Helpful summary
Overview: We at Embarque discuss the easiest ways to increase search visibility, a critical factor for websites and small businesses to boost traffic, indexing speed, and revenue.
Why you can trust us: Our expertise is backed by our case studies and client wins, demonstrating significant improvements in search visibility and business growth using the methods we recommend.
Why this is important: Understanding various methods to increase search visibility is essential for businesses to stand out in a crowded digital space. It leads to higher website traffic, better indexing by search engines, and increased revenue opportunities.
Action points: We recommend businesses focus on SEO tactics like using target keywords, producing quality content, optimizing for mobile, and leveraging social media to enhance their online visibility.
Further research: To maximize search visibility, businesses should continually explore new SEO tools and strategies, and stay informed about the latest trends and algorithm updates in search engines.
Our guide to increase search visibility
It is not enough to create a good website for your business; it wouldn’t mean much if it is hidden somewhere at the bottom of Google, and no one gets to see it. To increase the chances of your business getting all the attention it needs, you must find a way to increase your website’s visibility on search engines.
Hundreds of websites are rolled out every day, all seeking public attention. To rank higher on Google, the number one search engine in the world, you must be intentional about it. According to internet live stats in 2019, Google publishes over 3.5 billion searches per day. This shows that people are constantly looking for information including products and services options.
Why listen to us?
In the competitive digital space, increasing search visibility is crucial. Our guide includes using targeted SEO keywords, creating original content, having a clear internal linking structure, and leveraging social media and online directories for backlinks.
For instance, our work with ScrumGenius showcases how all the important aspects of SEO work together. We were able to rank our client in Google’s featured snippet, aka Position 0, by creating content that:
- Targets keyword queries
- Has increased word count
- Targets keywords with below 15 keyword difficulty (KD)
- Is optimized using ABS (Activity, Branding, Structure)
- Addresses the readers’ potential pain points
We've seen businesses thrive by implementing these tactics, leading to improved brand awareness, trust, and customer loyalty. Our focus on practical, actionable strategies for enhancing search visibility aligns with our goal to boost small businesses' online presence and revenue.
What is search visibility?
Also known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) visibility, search visibility is the percentage of a website's organic traffic due to its ranking on search engines. Simply put, it is the number of times people click on your website on search engines like Google.
In today’s digital world, a website’s SEO visibility could determine the success of your business locally and internationally. According to Backlinko, higher-ranking results get more search traffic than those below them, with the first result garnering almost 32% of total search volume traffic:
This gives an insight into your website's performance and helps you know when optimization is necessary.
Why is search visibility important?
There are so many reasons why search visibility is such a big deal. Everyone wants their website to have a chance at making it to the SERP and for other key points.
- Increases traffic and lead generation: Any traffic is good traffic, and SEO visibility ensures that your website is in the right place to get noticed. This generates more leads for your business and has an overall good impact on your revenue.
- Create brand awareness: In this modern world of intense online competition, you have to constantly put your brand out there if you want to be noticed. Search visibility helps your website get noticed, which is good for your brand.
- Promote brand trust: With several brands out there promising different things, people want to know who to trust. Being presented to them as a top-ranked site on a search engine will give them more confidence in your brand. Visitors will most likely invest their time and money in a business if they believe that it will give them exactly what they are looking for. This is what good website visibility helps you achieve.
- Boost customer loyalty: If visitors can trust your brand, they will be willing to commit to it. Having good search visibility makes this possible.
- Stay ahead of competitors: As earlier mentioned, ranking top of the list on search engines helps you compete better against similar websites on the internet.
- Long-term benefits: SEO visibility has long-term marketing benefits that are good for any brand. All the positives from getting your website to rank higher on search engines usually stand the test of time.
How to increase search visibility
The importance of having good website search visibility is not debatable. What raises some questions among website owners is how to go about it. There are several methods of increasing the likelihood of your page being seen on a search engine, a lot of them are easier than you think. While using these tactics, consistency is key.
Use target SEO keywords
SEO keywords are the specific words or phrases that are used in a website’s content and makes it easy to find on any search engine. For many years, SEO keywords have been a rave in the content creation space, primarily because they have proven to be very effective in terms of creating website traffic.
Knowing the right words to use based on the language of internet users in your niche could make a big difference. When choosing SEO keywords for your articles or blog posts, you should take time to study top-ranked websites that offer the same services like you do, and study commonly used keywords or phrases.
Luckily for content creators, SEO generation tools now exist to help you generate the right words that would rank high on google search. You are exposed to different options, and you decide which you prefer based on the amount and your target audience.
Our experience with Cleanvoice stands as a testament to the power of targeted SEO. Initially, Cleanvoice faced a highly competitive niche and lacked an SEO strategy. We, at Embarque, stepped in to develop a content strategy that focused on trending topics with the potential to become evergreen.
The results were outstanding. Within just six months, Cleanvoice saw a significant 30,000 increase in monthly SEO traffic, impressive click-through rates, and over a million impressions.
Our tailored strategy not only improved Cleanvoice's SEO performance but also reinforced its position in a highly competitive field.
Put out only quality original content
To rank higher on search engines, ensure your website content is free from plagiarism and non-quality work. People are drawn to original content and Google can tell if your content is authentic. Sticking to this rule will increase your chances of being noticed on any search engine.
At Embarque, we focus on creating only unique content. For UXCam, we changed their SEO approach, concentrating on specific, valuable queries. Before, UXCam had issues with poor SEO content from other companies. With our high-quality, original content, we were able to double their online visitors and greatly improve how much users interacted and responded, leading to more customer interest and activity.
Have multiple website pages with a clear internal linking structure
To have high search visibility, there must be searchable content. Consider having multiple website pages for distinct website content. Putting out more than one website page of course gives you more content on the field fighting for attention.
You should however consider different internet devices before making your decisions to ensure your website is user-friendly. Your mobile view can be different from a desktop view, to accommodate the habits of visitors.
According to Statista, the number of mobile phone users is about 6.7 billion in 2021, meaning that 87% of the world’s population are more likely to visit the internet using a mobile phone. This is not a number you want to ignore when setting tactics for search visibility. The mobile view is usually smaller in size than a desktop view hence, putting more content on a page rather than having several pages is likely to keep a user’s attention.
At the same time, it also pays to have a clear internal linking structure that takes into account how users navigate across your website. Internally link pages that tackle similar topics to pass around SEO juice and maximize the chances of the right content getting read by those actively looking for it.
Use quality images
After writing great articles and blog posts, it would be a flop if the corresponding images are of low quality. Websites with high-quality images have been proven to rank higher on google. Visually appealing content increases website traffic and the likelihood of customer retention. Ensure that your images are original if you can, this goes a long way in making your website relevant on the internet.
Get backlinks and listed on online directories
Getting backlinks and local citations that are relevant to your business can help you improve your rankings, especially in your local area. The SEO mix is full of competition and you want to ensure that your brand is well-positioned to stay ahead of it. It helps build brand trust on search engines because it serves referral purposes, and is a clear indication that your business exists
In our work with a technical SaaS client at Embarque, we used link-building techniques to increase their website's organic traffic by 60 times in a year. The client initially lacked SEO knowledge and strategy, especially in link building. We focused on white hat link-building, targeted high-priority pages, and collaborated with relevant technical partners. We also checked the domain authority of the guest posting sites using Prepostseo to ensure that the content was being published on authority platforms.
This approach led to a significant boost in traffic and revenue for the client, proving the effectiveness of a well-planned link-building strategy in SEO.
Take advantage of social media
Almost everyone is on social media, and frankly, every business should be too. Your potential buyers are scattered all over Facebook and Instagram, to mention a few, and you should be out there getting yourself noticed.
When certain types of queries are submitted on search engines, social media suggestions usually pop up a lot of options. It's a no-brainer, these are platforms people spend their time and resources on. Having a social media presence also makes your brand appear authentic. So apart from ranking higher in the SEO realm, customers are likely to trust your service.
Tools to boost search visibility
Lots of platforms have developed algorithms that help websites have a higher stake in the SEO world. These platforms are usually self-explanatory and easy to use. You do not have to worry about doing all the SEO research yourself, there are so many tools that you can resort to. A few of them are listed below.
1. Ahrefs SEO Keyword Tool: Ahref has one of the best SEO audit tools available for free. It gives keyword suggestions that are highly ranked on search engines.
Relevant features
- Keyword Research: The Keywords Explorer tool provides thousands of keyword suggestions, drawing from a database of over 7 billion keywords. This tool is especially useful for finding low-competition keywords and understanding the difficulty of ranking for specific keywords.
- Accurate Search Volumes: Ahrefs updates its search volumes monthly using clickstream data, ensuring the accuracy and relevancy of the information.
- Advanced SEO Metrics: The tool offers unique metrics like Return Rate, Clicks per search, the percentage of clicks, the percentage of paid clicks, and more.
- SERP Overview & Position History: It provides an overview of the top-ranking pages for a keyword, their SEO metrics, and their ranking history, which helps you in understanding your competition and strategizing accordingly.
2. Google Search Console: With GSC, you can monitor your site's performance on Google SERPs and track the keywords you’re ranking for. You just need to submit a code for our website verification on Google Analytics. Unlike other search volume estimation tools, GSC provides accurate search volume figures for keywords you’re ranking for.
Relevant features
- Performance Report: This report provides data about how your website is performing on Google. It shows metrics such as total clicks, total impressions, average click-through rate (CTR), and average position in search results.
- URL Inspection Tool: This tool helps check the index status of individual pages on your website and troubleshoot issues that may prevent them from appearing in Google’s search results. It provides information like index status, last crawl date, mobile usability, and structured data of the page.
- Page Indexing Report: This report shows which pages Google can find and index, plus any related issues. It's crucial to ensure that your pages are indexed and appear in search results.
3. KWFinder: KWFinder is an SEO Keyword tool that helps you determine key phrases with lower competition. It also helps users run SERP analysis reports.
Relevant features
- Competitor Keyword Analysis: KWFinder allows you to find keywords your competitors rank for. You can enter a competitor's domain or URL to fetch their top-ranking keywords, helping you strategize your content and SEO efforts more effectively.
- Google Suggest Keyword Source: Utilizing Google's autocomplete feature, KWFinder helps you find popular long-tail keywords related to your main keyword.
- Organize Keywords with Lists: This feature enables you to manage and organize your keywords efficiently, ensuring a more structured approach to your keyword strategy.
- Bulk Import of Keywords: You can import a large number of keywords at once, which is useful for extensive keyword research campaigns.
4. SEMRush: This tool helps solve all your SEO marketing needs by giving suggestions on available rankings opportunities. It also has a domain Vs domain analysis tool that allows you to compare your website to those of your competitors It is a good method to know how well you are doing in the search visibility space.
Relevant features
- SEO Tools: SEMRush provides various tools for growing organic traffic, including keyword research, backlink analysis, technical SEO audits, and SERP position tracking.
- Content Marketing Toolkit: This feature assists in creating content that ranks higher in search results. It includes tools for finding topics that resonate with your audience.
- Market Research: They offer tools for unveiling competitors' marketing strategies and tactics. This includes analyzing website traffic, uncovering competitor promotion strategies, and discovering opportunities for growing market share.
- Advertising Toolkit: This includes tools for optimizing PPC campaigns, finding the best keywords, monitoring competitors' ad copies and landing pages, and analyzing Google Shopping ad campaigns.
5. MOZ Pro: This software tool consists of a MozBar toolbar to help view your website metrics as you browse on the internet. Top SEO Content Manager, Liraz Postan recommends Mozbar as one of the top free SEO tools. She says on her blog, “Despite its age, it remains innovative with upgrades and technological advancements over time”. The tool also creates lots of insights into users’ enquiries. You can also gauge your website’s performance and have an option to improve it.
Relevant features
- Keyword Explorer: Intuitive ad-hoc keyword search with filtering options by country.
- Link Explorer: Provides an in-depth assessment of backlink profiles with over 40 trillion links indexed, tracking brand mentions and new links. Includes proprietary metrics like Page Authority and Domain Authority.
- Site Crawling: An improved crawler tool for monitoring and crawling capabilities, categorizing issues like content, metadata, and redirect issues.
6. Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog is a helpful tool that crawls your website to analyze technical SEO issues. It identifies problems like broken links, duplicate content, missing meta tags, and other on-page SEO issues. By fixing these issues, you can improve your site's overall health, make it easier for search engines to crawl and index your pages, and provide a better user experience.
Relevant features
- Site Visualizations: Offers site visualizations for a better understanding of the site architecture.
- Crawl Limit and Scheduling: Users can set crawl limits and schedule crawls as needed.
- Crawl Comparison: Compare crawls at different times to track changes and improvements.
- Google Analytics, Search Console, and PageSpeed Insights Integration: Integration with these tools provides additional insights directly within the crawl.
- Link Metrics Integration: Integrates with external tools like Majestic, Ahrefs, and Moz for comprehensive link analysis.
7. BuzzSumo: BuzzSumo helps you identify popular content in your niche. By analyzing the top-performing content and social shares, you can gain insights into what resonates with your target audience. This can guide your content creation and outreach efforts for link building. Creating content that aligns with popular topics and trends in your industry can attract more backlinks and social shares, boosting your search visibility.
Relevant features
- Keyword Research for Content Marketing: BuzzSumo emphasizes the importance of effective keyword research in understanding the audience and creating content that addresses their needs.
- Backlink Analysis Tool: BuzzSumo's backlink analysis tool is instrumental in SEO. It allows you to see who is linking to your site and identify potential opportunities for improvement.
- Content Analyzer: The Content Analyzer allows for various types of searches such as topic searches, brand searches, and website/domain searches.
8. Ubersuggest: Ubersuggest helps with keyword research and competitive analysis. It provides insights into keyword difficulty, content ideas, and backlink opportunities. By targeting keywords with lower difficulty scores and improving your content based on Ubersuggest's recommendations, you can enhance your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Relevant features
- SEO Audit and Site Speed Analysis: UberSuggest provides an SEO audit tool that helps identify critical errors and warnings on your website. It also includes a site speed analysis for both mobile and desktop devices, with suggestions on how to improve performance.
- Competitor Analysis: The tool allows you to perform a thorough competitor analysis. You can see the estimated monthly visitors, keyword rankings, top pages, and the traffic each keyword drives to your competitor's site.
- Keyword Research: UberSuggest offers robust keyword research capabilities. You can access keyword suggestions, content ideas, and a traffic analyzer tool. This feature is essential for identifying popular search terms, analyzing competition for specific keywords.
9. Majestic SEO: Majestic SEO is a backlink analysis tool that helps you explore your website's backlink profile and that of your competitors. It provides valuable information for identifying link-building opportunities and monitoring the health of your backlink portfolio.
Relevant features
- Site Explorer: This tool allows you to explore detailed information about a website's backlink profile. It includes various tabs such as Summary, Ref Domains, Backlinks, New, Lost, Context, Anchor Text, Pages, and Related Sites.
- Link Building Tools: Majestic provides various tools to aid in link building.
- Backlink Tracking and Analysis: Majestic offers extensive capabilities for tracking and analyzing backlinks.
- Majestic Reports: These reports provide in-depth analysis and insights into a domain's backlink data, useful for detailed SEO audits and strategy planning.
10. SEOptimer: SEOptimer is a tool that performs a quick and detailed SEO audit of your website. It identifies issues like broken links, missing alt tags, and mobile-friendliness, helping you fix on-page SEO problems. Addressing these issues is crucial to make your website search engine-friendly and improve its visibility in search results.
Relevant features
- SEO Audits: SEOptimer conducts comprehensive SEO audits, identifying problems that may hinder your site's potential and offering clear, actionable recommendations for improvement.
- White Label PDF Reporting: You can create professional SEO audit reports with your branding, logo, and company details. These reports are customizable in terms of colors, fonts, and included checks and sections.
- Audit Tool: SEOptimer allows you to embed a simple SEO Audit Form on your website, customized to match your site’s styling. It generates leads directly from your site, sending details to your mailbox or CRM systems.
- Simple Do-It-Yourself SEO: This feature is ideal for small business owners, providing tools and guides for website optimization, keyword ranking monitoring, and performance updates.
The digital world continues to be one filled with lots of content, and the search visibility of this content will always matter. SEO is something any new website owner should invest in to help their website’s performance. Luckily there are different ways to do these and easily accessible tools to use. It is a competitive world for search engines, and the only way to stay relevant in the market is to increase your website's search visibility.