No doubt you’ve seen many a blog or post that include phrases like ‘by using this simple technique’ or ‘the secret to ranking higher’ when looking for ways to improve your standing on Google. Whether or not you’ve tried these ‘hacks’ (another misleading term), there’s a simple truth often missing from this sort of content…

There Is No Trick

Applying one, two or even several techniques to improve your rankings won’t always get the results you hope for – but that’s okay. Getting your brand noticed on Google takes time, attention and a multitude of different techniques deployed all at once – but that’s okay, too.

One of the world’s leading marketing experts, Neil Patel, highlights that ranking number 1 on Google for certain keywords isn’t actually everything it’s cracked up to be. Patel notes the links that land on position 2 – 10, combined, actually get more clicks than the top-ranked site on each search.

Plus, with so many Google updates taking place throughout the year, and paid advertisements blending in with organic search, focusing all your efforts on SEO becomes… not pointless (far from it, in fact!), but just not as fruitful as you might expect.

So, What’s The Solution?

Alongside doing what you can to boost SEO, applying significant effort into how your website functions is key. Your Google ranking is also actually influenced by your website’s number of visitors, how long they spend on the site, the number of pages they visit and the bounce rate of your site overall.

The world of SEO is ever-changing, but you could too easily underestimate how much control you have over the way users experience your website. If you think about it for a moment, from the point of view of the customer, what is more important – SEO or user experience (UX)?

Have you ever left a website because of poor SEO? Probably not. Have you ever clicked ‘back’ instantly because a website looked horrendous? Probably. In fact, three-quarters of people’s judgment of your website is based on aesthetics alone, so ask yourself how friendly, engaging and simple it is to visit and navigate through your website.

Finding The Right Combination For You

For many businesses, implementing effective SEO and UX is unbelievably time-consuming and perhaps even impractical. This is why dedicated seo services can be so effective, allowing smaller businesses to optimize their websites efficiently without hiring extra staff.

Plus, having a professional tell you what’s working and what’s not, and guiding you towards finding the right combination of best practices for your schedule, could save you time and energy, too. This also brings us to the truth about why there’s simply ‘no single trick’ to getting noticed on Google.

If there was, everyone would be doing it – so it wouldn’t work. There wouldn’t be such an abundance of professional digital marketers out there, either (and Neil Patel wouldn’t be such a notable name in the sector!). However, once you’ve found a combination of regular website maintenance and SEO that you can comfortably manage, you’ll be ready to routinely maintain it over time.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a trick. It’s committing to a strategy, and regularly updating and applying your knowledge. However, this is the real route to getting the results you want, and succeeding time and time again.