There are a number of factors that will aid your ranking with search engines, the list below being some of the key recommendations.
Age of your web address
This is somewhat outside your control, however all other things being equal if your web address has been continuously registered longer than your competitor’s you will rank higher. However this factor will be important as long as your site has provided quality and trusted content during this time.
Web address & keywords
Having key words in your web address will aid your ranking. Consider having more than one address. Even if you cannot afford to operate separately hosted websites (and this can be provided using our solution) then consider redirecting (with META tags) from another address/es to your primary hosted site. Within WordPress you can amend your web page address to include key search words. See Changing Permalink help article for instructions.
Domain Extension
If you are based in NZ and primarily seeking website visitors from NZ then your website should have an extension of .co.nz. If you are seeking international visitors then obtain a .com address. Better yet, obtain both.
Similarly, .com.au applies for Australia based operators and .co.uk for UK based operators, etc.
Number of pages
The more pages you have available for indexing by search engines the better your ranking will be. A minimum of 6 pages is recommended.
Quality Content
At the moment of creating content always keep your visitors needs in mind. Provide useful information about your business, your area (if you are an accommodation provider), things to do, etc. Provide a reason for people to spend more than a few seconds reading your pages. In other words your content has to be unique, different and useful, this will make your website valuable and engaging. Make your website stand out from others in your field.
Date of last update
Search engines will factor in when a web page was last updated. With our CMS website solution you have the option to do this frequently at no cost. Even if it is a word or two changed, try and update each page every 1-3 months.
Number of incoming links
Get links to your website on other websites wherever possible. However, avoid providing links from your website to others as too many outward links on one page (especially without descriptive text) will degrade your ranking.
Further SEO advice
For in depth SEO tips visit web.seekom.com/google-seo-guide to access free guides available from our Knowledgebase. Consider engaging an expert in SEO as ranking with search engines is a complex and continually changing environment.