Google- Are you at the top of the list?

There are approximately 11.944 billion, yes Billion, searches performed on Google each month. This amounts to roughly 67.5% of all searches performed. Because of this large market share placing a focus on Google during the development of digital content and a commercial real estate webpage is a necessary task for ranking high in search engine results. There are three main areas to consider when developing these: Content, Linkbacks and Keywords.

Content
Having engaging content for your viewers is the starting point to rise higher in Google search results. Using high-quality content that states concepts simply and comprehensively will generate the best results. Google uses robots (bots) to evaluate page content and relevancy. These bots seek out keywords and evaluate their importance based on the context they are used in. Here is an example: a site that is simply a list of the same keywords over and over will be ranked lower, often receiving negative marks from Google, than a site that sprinkles specific keywords into the sites content through blogs, page descriptions and general page content.

Linkbacks
A benefit of great content is the increase in linkbacks. A linkback is very simple, it's when another site links to the content on your site. When Google first started it placed a significant amount of weight on the number of linkbacks a site had. They operate off the idea that a site with poor quality would not be linked to. This method was abused by individuals who would purchase irrelevant linkbacks and can get your site banned from Google search results, harming any quality work you may have done. Linkbacks are best approached by partnering with affiliates who have a vested interest in your performance. You can encourage a linkback by inviting them to do a guest post on your blog or being direct and asking them to linkback to your site. This is a long term process and should not be shorted.

Keywords
Next to linkbacks, keywords perform the best when trying to rank higher in Google search results. To perform better with these start off by doing a keyword analysis of direct competitor sites. This will help you determine the lay of the land, giving you a starting point for content development. By running this list through a keyword tool you can narrow it to specific ones that will provide the greatest return in your content. Keywords should be used within text and not as a list as Google responds better to context.

Ranking high on Google can make or break your company. There are many methods for raising your rankings, these are just the starting point. Going beyond the website there are other areas that should be optimized for search results such as LinkedIn. Check out more tips from our last blog on ranking with Google.

Contributor:

Paige Salveter, MBA
Director of Marketing and Communications
Block Real Estate Services, LLC
LinkedIn