11 Actionable White Hat SEO Techniques to Rank on Google [2020]

Ranking on Google can be a time consuming endeavor, especially for those new to SEO.

I remember back when I first started my site…

I was simply writing content hoping that someone will find it on Google.

No one did.

My content was nowhere near Page 1.

It was a real struggle…

Until I found some simple white-hat SEO techniques that I’ve been using ever since.

Nowadays, I can somewhat effortlessly rank my content on Page 1 (and sometimes even #1).

And today, I’ll share those strategies with you.

If you prefer to see it in video form, here’s what Backlinko had to say:

1. Optimize Your Page Titles and Descriptions

One of the most overlooked On-Page SEO factors on one’s website is the page meta titles and meta descriptions.

These meta tags are one of the first things Google sees when crawling a website. This is the perfect place to add keywords to the mix.

Page Titles

Every page on your website should have a unique purpose.

For example, a Dentist’s home page should include a title incorporating the fact that this is a local business and what the business is.

You would be surprised at how many business label their home page title as the default “Home”. This sends zero confidence to search engines that this is actually a site for a local Dentist.

A better page title might be “Colorado Springs Best Dentist | Acme Dentist Services”. A much more descriptive title for your page and can capitalize on search results for terms such as:

• Colorado Springs dentist
• Best dentist Colorado Springs
• Acme Dentist Services (For those searching by brand)
• Colorado Springs Best Dentist

A much more telling story than “Home”. A big no-no for SEO.

Title Modifiers

Another hack is to include the following modifiers to your meta title:

• Numbers: such as: 5 Items, 6 Tricks, 17 Ways
• The Year: 2018, 2019
• the words: Free, Guide, Simple, Step-by-Step

By including this meta title hacks, you will most certainly increase your CTR, which will be rewarded heavily by Google’s latest Rankbrain algorithm update.

Page Descriptions

Although not as important to rankings in comparison to page titles, the meta description is all about getting people to click on your listing vs the other 9 results on the page.

Also known as click through rate, you want your description (which can now be up to 320 characters) to drive as many clicks to your site as possible.

What separates you from your competition, and how do you stand out?

First, you want to be honest about what your website is about. You should never present your listing in a grey light. Doing so will create mistrust among users and ultimately they will go directly back to the search results causing them to bounce (pogo sticking).

High bounce rates show Google that your site is not worthy of the results and with the introduction of RankBrain, an AI search bot, Google will take note and devalue your website as a result.

Your description should be a quick and well written synopsis of what the page is all about. The copy should be enticing and promotional leading into what the person is searching for. It is a great place to add keywords that people typically find you with. The searcher knows exactly what they want based on the keywords they input into Google. Your description should always follow suit.

Where to find the inspiration for meta titles and meta descriptions

A superb place to find ideas for your Google meta info is on the ads shown at the top of search results.

These ads have been tested and tested for the best conversions, so you can incorporate some of these words into your meta titles and descriptions.

2. Have Short URLs 

Permanent linking structure (aka Permalinks) basically refers to the how the URL reads for a post or page in the browser’s address bar.

This is the perfect place to add keywords into the mix and believe it or not, this is something Google’s web crawlers look at to help you rank.

Several studies have confirmed that shorter urls tend to rank higher than lengthy urls.

Here are some items to keep in mind when creating your webpage URL’s

• Keep them clean and short
• Incorporate keywords
• Only use hyphens “-“ to separate words

Examples of good URL structures:

• https://website.com/clarksville-dentist
• https://website.com/affordable-day-care

NOT

• https://website.com/10-32iks?=fgisd

You get the idea….

The idea is to incorporate keyword rich “telling” terms of what the website encompasses and is about.

Usually, 3-4 words max should do the trick. (i.e. the url of this page is /white-hat-seo-techniques)

To change your permalink on WordPress go to Settings > Permalinks.

3. Use HTML Headers Properly

Headers are basically that. The title or lead in of an article or content. I am referring to the html code: H1, H2, etc. that leads off paragraphs in content. Google sees these as important. So should you.

H1 tags

Starting with H1’s, their rules are simple. These stress, like the other headers the main “subject of the page” and Google takes action appropriately.

You should only use one H1 tag per page as this is the main header and will confuse search engines when more are used and devalue your rankings.

H2 tags

H2’s should be similar to H1’s. A good place for keywords, but a good practice is to base this on sub-subjects for the page.

For instance, if your page is about a dentist then a good H2 tag could be about one of the services the Dentist provides (i.e. cavity cleaning) followed by content in regards to the H2 tag.

Pro tip for the WordPress WYSIWYG editor: You can select the words that you want to use an H2 tag on and then press ctrl+alt+2 to make them into H2.

H3 Tags

Similar to H2’s but not as important. These should be used as sub-topics inside H2 tags but are not always necessary.

By incorporating these tags into your webpages, you are reinforcing what your website is all about.

4. Speed Up Your Website using a CDN

Speeding up a website will not only improve its rankings but also improve your user experience (UX).

There are several things you can do to help with website speed

• Upgrade your hosting
• Compress your images so they serve faster
• Reduce the number of images on a single page
• Minify JavaScript and CSS – There are several great plugins for WordPress users and other CMS’s
• Use a CDN (content delivery network) to serve websites faster across the globe

5. Link To Other Articles (Internal Linking and External Linking)

By connecting pages on a website using keywords as the anchor text, you are in an essence creating backlinks internally to your sites pages. This helps users and search engines alike, by connecting the topics of your webpages together.

By using keywords to connect pages, you are telling Google what the page the link goes to is all about. This also sends link juice to that page increasing the page’s authority. It is almost like a page is vouching for another page and giving its recommendation of content found there.

A couple things to keep in mind. You want to push these internal links to the pages you want to rank for. If you don’t want to rank your “Contact Us” page, then don’t force a ton of internal links there. Instead, push links at those pages you want to rank for such as the home page or an important promotions page.

You should also include outbound links to authoritative websites such as Wikipedia.

6. Optimize Your Images

Image optimization refers to using images in order to advance rankings.

Yes, there is even a separate search engine that is strictly for images, however there are some items we can address with images that will help with Google’s standard search engine as well.

Again, your image should be nice and compressed to increase page speed, but more so than that you should always name your image file using keywords for your site.

Forget naming your images 268767sdfsd.jpg or image1.png.

This tells Google nothing about the image.

Instead try for something keyword rich. For example, if you have a Dentist’s website then perhaps an image file with the name Chicago-dentist.jpg will serve you better.

On top of this, it is always a good idea to incorporate keywords into the alt tag of an image.

The alt tag was designed to give the visually impaired an idea of what pictures are all about. If Google thinks you are trying to make a page that is accessible for all then they are more likely to up rank your website. Keywords are important here as you can imagine.

7. Use Google Search Console 

I could go on for days about Google’s Search Console. This powerful tool is a must for all website owners, especially those wearing those white SEO hats.

This is the place you can go to tell Google exactly how you want the search results to appear for your website, which version of the website to use, Google even tells you how people found your site using what keywords and above all else, if there is an issue with your site that needs immediate attention.

This, in fact is the only place that will tell you if your site has been compromised by hackers or if you have any penalties affecting your site. Google will not send you and email to let you know. You must go here.

Search Console also allows you to submit sitemaps to tell Google what and where your pages are located. Anything that helps Google understand your site better will ultimately lead to better rankings. Here are other SEO tools you can use.

8. Submit a Sitemap to Google

We mentioned this above, but why is a sitemap important?

A sitemap, submitted to Google’s Search Console is a powerful thing. It helps Google to index your site and tells them exactly where the site is, so you don’t have to wait until Google finds you (which may be months or never).

It also gives them a roadmap to every page and the ability to upgrade or downgrade a page’s importance.

There really is no downside to having a sitemap and they are extremely important on sites that create dynamic pages, if you have few external links pointing to your site such as a new site and if you have a huge site with many pages.

A quick and easy way to submit a sitemap to google is to install the Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin and follow their XML sitemap instructions.

9. Create Long Form Content

Google loves content and so do its users.

If you are looking to rank #1 on Google, then you should consider creating blog posts that cover topics in depth.

As you can see below, word count does have an effect in the SERPs, with blog posts over 1900 words ranking among the top results.

(This post is over 2200 words long)

Writing lengthy blog posts allow you to increase the time that a visitor spends on your site, reduce the bounce rate and also include various keyword variations naturally.

All of this will contribute to a healthy white hat SEO profile.

Add LSI keywords

LSI keywords are essentially synonyms for the keywords you are looking to rank for.

For instance, when you are writing a post about “home improvements”, you can include words such as “home DIY projects” or “fix your home”.

This will also help you rank for long-tail keywords.

10. Add Engaging Videos

Video is king these days.

55% of all keyword searches now include a Youtube video on the first page.

By adding videos and other rich media to your blog posts, you will increase the time someone spends on your site, which will in turn give you higher rankings.

Plus, videos are also a great way to explain a topic.

11. Get high-quality backlinks

Backlinks are links from other sites to yours.

You can get backlinks 2 ways:

• By creating awesome content that people naturally want to link to
• By creating awesome (or average) content and promoting it to a lot of bloggers and asking for a link

Either way, you should make sure that the sites that are linking to you are high-quality (not spammy, have great content, etc).

Another great way to get backlinks is to go on Podcasts or get interviewed on Future Sharks.

12. Encourage Social Shares and Comments

Google takes into account your article social signals (likes, shares, comments) as a factor of engagement.

If Google sees that people are sharing and commenting on an article, they will reward that post with higher rankings.

A very easy way to get more comments and shares is to literally tell your readers to “share the post if they found it valuable”.

You can also partner up with Influencers and Thought Leaders and have them promote your article to their followers.

In Conclusion

There you have it. 9 simple white hat SEO tips you can use right away to help your website rank better in Google’s and other search engines.

By creating a big picture for search engines using these little steps is what white hat SEO is all about.

You are telling a complete story with each and every effort you put forth.

But first, whether you are a beginner or an expert SEO you need to understand that there is no magic bullet to getting to the top of SERP’s (Search Engine Ranking Positions). Although, some solid SEO tips can help.

Which SEO techniques are you already using?

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