February 2025

Actionable Steps to Improve Your Google Rankings

 

SEO may evolve, but the fundamentals remain the same. Focus on the following basic steps to optimize your site and help boost your ranking.

February 3, 2025

12 min read

  1. Start With a Rock-Solid Technical & UX Foundation

A well-structured website ensures both search engines and users can navigate your content efficiently.

Key Technical SEO and UX Priorities:

  • Streamline Navigation: Ensure users can find any page on your site within three clicks.
  • Secure Your Site: Use HTTPS to build trust and protect user data.
  • Boost Your Website Speed: Optimize images, minimize code, and enhance performance.
  • Fix Errors: Use tools like Google Search Console to identify and resolve crawl issues and broken links.

Actionable Recommendation:

Audit your website using Google Search Console’s coverage and crawl stats reports. Identify and fix three major issues this week, such as broken links, slow-loading pages, or mobile-friendliness problems. Recheck crawl stats in two weeks to confirm improvements.

  1. Deliver Helpful, Relevant, E-E-A-T-Oriented Content

High-quality content that embodies Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) is crucial.

Google-Friendly Content Tips:

  • Write Engaging Titles: Use concise, compelling headlines between 135–159 characters that resonate with your audience.
  • Craft Meta Descriptions: Write unique, engaging descriptions with naturally incorporated keywords.
  • Leverage Expert Sources: Enhance your content with reputable citations, case studies, or insights from industry leaders.

Actionable Recommendation:

Choose your top 3 underperforming URLs in terms of CTR or average position in Google Search Console. Update each with a fresh expert citation or new insights aligned with search intent. Add a new section or FAQ to deepen the content. Track CTR and engagement metrics over the next four weeks to measure improvement.

  1. Optimize Your Pages For Google

Enhance both content and structure to make your pages engaging and search-engine-friendly.

Key Optimization Tactics:

  1. Craft Unique, Engaging Titles and Meta Descriptions:
    • Keep titles under 60 characters to ensure full display in SERPs.
    • Write meta descriptions that align with search intent and include primary keywords.
  2. Use Internal Linking Strategically:
    • Add links between relevant pages to guide users and improve crawlability.
    • Use descriptive anchor text to clarify the destination page’s content.
  3. Focus on Content Structure and Readability:
    • Use clear headings (H1, H2, H3) to organize content.
    • Break up text with bullet points, numbered lists, and visuals.

Actionable Recommendation:

Identify three underperforming pages with high impressions and low CTR using Google Search Console. Rewrite their meta descriptions to align with searcher intent, incorporating primary keywords naturally. Add at least one internal link to each of these pages from related high-traffic content, using descriptive anchor text. Monitor changes in CTR and engagement metrics over the next four weeks to assess improvements.

  1. Implement Schema Markup For Rich Results

Schema markup helps search engines understand your content better and enhances your visibility with rich results like star ratings, pricing details, and more.

Sample Schema Markup:

Below is an example of Product schema markup for an ecommerce website:

{

“@context”: “https://schema.org/”,

“@type”: “Product”,

“name”: “Organic Cotton T-Shirt”,

“image”: “https://yourdomain.com/images/organic_cotton_shirts.jpg”,

“description”: “A comfortable, eco-friendly organic cotton shirt.”,

“brand”: “GreenThreads”,

“offers”: {

“@type”: “Offer”,

“priceCurrency”: “USD”,

“price”: “19.99”,

“availability”: “https://schema.org/InStock”,

“url”: “https://yourdomain.com/organic_cotton_t-shirts”

},

“aggregateRating”: {

“@type”: “AggregateRating”,

“ratingValue”: “4.5”,

“reviewCount”: “55”

}

}

Choosing the Right Schema Type:

  • Article Schema: For blog posts and news articles.
  • FAQ Schema: For frequently asked questions.
  • Event Schema: For events with dates and locations.
  • Local Business Schema: For businesses with physical locations.
  • Recipe Schema: For recipe content.

How to Implement Schema Markup:

  • Identify the most relevant schema type for your content.
  • Use tools like Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to generate schema code.
  • Validate your markup with the Google Rich Results Test to ensure it’s error-free.
  • Place the schema code in the <head> section of your webpage or within the HTML body.

Benefits of Schema Markup:

  • Enhanced Search Visibility: Stand out with rich snippets.
  • Higher Click-Through Rates (CTR): Well-structured results attract more attention.
  • Improved User Experience: Users get key information at a glance.

Actionable Recommendation:

Select one key product or service page and implement schema markup using JSON-LD format. Validate the code using Google’s Rich Results Test. Track impressions, CTR, and click performance in Google Search Console over two weeks. Aim for at least a 1% CTR improvement. If successful, expand schema markup to five additional pages over the next month.

  1. Optimize For Mobile-First Indexing

Google now prioritizes the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking. Ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is essential for SEO success.

Key Strategies for Mobile Optimization:

  • Responsive Design – Ensure your site automatically adjusts to different screen sizes for seamless usability.
  • Page Speed – Optimize loading times by compressing images, enabling caching, and using a content delivery network (CDN).
  • Mobile-Friendly Navigation – Use a simple, easy-to-navigate menu designed for smaller screens.
  • Clickable Elements – Ensure buttons, links, and interactive elements are spaced properly for touch interactions.

Actionable Recommendation:

Use Google Search Console’s Mobile Usability report to identify mobile issues such as “Text too small to read” or “Clickable elements too close together.” Fix three major issues this week by adjusting font sizes, optimizing button placement, and improving mobile navigation. Track changes in Google Analytics over the next four weeks, aiming for a 5% reduction in bounce rates and increased mobile engagement.

  1. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking factors, but quality matters more than quantity. Earning links from authoritative and relevant websites signals to Google that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

Strategies for Earning Quality Backlinks:

  • Guest Blogging – Publish high-value guest posts on reputable industry sites.
  • Content Outreach – Share valuable content (e.g., research, guides) with influencers and industry blogs.
  • Broken Link Building – Identify broken links on authoritative websites and suggest your content as a replacement.
  • Digital PR Campaigns – Generate media coverage around unique insights, case studies, or expert commentary.

Actionable Recommendation:

Identify three high-authority websites in your niche using Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz Link Explorer. Develop a targeted outreach plan to pitch high-value content, such as a guest post or a replacement for a broken link. Track new backlinks acquired over the next three months in Google Search Console, measuring their impact on referral traffic and rankings.

Pro Tip: Focus on long-term backlink strategies instead of spammy link-building tactics. Google penalizes low-quality links and link farms.

  1. Maintain Content Freshness

Google favors websites that regularly update content, signaling relevance and authority. Stale or outdated information can harm credibility and rankings.

Tips for Keeping Content Fresh:

  • Update Statistics – Refresh old data with the latest reports, case studies, and trends.
  • Add New Insights – Incorporate emerging industry trends, expert commentary, and new research.
  • Expand Content – Add FAQs, infographics, and videos to improve engagement.
  • Repurpose Content – Convert blog posts into videos, podcasts, infographics, or downloadable guides.

Actionable Recommendation:

Review your top five performing pages in Google Analytics. Refresh two pages by adding updated data, new visuals, or additional insights. Track engagement metrics like time on page and bounce rate over the next four weeks, aiming for a 10% improvement.

  1. Enhance Local SEO For Businesses

For businesses with physical locations, optimizing for local search results can drive foot traffic and local customers.

Key Local SEO Strategies:

  • Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP) – Ensure all details (address, hours, photos) are accurate.
  • Use Location-Specific Keywords – Add phrases like “best [service] in [city]” to your website.
  • Encourage Customer Reviews – Actively ask satisfied customers to leave Google reviews for credibility.
  • Create Localized Content – Write blog posts or landing pages targeting local interests and concerns.

Actionable Recommendation:

Review your Google Business Profile. Update your business hours, categories, and photos, ensuring accurate and complete information. Identify three local keywords and integrate them into your homepage, service pages, and meta descriptions. Monitor GBP Insights over two weeks for increased local search impressions.

  1. Optimize For International Audiences

If your business serves multiple countries, international SEO ensures your content is relevant across different languages and regions.

Key Strategies for International SEO:

  • Use hreflang Tags – Specify language and region variations to Google (e.g., hreflang=”en-us” for U.S. English).
  • Localize Content – Translate text and adapt it for cultural nuances, such as currency, measurements, and local idioms.
  • Conduct Regional Keyword Research – Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find country-specific search terms.
  • Optimize Hosting and Domains – Use country-specific domains (.co.uk, .de) or host content in the target region.

Actionable Recommendation:

Identify your top international markets using Google Analytics. Implement hreflang tags for at least one language or region and translate your highest-performing page. Monitor international traffic growth in Google Analytics over the next three months.

The Take-Home Message: Fundamentals Remain The Same

SEO success isn’t about quick hacks – it’s about consistent, strategic improvements. Start implementing one or two of these actionable steps this week, whether it’s refreshing outdated content, updating your Google Business Profile, or optimizing for mobile-first indexing.

Want more help optimizing your website for Google? Let Sapient eCommerce handle your SEO strategy. ???? Get in touch today!

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