10 Reasons Why Your Competitors Rank Higher on Google

Ranking higher on Google is among the most demanding jobs for many marketers and business professionals. Google is releasing new updates, algorithms, and analytics, making it harder for SEO professionals to achieve top rankings in SERPs.

Many businesses strive hard to beat their competitors and rank their websites on Google. Investing in SEO and improving your content marketing strategy can help you rank higher on the Search engine result page (SERP).

Suppose your prospective customers search for a particular keyword related to your product or service your business offers and need help finding your website on the first page. In that case, chances are they won't scroll further and go to your competitor's websites.

Most people only bother to go through all the top ten results or visit the second page. So, what measures do you need to take to beat your competitors and rank your website on the first page of the SERPs?

The answer is simple. Invest in SEO. 

Believe it or not, SEO is an intricate and competitive process. There is no magical formula to beat your competition and rank higher against the most competitive keywords. Some vital SEO techniques businesses can follow to improve their rankings and get a higher position on Google.

If your website isn't showing up at the top of search results, here are some reasons why your competitors' rankings are higher on Google and how you can stay ahead of the curve.

Why is It Important to Rank Higher on SERP?

SERP rankings are essential for every online business as they significantly impact your website's visibility. Achieving top rankings on search result pages will increase your chances of attracting more people, eventually increasing website traffic, leads, conversions and sales.

Optimising your website pages for higher SERP rankings is the ultimate goal of SEO. Interestingly, more than 75% of searchers check the first page of search results to find the desired information. Yes, they don't bother to scroll too far down or go to the second page to explore further. If your website's ranking is low, the chances of getting targeted traffic are also low.

Fortunately, there are some advanced SEO tactics for marketers available for marketers that help them optimise their websites and improve their SERP. By following these effective SEO techniques, marketers can improve search engine rankings, attract organic traffic, convert leads, and generate more sales.

Check out the top 10 reasons your competitors' rankings are higher on Google.

1 – Create Quality, Engaging Content

One of the most common reasons your competitor's website ranks higher on Google is for more in-depth content. Yes, content can improve your website's rankings and brand image. Searchers look for content that can solve their problems and provide workable solutions to fulfil their needs.

There are different types of content, such as text, images, videos, tables, infographics, etc. No matter the type of content you use on your website, the key is to provide value to users. Creating in-depth, educational, and engaging content on the keywords you want to rank for is one of the most common reasons your competitor's website ranks higher in search results. Remember, the quality and value you provide through content is a significant factor that Google considers for higher search rankings.

Website content that is well-written, helpful, and free from grammatical and spelling errors can increase your website's credibility. According to a survey, 44% of consumers abandon a website because they can't find information and ditch a brand for not receiving the desired information. However, an engaging website copy that solves users' pain points can draw 7.8x more website traffic and increase engagement.

High-quality content is vital to keep users satisfied and achieve better search rankings, eventually increasing lead generation opportunities. Furthermore, quality content is essential to strengthening your brand image. There is no denying the fact that search engines rank authoritative and relevant content that provides searchers with the best possible experience. If your website content satisfies your prospective customers' specific search queries, it will keep them on your website for longer and help you outrank your competitors. You must also use your website content for repurposing by sharing them on social networks. RecurPost is a great tool that helps users to share content on multiple social media platforms and is also one of the best free Hootsuite alternatives.

2 – Strong Keywords Strategy

It is one of the essential SEO techniques to boost your keyword rankings. Keywords are the phrases or words that searchers use to find a particular product, service, or information. Your website content should include the relevant keywords and phrases your target audience use to find your products and services.

Search engines use keywords to determine the relevance of the page. With the help of the right keywords, your page can show up higher in related search queries. A strong keyword strategy can optimise your website content, which will help you outrank your competition. Many keyword analysis tools are available for marketers that help them create a strong keyword strategy. 

For instance, Google Keyword Planner, Google Trends, SEMRush and Ahrefs allow you to find the right keywords for your website. These tools make it easier to identify keywords based on the search volume and competition.

Moreover, these keyword analysis tools also allow you to perform competitor keyword research and identify the keywords your competitors are using for ranking well. Figuring out keywords your competitors are organically ranking for is a great SEO strategy that allows you to optimise your website content.

You can create a list of similar keywords and incorporate them into your website content to increase traffic to your website. When creating a keyword strategy, it is crucial to consider the user's search intent. Know your target audience's pain points and what phrases they search to find the solution.

Use those phrases and keywords in your content and try to answer all those questions users are searching for to fulfil the keyword's search intent. Focus on creating topics that match user search intent to provide the information users need. This strategy will increase a positive signal to Google and make your website an authority that will eventually help you outrank your competitors.

3 – On-Page SEO

On-page SEO optimises your website content and makes it relevant to users' searches. Mastering on-page SEO is critically important for improving your search engine rankings. To improve your on-page SEO, you need to optimise the Meta title, description, headings, schema image alt and link anchors by incorporating the target keywords.

You can show Google what the page includes by implementing targeted keywords in your website content. It helps search engines understand the page's context and what your content is about during the indexing and ranking process.

On-page SEO includes all the technical aspects of your website, including optimising your page titles, Meta descriptions, headings, SEO images, and internal and external links optimisation.  

4 – Quality Backlink Profile

Your competitors rank higher on search engines because they have a quality backlink profile. There is no denying the fact that linking matters most to increase your brand reputation. Inbound and outbound links are important ranking factors for SEO.

When your website is associated with credible and trustworthy websites through backlinks, Google considers it a reliable source of information. Getting quality backlinks from authentic websites will improve your SEO, showing search engines that your website is valuable to their users.

It is advised to get more backlinks to rank higher in search engines. Quality backlinks act as an endorsement and give your website more authority. Having more quality backlinks will not only help you achieve higher rankings in SERPs, but it will also drive relevant traffic to your website. Building a quality backlink profile is a sensible strategy that increases the trust and authority of your website.

However, building quality backlinks is easier said than done. You must collaborate with guest blogging sites, participate in social groups and public forums, and list your website in trusted directories. Marketers can discover competitors' backlinks and create fresh content for those websites to get quality backlinks.

Fortunately, there are some link-building and outreach tools available that marketers can use to build a quality backlink profile:

• Ahrefs
• Linkody
• GroupHigh
• BuzzStream
• JustReachOut
• Moz Link Explorer
• NinjaOutreach
• Link Prospector
• BuzzSumo
• cognitiveSEO
• Pitchbox
• Majestic SEO
• Hunter.io
• Monitor Backlinks

From doing backlink research to content analysis, email outreach automation, backlink tracking, and influence research, these link-building tools will help you build quality backlinks for your website.  

5 – Improve Your Page Speed

Page speed is the most important ranking factor to achieve higher rankings in search engine results. It is not only crucial for the top rankings, but it also strongly impacts your bottom line. Your website visitors will bounce if the page speed is too slow. A survey suggests that more than 53% of visitors will leave a website if a website takes three or more seconds to load. Therefore, every website needs to improve its website loading speed.

Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix and Pingdom are great tools that let marketers check their website speed. With the help of this tool, you can easily find out why your page speed is slow and discover ways to speed up your website.

By increasing your website speed, you can make it easier for users to access the desired information instantly. It will increase dwell time, decrease the bounce rate, and allow users to stay longer on the page. When people quickly find the information they are looking for, it will improve the overall user experience and allow you to rank higher on search engines.

6 – Mobile-Friendly Website

Creating mobile friendliness has become necessary for every business, as Google has a separate index for mobile searches. As more and more people are using smartphones, it has made search engines consider mobile websites an important SERP ranking factor. Almost 74% of users use mobile devices for online searches. If your website isn't responsive, you will lose potential mobile traffic.

A mobile-friendly responsive design that looks great and works well on desktops, laptops, tablets, and mobile phones can give the users the best user experience. Google mobile-friendly is a great tool that allows you to check whether your website is mobile-friendly. According to the Google page experience algorithm update, responsive design is a core element of a good UX. If your website needs to be mobile-friendly, now is the time to hire a professional web design agency to create a responsive mobile site to remain competitive in Google and outrank your competitors.

7 – Optimise Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile (GBP) is a powerful tool to attract potential customers and give your website better search visibility. Unfortunately, many startups and small business owners need to be aware of its importance and focus on improving Google's Business profile. GBP is an essential feature from Google that allows small and established businesses to improve their online presence by providing their business details.

Optimising your Google Business profile and highlighting its essential features allows prospective customers to discover and engage with your business in the search engine result pages. Google Business profile includes business address, business hours, customer reviews, contact details and other related entities that increase your website's searchability.

Optimising your Google Business profile gives your website a public identity and increases its rankings on SERPs. It allows businesses to maximise business engagement and convert more customers. So, create your Google Business profile and make the most of its impressive features. Optimise your Google Business profile by adding your business contact details, operating hours, location, customer photos, reviews, videos, in-store photos, and product catalogues. Include keywords to help searchers understand your business offerings.

8 – Optimised Images

If your website images are not optimised, chances are your competitors rank higher than you. There is no denying the truth that images play a crucial role in driving more traffic to your website. Google Image search can drive more potential customers to your website. Images are an essential component of content marketing and digital marketing effort.

According to a survey conducted by Google, mobile searches for “image search” significantly increased by more than 60% in 2018. Therefore, optimising images has become a great SEO technique that can rank your website at the top in Google image searches. SEO professionals can optimise website images by adding alt tags and compressing their size.

Image optimisation provides users with an out-of-the-box experience and strengthens your chances of increasing your Google rankings. Ensure every image you upload on your website is optimised and doesn't slow down the web page's loading speed.

Here are some critical image optimisation tips every marketer needs to follow to rank higher in SERPs:

• Choose the best file type, PNG, JPEG, WebP
• Use customise image file name, add keywords
• Add alt text in images
• Compress your images
• Say no to stock images; use original images
• Avoid copyright infringement
• Optimise your images for mobile devices
• Don't forget to add your images to the sitemap
• Marking up structured data

9 – Secure Your Website

Creating a secure website (HTTPS) has become critical for every business, as website security is one of Google's most important ranking factors. Websites that are not secure in the URL bar observe a significant increase in the bounce rate. According to Google, HTTP and SSL certificates can significantly impact your SEO effort and how users interact with a site.

According to a HubSpot survey, more than 82% of consumers abandon a website if it is insecure. HTTP is a security layer that gives users a secure connection and creates a positive impact on users. Enabling an SSL certificate on your website is a practical approach to keeping your website safe and secure. HTTP is a protocol that provides robust security and protects your data when the content is in transit. SSL is a site protocol that safely transfers visitors' data between the website and database while preventing others from reading it during transit.  

As a website owner, you must install an SSL certificate to ensure your website's security. Installing anti-malware software is another excellent idea to prevent malicious attacks. Your website hosting provider plays a crucial role in maintaining your website security. Go for web hosting providers offering robust server security features to protect your website's sensitive data.

Overall, Google values secured websites and consider HTTP an important page experience factor. An HTTP site can help you outrank your competitors' websites and increase your SEO rankings. So, enhance your website security by installing security plugins and an SSL certificate.  

10 – Offer a Better User Experience

If you are one of those website owners who overlook user experience, chances are it will negatively impact your SEO rankings. User experience significantly impacts SEO, and getting it right can improve your website engagement. A survey suggests that 38% of users will stop engaging a website if it is not unintuitive and offers poor UX.

Making some tweaks in your website design can help you improve UX and encourage users to spend more time on the website. According to a study, updating your website content and improving the design of CTA buttons can increase a 66% increase in website traffic. Another study suggests that offering a positive UX can increase website sales by up to 186%.

Creating a website with engaging content, optimised images, and CTA buttons is the key to offering a better user experience that can improve your SEO efforts and eventually help you succeed in the SERPs.

When people land on your website and find it challenging to navigate and bounce away, it shows Google that your website doesn't contain relevant information to fulfil visitors' needs. It makes it hard for your website to rank higher in search engine results. However, if people stay longer on your website and engage with it, it tells Google that your website content, images and CTA buttons are relevant enough and match the searchers' intent.

So, do your best to provide a killer user experience to satisfy the user's demands and boost your search engine rankings. Here are some critical measures for creating a positive user experience:

• Create an easy-to-use navigation
• Create a simple, attractive and engaging website design
• Say no to video backgrounds and automatic sliders
• Use clear CTA buttons to guide users to complete the action
• Include customer reviews and video testimonials on your website
• Create a mobile responsive design for mobile users

Final Note

In this fierce online business world, getting a top position at Google has become challenging. Keep in mind that SEO isn't magic that happens overnight. SEO is a long process that requires effort, time, resources and, most of all, the best strategies to get top rankings in search engine result pages. You should put your best efforts into creating a great UX by creating high-quality content and placing relevant keywords to satisfy the users' demands.

Consider all the above ranking factors when creating an SEO strategy for your startup business. Following the best SEO practices will eventually help you drive more traffic, offer a better UX, achieve a more substantial brand presence, convert more leads and make more profits.

Invest in SEO in the same way your competitors are doing, and you will be able to win over your competition. Following the above SEO techniques will help you outrank your competitors and rank higher on Google.

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