Last Updated on August 11, 2026 by Becky Halls
Let’s face it, if your website isn’t showing up on page one of Google, it might as well be invisible. Whether you’re running a small business, an online store, or a personal brand, a higher search engine ranking can be the difference between steady traffic and digital crickets.
Good news: you don’t need to be an SEO wizard to climb the rankings. You just need to understand what Google wants, have a a clear strategy, some patience, and a sprinkle of consistency. No matter how long you’ve been working online, Google can always throw us off-course with their core updates so we need to stay up to date with the best practical tactics to help our websites earn that coveted higher search engine ranking!
1. Start with Smart Keyword Optimization
Keyword stuffing is dead – and thank goodness for that! Strategic keyword use is alive and well – and makes for much more enjoyable reading! Instead of throwing a bunch of search terms onto a page and hoping for the best, we need to focus on:
- Targeting long-tail keywords that match search intent
- Naturally integrating your main keyword into titles, headers, and body content
- Optimizing meta titles and meta descriptions to include your focus keyword
- Using variations and related phrases to make your content feel organic
Want a higher search engine ranking? Start by knowing what your audience is actually searching for – and speak their language.
2. Create Content People Actually Want to Read
Yes, content is still king – but only if it’s good content. Google is constantly updating its algorithms to prioritize useful, people-first content. Translation: your clickbait roundup of “Top 5 Cat Memes” won’t cut it anymore (unless you’re a cat meme blog, in which case, carry on).
Here’s our content tips for better rankings:
- Answer real questions your audience is asking – this can also help you get into featured snippets
- Break up text with headers, bullet points, and visuals (as no one can face reading through never-ending paragraphs of solid text)
- Aim for readability: shorter paragraphs, simple language, clear formatting
- Update outdated content to keep it fresh and relevant (why would I bother reading 2023 stats when it’s mid-way through 2025…)
Providing value leads to more time on site, more shares, and yes – a higher search engine ranking. Google likes content that shows authority, expert views and trustworthiness.
3. Build Backlinks Without Being Spammy
Think of backlinks as digital word-of-mouth. When reputable sites link to yours, it tells Google your content is trustworthy. Don’t just head out and start searching for ‘cheap links‘ though. You’ll need to get legit, high quality links unless you want to be penalised for it.
Ways to earn legit backlinks:
- Publish original research or data
- Write guest posts on industry blogs
- Create high-quality infographics or resources worth sharing
- Use 3Way.Social to find other domains in your niche and swap links/posts
- Reach out to journalists via platforms like HARO (Help a Reporter Out)
Mark paid or affiliate links with rel=”sponsored”, and label user-generated links with rel=”ugc”. Use rel=”nofollow” for untrusted links, and make sure paid or UGC links don’t pass PageRank to stay within Google’s link spam policy.
Backlinks are one of the most powerful ways to earn a higher search engine ranking, but don’t fall for shady schemes – Google isn’t fooled by link farms.
4. Improve Technical SEO (Yes, It Matters)
You don’t have to be a developer to make your website technically sound. A few tweaks can have a massive impact on your SEO performance.
Here’s what we like to focus on:
- Page speed: Compress images, enable caching, and minimize code
- Image SEO: write concise, descriptive alt text and filenames. Serve WebP or AVIF, lazy-load below-the-fold images, set width and height to prevent CLS, and use responsive images with srcset and sizes.
- Mobile-friendliness: Use responsive design
- HTTPS encryption: Secure your site with an SSL certificate
- Fix crawl errors: Regularly check Google Search Console for issues
- Structured data: use schema markup for rich results, focusing on Product, Review/Rating, Breadcrumb, Organization, Article, and LocalBusiness where relevant. Google removed HowTo rich results and limited FAQ visibility, so validate with the Rich Results Test and monitor Search Console.
As of March 2024, Interaction to Next Paint replaced First Input Delay as a Core Web Vitals metric. Aim for LCP at 2.5 s or less, INP at 200 ms or less, and CLS at 0.1 or less, then track field data in PageSpeed Insights and Search Console.
All of these factors help you rank better – and give users a smoother experience. Win-win.
5. Use Internal Linking to Keep Visitors Engaged
If you want to increase time on site and reduce bounce rate (two signals that support a higher search engine ranking) then internal linking is your secret weapon.
When you guide readers to related posts or pages, you:
- Improve navigation and site structure
- Help search engines crawl and index your site more effectively
- Keep visitors moving through your content funnel
Use descriptive anchor text (no more “click here” links) and focus on relevance over quantity.
6. Make User Experience (UX) a Top Priority
Google’s algorithm updates have a clear theme: prioritize the user. Think about what you can teach others – demonstrate your expertise and authority and this will get you npticed. If your site is confusing, cluttered, or slow, it’s not just annoying, it’s hurting your rankings.
Here’s our UX best practices:
- Clean, intuitive navigation
- Clear calls to action (CTAs)
- Fast loading times (especially on mobile)
- Accessible design for all users
A better UX = better engagement = higher search engine ranking. Simple math.
7. Keep Monitoring and Tweaking
SEO isn’t a set-it-and-forget-it game. Algorithms change. Competitors evolve. Content gets stale.
Use tools like:
- Google Analytics for user behavior insights
- Google Search Console for technical performance
- Ahrefs or SEMrush for tracking keyword rankings and backlinks
- 3Way.Social for obtaining backlinks and guest posts
Indexing hygiene checklist
- Submit an XML sitemap with accurate lastmod and only indexable URLs.
- Use rel=”canonical” to consolidate duplicates and URL variants.
- Don’t block CSS or JS in robots.txt, allow rendering.
- Mark thin or utility pages with robots meta noindex when appropriate.
- Return 404 or 410 for removed content, avoid soft-404 patterns.
- Use 301 for permanent redirects and keep redirect chains short.
- Keep URL normalization consistent, like trailing slashes and lowercase, to avoid duplicates.
Review your performance monthly. Tweak what’s not working. Double down on what is. That’s how you maintain a higher search engine ranking long-term.
Final Thoughts
Achieving a higher search engine ranking isn’t about gaming the system—it’s about aligning your content, structure, and site performance with what both users and search engines want. It takes time, but the results are worth it: more traffic, more visibility, and more opportunities for your business to grow.
So if you’re tired of being buried on page 5, start applying these strategies today. Your future customers are out there searching. Make sure they find you.
