5 Actionable Google Hacks for SEO: Unlocking the Secrets

Have a website and want it to rank high on the SERPs? This post covers some essential hacks that come to your rescue.

According to HubSpot - 60% of marketers say that inbound (SEO, blog content, etc.) is their primary source of quality and high intent leads.

But then, SEO is ever-changing. So much so, that you blink-and-you-miss the latest (and sometimes sneaky) algorithm updates and changes from Google. To stay afloat in the digital marketing world, we have to rely on tools, trends and techniques that work the best for your brand or business. However, there’s no cookie-cutter method that works whether you seek SEO for B2B or B2C industry. And sometimes even the best, result-oriented steps fail to deliver. 

Also, with users’ searching habits changing (69.7% of search queries contain four words or more), it only makes sense to adopt certain new-age ways to crack the ranking code. 

The chart from Ahrefs displaying the keyword length in words vs. monthly search volume.

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What are these ways and how can you use them to make your website get to the top of search engine results? We did the hard work for you and found the following actionable Google hacks for SEO:

#1 - Try the Skyscraper Method 

Backlinks continue to remain Google’s blue-eyed boy and the Skyscraper Method helps pin the success of the same. 

Coined by Brian Dean, the Skyscraper Technique with a 11% success rate, is said to have doubled his organic traffic in just two weeks. It continued to work for him even in 2018. This technique can work for you in 2021 and maybe even beyond with the right approach viz – 

• Finding the relevant piece of content that contains numerous backlinks. Selecting posts that rank high on Google is the key here. 

• Coming up with content that topples the aforementioned content. Make sure that it is up-to-date with the latest research, create a better design and so on. 

• Approaching the websites with the backlinks to the original content, asking them to link to your better content instead.

Tough job? You bet. But with thorough research, the best team of writers and relentless efforts, you can make it to the top. 

#2 Get Featured in Google’s Rich Snippets

There’s a deluge of content online. Including some outstanding posts. Unless you want your content to be lost in the sea, make way for Google’s Rich Snippets. 

What are Google Rich Snippets?

Here are some tips to get your content/web page featured on the first page of the search engine:

Before that, here's an interesting study from SEMRush and Brado, which gives you a path to follow.

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Now the tips to rank high using rich snippet:

• Conduct a thorough keyword research

• Address question-type search queries

• Always write using the inverted pyramid method

• Keep a tab on the results of the – People Also Ask – box

• Use a format that is more likely to get featured in the snippet section

• Stick to an optimum word count (see a few examples to get it right)

#3 Use Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs)

What is Accelerated Mobile Pages? 

It’s a no-brainer with people increasingly using their mobile devices for search purposes and expect sites to load quickly. 

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With AMP you can improve your CTRs and also, decrease bounce rates. Therefore, even though AMP is not the official Google ranking factor it’s important to make it a part of your SEO strategy. These pages are also prioritized by Google, presented on the top of the search engine result pages in a carousel. 

Go figure! 

#4  Enhance Your Website Speed, Especially for Mobile

What is Google PageSpeed Insights? How can I use Google PageSpeed Insights to improve my SEO?

How do you know your website is fast?

If you run it through PageSpeed, your website should score 100%. 

What information does PageSpeed Insights Provide For Your Website?

1. The Speed Score - Based on Lighthouse lab data

2. The Field Data - Based on real-world user experience on the Chrome browser. This data is of the last 30 days. 

3. Lab Data - This takes into account the Lighthouse analytics on emulated mobile device and network. 

4. Opportunities - This section will provide all the recommendations that you need to consider for enhancing your page load time. 

5. Diagnostics - Offers recommendations related to the web development that needs to be added to the web page.

6. Passed Audits - This is all the performance criteria the page meets so far. 

 Some of the common recommendations provided by Google PageSpeed Insights are:

• Eliminate Render-Blocking Resources

• Avoid Chaining Critical Requests

• Keep Request Counts Low and Transfer Sizes Small

• Enable Text Compression

• Properly Size Images

• Minify JavaScript

• Minify CSS

• Remove Unused CSS

• Minimize Main-Thread Work

• Preload Key Requests

• Avoid Multiple Page Redirects

• Serve Static Assets With an Efficient Cache Policy

• Reduce the Impact of Third-Party Code

• Avoid Enormous Network Payloads

• User Timing Marks and Measures

• Reduce Server Response Times (TTFB)

• Defer Offscreen Images

• Efficiently Encode Images

• Serve Image in Next-Gen Formats

• Reduce JavaScript Execution Time

• Ensure Text Remains Visible During Webfont Load

• Preconnect to Required Origins

• Use Video Formats for Animated Content

• Avoid an Excessive Document Object Model (DOM) Size

We ran a PageSpeed Insights test for Unsplash. Here's the preview of how it turned out:

#5 Create Content What Users Need, Not Just What Google Wants

Doesn’t Google ALWAYS want great content?   

The answer is a bit grey here with the E-A-T algorithm to the forefront. 

What’s Google E-A-T?

Is Google E-A-T a ranking factor then? Like we always say, good content takes the cake (and EATs it too!)

How to create content that is Google E-A-T verified? 

• For all your editorial content, include the author name and biographies, sources of data points etc.
• Create avenues for personal branding.
• Keep on editing till you get crisp content high in terms of quality.
• Link to reputable websites(websites with high Domain Authority and Page Authority), and credible sources.
• Cross verify any user-generated content before publishing on your website. 

The Wrap 

As a rookie or an expert business, you can’t ignore SEO for your website. With inevitable Google algorithm changes always expected to roll out in the future, you can stick to these actionable hacks and to a major extent manage to have a safe spot in the search results. And the best time to get started would be now!