Tips I’ve Learned For Small Websites To Rank High In Google

When it comes to getting to the top positions in Google, having substantial SEO budget and great website design does give large websites an advantage, but that does not mean that small websites still can’t compete with them.

While it’s true that it seems more favourable for big companies with big budgets to spend on their websites and have the advantage in SEO, it all boils down to strategy. I’ve had the opportunity to work with numerous clients and rank their websites, which vary from small to big, and it’s all about tailoring my SEO techniques accordingly.

With smaller websites, the biggest obstacle I faced is not having much ability to create an internal linking structure (since it only has a few pages) – which as you know, is integral to a successful SEO. You won’t be able to achieve page authority if none of the website’s pages is link-worthy.

So, how can you overcome this challenge? Below, I’ve shared some tips to help your small website achieve high search rankings.

Provide a solution with your pages

Since you have a small number of pages on your website to work with, your priority is to create high-quality content that is closely related to the keywords you wish to target. The goal is to provide benefit to the user who will be searching for those keywords and find a solution they are looking for.

You can also consider adding relevant FAQs to the page if it might serve the users better. The same goes for including supporting images, videos, charts and similar data items to beef up the content and enhance the user experience. But be sure to check that they won’t be slowing down your page too much.

Fix any CLS shifts

Speaking of user experience, Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) is a Google metric that is likely to become a ranking factor as well. CLS refers to the unexpected shifting of webpage elements while the user is loading the page.

Look out for pixels, plugins and analytics that can cause rendering issues. Other common elements include images, fonts, contact forms and other kinds of content. Take a look at your HTML and remove any excess code like JavaScripts, images, plugins and apps.

Build backlinks

As mentioned above, since your small website might struggle with building authority with only a few webpages, try building backlinks to your homepage through brand mentions. That way, you can pass the authority from the main page with internal links to your other pages.

If you need some ideas, it’s a good time to try ramping up your PR efforts that will make your website “mention” worthy. People will pick up on the news and write content linking to your site, which provides quality links, rather than those coming from guest postings, for instance.

Optimise your Google My Business

If you haven’t been using this free tool yet, Google My Business (GMB) helps businesses manage their online presences on the search engine, while providing the greatest impact for local search success.

Make sure when you are publishing your GMB listing, you are also keeping it optimised by entering complete data and information about your business, including important keyword and search phrases, and adding photos to drive click-throughs to your website.

Another tip is how you interact with customers – encourage them to leave feedback and write reviews, or you can also enable messages from customers through the Google My Business app for faster response times. And most of all, always keep your GMB listing up to date.

It may be time to grow your website

The above tips I’ve mentioned would be useful if you’re planning to keep your website small. But if you’re planning to grow your business through digital marketing, I would say that it will be highly beneficial for you to expand the size of your website.

You can add a blog and upload content that shares relevant topics and information related to your services or business. It is also a good idea to include more service-oriented pages that contain answers to common questions, where you can compile them into a category for easier reference by users.

Conclusion

While it’s not completely hopeless for small websites to still rank high, many SEO agencies would agree that the search ranking and customer experience benefits are undeniable when you can grow your website alongside your business.

And if you need any help with SEO ranking and website optimisation, reach out to our digital marketing agency! It can be difficult to nail the right strategy for your business, so talk to our SEO experts to learn how your website can be improved for better ranking.