Google’s April 21st search update continues to complicate the ever-changing world of search engine optimization. Here are some insights on how to improve your website search ranking.

Most nonprofits, and small businesses, do not have an extensive budget for digital marketing and SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts. These websites might be managed by a “jack of all trades” who knows a thing or two about blogging and social media but knows little about improving that vital SEO. Let’s be honest–-nobody wants to put in hours of work on a website if nobody is going to see it, which is one (of the many) reasons SEO is so crucial. Here are some quick-and-dirty tips for understanding SEO and why it’s so important.

What is SEO?

Nowadays, most somewhat internet-savvy folks understand that there is a ranking system when it comes to web searches. There are algorithms (complicated formulas), logic, reasoning, and some money intertwined in the complicated system that categorizes websites on Google. By definition, Search Engine Optimization is the process of doing the things necessary to improve your organization’s ranking in search engine results.

Understanding Page Rankings

On Google’s “how search works” page, there is a helpful explanation of the steps Google takes to properly judge the worthiness of each site. There are hundred of factors and complicated algorithms that go into this process and, of course, not all details are revealed.

Google does, however, provide brief explanations of the main steps in this process: crawling, indexing, and algorithms. Before the search process even begins, Google has already “crawled” all over your web content to take inventory of your online presence. “Googlebot” browses your web page, much like a normal user except much faster, and reports back on what it finds.

The bot looks for outside links, new changes, and dead links. If there are problems with your page or it’s outdated, Googlebot will pick up on this and rate your site lower. Sites with pictures, videos, and other forms of media related to a specific search topic may come up before less interactive sites with text only. Once a Googlebot has properly indexed your website, it uses an algorithm to match a user’s search to your website.

There are multiple indicators that aide in this process and Google lists them as:

• The freshness of content on a website
• The number of other websites linking to a particular site and the authority of those links
• Words on the webpage
• Spell check
• Synonyms of your search keywords
• Quality of the content on the site
• URL & title of the webpage
• Results recommended by people you’re connected to

Will your site survive the new SEO update?

As of April 21st, 2015, Google will now be including a website’s mobile compatibility into search engine optimization rankings. Yes, this means that if your site is not up to mobile phone and tablet usability standards you may be bumped.

Don’t know if your site is mobile-friendly?

Google was kind enough to provide an easy analysis via the Mobile Friendly Test. Not enough info? Check out the Page Speed Test to get a grade for how fast your page runs on both mobile and desktop platforms. Both of these simple evaluations provide huge insights into where you stand in the SEO landscape. If your website is receiving poor evaluations, it may be time to revamp your website. As for mobile-friendly/responsive web design– consider switching to a WordPress or Squarespace type platform and purchasing a responsive theme– this will take care of the problem for you.

What if your website is partially mobile-friendly, but not completely?

The good news is that Google assesses the compatibility for each page on your site separately. Just because you have a few weak links doesn’t mean Google will punish your website as a whole. It simply means that if you have a few pages that are more optimized than others, Google will promote these optimized pages over the less compatible ones. Of course, it’s always better to cover all of your bases and make your whole website mobile-friendly and/or responsive. Having a cohesive, up-to-date website that can be easily accessed across all devices will always be a best practice.

Now that you know how SEO works, here’s what to do:

1. Keep things new and relevant. Google strives to provide its users with up-to-date, relevant content that’s interactive, engaging, and interesting. That means changing it up. Add new pictures, videos, and content as much as you can. A blog is a good way to do this.
2. Prioritize live text. Putting up a JPG or PDF file to publicize an event may actually hurt your SEO if it does not include a brief text description. Google Bot cannot crawl the content of the image, which yields little to no added quality to the site. While images are great in their added visual appeal, make sure to include a write up to aid in driving traffic to the site.
3. Make sure nothing is broken. This seems intuitive, but you’d be surprised how many websites have broken or missing links. If you’re linking your content to an outside source, check up on it regularly. If that webpage has been removed, and your link is a dead end, this will count against you in the ratings.
4. Work on your social media. We’ve heard the importance of social media for a couple years now, but because Google is now turning to social media for signs of authority and relevance, keeping up on your accounts is more important than ever. If people are sharing your content, they’re generating a buzz around what you do, and Google will notice.
5. Use keywords. The best keywords are short and simple, two-to-four-word phrases that describe what you’re offering or writing about. It used to be though that “stuffing” your content with keywords was the way to improve SEO, but not anymore. Gratuitous use of keywords might actually have a negative impact on your optimization.  Try to keep a balance by keeping content general but providing enough specifics to stand out. Most engines pick up the first 200 words within a page, which should be kept in mind when writing the introductory paragraphs.
6. Consider using plugins. If you use WordPress, there’s a nice SEO pack plugin that might be of some help. It offers an array of services including automatically optimizing your titles for Google and other search engines, generating META tags automatically, fine-tuning Page Navigational Links, and providing support for Google Analytics.

Of course, the SEO process is an ever-evolving platform that is constantly being tweaked and adjusted by Google and other search engines. For best results, check up frequently on any changes and adjust accordingly.

By Katherine DiPlacito, Red Rooster Group.