How to Boost Your Ranking in Google Search Results

Written by Emma Hackett

If your website isn’t showing up on Google, you’re missing out on traffic, enquiries, and sales - even if your business is amazing. The good news? Improving your Google ranking doesn’t have to be overly technical or overwhelming. With a few consistent strategies, you can dramatically improve your visibility and start attracting the right people to your site. Here’s exactly how I recommend boosting your Google search ranking, step-by-step.

1. Focus on the Right Keywords

Keywords are the words and phrases your ideal customers type into Google when they’re searching for businesses like yours.

Start by thinking about:

  • What you offer
  • Where you’re located
  • The problems you solve

Examples:

  • “Adelaide Coffee Shop”
  • “NDIS Support Services in Melbourne”
  • “Mortgage Broker for small businesses”
  • “Pilates studio in Sydney”

Then apply those keywords naturally throughout your website in:

  • Page headings (especially your main H1 headings)
  • Body text
  • Image alt text
  • Meta descriptions (the text that appears under your link in Google)

Tip: Don’t “stuff” keywords everywhere — write for humans first, search engines second. Clear, natural writing always performs best.

2. Create High-Quality, Helpful Content

Google favours websites that provide genuine value to real people, not just sales pages.

Adding blog posts (like this one), FAQs, helpful guides, and educational content tells Google that your website is active, trustworthy, and relevant.

Good content ideas include:

  • Answering the most common questions your clients ask through ‘Frequently Asked Questions’
  • Explaining your services in detail
  • Sharing tips related to your industry
  • Writing local content (great if you service a specific area)

The more useful content you create, the more chances you have to appear in search results.

If your website feels clunky on your phone, Google probably thinks the same.

3. Make Sure Your Website Is Mobile-Friendly

More than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices, and Google prioritises mobile usability when ranking websites.

Your site should:

  • Automatically resize for phones and tablets
  • Have text large enough to read without zooming
  • Use clickable buttons that are easy to tap
  • Load quickly on mobile networks

4. Speed Up Your Website

Site speed is a major ranking factor, and also affects how long visitors stick around.

Slow websites cause users to leave quickly, which signals to Google that your site isn’t delivering a good experience.

To improve speed:

  • Compress your images
  • Remove unused plugins or apps
  • Avoid heavy animations
  • Use quality hosting

A clean, lightweight website setup can make a huge difference to both your rankings and conversions.

5. Optimise Your Page Titles & Descriptions

Each page on your website should have:

  • A unique page title (including keywords and location where relevant)
  • A clear meta description that encourages people to click your link

These don’t directly change rankings, but they significantly influence whether users choose your site over competitors, and click-through rates matter.

Good example: Adelaide Coffee Shop | Emma’s Coffee House

Meta description: Delicious locally roasted coffee, served 7 days a week in Adelaide.

6. Use Local SEO to Your Advantage

If you’re a service-based business, local SEO is one of the easiest ways to start ranking faster.

Be sure to:

  • Mention your location clearly on your website
  • Add local keywords like “Adelaide”, “South Australia”, or your service area
  • Create and optimise a Google Business Profile
  • Encourage happy clients to leave Google reviews

Local searches often trigger the map listings, which can drive serious traffic straight to your site.

7. Build Trust with Backlinks

Backlinks are links to your website from other trusted sites. Google views these as credibility signals.

Some simple ways to earn backlinks:

  • Get listed in local business directories
  • Collaborate with complementary businesses
  • Write guest blog posts
  • Be featured in industry blogs or publications

Quality matters more than quantity. One good link from a reputable site can outperform dozens of low-quality ones.

8. Keep Your Website Fresh

Google loves websites that are kept updated.

This includes:

  • Posting new content regularly
  • Updating older blog posts
  • Refreshing service pages
  • Keeping plugins and software current

A “set and forget” website slowly falls behind competitors who actively maintain theirs.

9. Track Your Results

You can’t improve what you don’t measure.

At a minimum, you should set up:

  • Google Analytics to track traffic and user behaviour
  • Google Search Console to monitor impressions, rankings, and indexing health

These tools show which keywords bring people to your site, which pages perform best and where improvements are needed.

The Bottom Line

Boosting your Google ranking comes down to three key things:

✅ Creating high-quality, helpful content
✅ Having a fast, mobile-friendly website
✅ Using smart keywords and local SEO

When all these pieces work together, your website becomes a powerful lead-generation tool, not just a pretty online brochure.

Written by Emma Hackett

Emma is an Australian freelance graphic & web designer with over 10 years of experience. Emma has worked with over 350 clients from various industries, including media, healthcare, beauty, fashion, food and beverage and service providers.

more posts

The importance of optimising images and videos for websites

Optimising your website’s images and videos plays a crucial role in improving speed, mobile performance, user experience, and SEO. In this post, I explore nine key reasons why multimedia optimisation is essential for creating a fast, professional website that converts visitors into customers and helps your business stand out online.

How to Boost Your Ranking in Google Search Results

If your website isn’t showing up on Google, you’re missing out on traffic, enquiries, and sales - even if your business is amazing. The good news? Improving your Google ranking doesn’t have to be overly technical or overwhelming. With a few consistent strategies, you can dramatically improve your visibility and start attracting the right people to your site. Here’s exactly how I recommend boosting your Google search ranking, step-by-step.

The benefits of owning multiple domain names for your business

Should I have lots of different domains for my one business? While it may seem like an extra expense, having a diverse domain portfolio can offer several significant advantages. Let’s explore why investing in multiple domain names could be a smart move for your business.
Share this article

more bits & pieces

The importance of optimising images and videos for websites

Optimising your website’s images and videos plays a crucial role in improving speed, mobile performance, user experience, and SEO. In this post, I explore nine key reasons why multimedia optimisation is essential for creating a fast, professional website that converts visitors into customers and helps your business stand out online.

How to Boost Your Ranking in Google Search Results

If your website isn’t showing up on Google, you’re missing out on traffic, enquiries, and sales - even if your business is amazing. The good news? Improving your Google ranking doesn’t have to be overly technical or overwhelming. With a few consistent strategies, you can dramatically improve your visibility and start attracting the right people to your site. Here’s exactly how I recommend boosting your Google search ranking, step-by-step.

The benefits of owning multiple domain names for your business

Should I have lots of different domains for my one business? While it may seem like an extra expense, having a diverse domain portfolio can offer several significant advantages. Let’s explore why investing in multiple domain names could be a smart move for your business.

you can follow me if you like*

*On Instagram, don't make this weird...