at the core of your content strategy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When looking to audit your content, your on-page SEO checklist should provide insights into key elements such as:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n