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

I recall back when I first started my site…

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

Nobody did.

My articles were nowhere near Page 1.

It was a real battle…

Until I found some very simple White Hat Link Building Techniques I’ve been using ever since.

Now, I will somewhat effortlessly rank my articles on Page 1 (and sometimes even #1).

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

Let’s dive in…

1. Boost Your Page Titles and Descriptions – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

    

Among the most overlooked On-Page, SEO factors on the website are the page meta names and meta descriptions.

These meta tags are one of the first items Google sees when running a website. This is the perfect place to add keywords to the mixture.

Each page on your website should have a special purpose.

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

You’d be amazed by how many businesses label their home page title as the default “Home”. This leads zero assurance to search engines this is really a site for a local Dentist.

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

• Colorado Springs dentist
• Finest dentist Colorado Springs
• Acme Dentist Services (For all those searching by brand)
• Colorado Springs Greatest Dentist

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

Title Modifiers

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

• Amounts: like 5 Things, 6 Tricks, 17 Ways
• The Year: 2018, 2019
• the words: Free, Guide, Easy, Step-by-Step

By adding this meta title hacks, you will probably increase your CTR, which is rewarded heavily by Google’s most up-to-date Rankbrain algorithm upgrade.

Although not as important to rank compared to page names, the meta description is all about getting people to click on your list vs the other 9 results on the page.

Also known as click-through rate, you need your description (which could currently be up to 320 characters) to drive as many clicks to your website as you can.

What separates you from your competitors, and how can you stand out?

To begin with, you need to tell the truth about what your site is about. You should never present your record at a gray light. Doing this will create mistrust among users and finally, they will go directly back to the search results causing them to bounce (pogo-sticking).

High bounce rates show Google that your website isn’t worthy of their results and with the debut of RankBrain, an AI search bot, Google will take note and devalue your site as a result.

Your description should be a quick and nicely written synopsis of exactly what the page is about. The backup should be enticing and promotional leading into what the individual is searching for. It’s a fantastic place to include keywords that people typically find you. The searcher knows precisely what they want based on the keywords they input into Google. Your description must always follow suit.

Where to find the inspiration for meta names and meta descriptions?

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

These ads have been tested and analyzed for the best conversions, so it is possible to incorporate some of these words into your meta names and descriptions.

2. Have Short URLs – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

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

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

Several studies have verified that shorter URLs tend to rank higher than lengthy URLs.

Here are some items to Remember when creating your page URL’s

• Keep them clean and brief
• Incorporate keywords
• Simply 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

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

Normally, 3-4 words max should do the trick. (i.e. the URL of the webpage is /white-hat-SEO-techniques)

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

3.Use of Headers – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Headers are basically that. The title or lead from an article or content. I’m referring to this HTML code: H1, H2, etc. which contributes paragraphs off in content. Google sees these as significant. So should you.

H1 tags

Beginning with H1’s, their principles are easy. These stress, similar to the other headers the primary” topic of this page” and Google takes action appropriately.

You should only use one H1 tag per page since it is the main header and will confound search engines when more are utilized and devalue your rankings.

H2 tags

H2’s needs to be like H1’s. A good place for keywords, but a fantastic practice is to base on sub-subjects to your webpage.

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

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

H3 Tags

Comparable to H2’s although not as important. These ought to be used as sub-topics within H2 tags but aren’t always essential.

By integrating these tags into your web pages, you’re reinforcing what your site is all about.

4. Accelerate Your Website using a CDN – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Increasing the speed of the website is one of the crucial factors for search engine ranking.

There are several ways you can improve your search engine presence including:

• Update your hosting
• Compress your pictures so that they serve faster
• Reduce the number of pictures 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 function sites faster across the world

5. Connect to Additional Articles (Internal Linking and External Linking) – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

By connecting pages on a website using keywords as the anchor text, then you’re in an essence creating backlinks internally to the pages of your site. This helps customers and search engines alike, by simply connecting the subjects of your pages together.

By using keywords to link web pages, you’re telling Google what the page the link goes to is all about. This also sends link juice into this page increasing the webpage’s authority. It is almost like a webpage is vouching for one more page and providing its recommendation of content found there.

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

You should also include links to authoritative sites like Wikipedia.

6. Optimize Your Pictures – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Picture optimization refers to using pictures in order to improve rankings.

Yes, there is a separate search engine that’s strictly for images, however, there are a number of things we can address with pictures that will help with Google’s standard search engine too.

Again, your image ought to be compressed and nice to boost page speed, but more than you should always name your picture file using keywords for your website.

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

This tells Google nothing about the image.

Instead, try for something keyword rich. For instance, if you have a Dentist’s website then maybe a picture file using the title Chicago-dentist.jpg will serve you much better.

On top of this, it’s always a fantastic idea to incorporate keywords into the alt tag of an image.

The alt tag was made to give the visually impaired a notion of what pictures are about. If Google thinks you are trying to make a page that’s available for all then they are more inclined to up position your site. Keywords are important here as it is possible to imagine.

7. Use Google Search Console – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

This powerful tool is essential for many website owners, particularly those wearing those white search engine optimization hats.

Here is where you can go to tell Google exactly how you would like the search results to appear for your site, which variant of this website to utilize, Google even tells you how individuals found your website using what keywords and over all else, if there’s a problem with your site that requires immediate attention.

This, in fact, is the only area that will say if your website was compromised by hackers or even if you have any penalties affecting your website. Google will not send you an email to allow you to know. You must go here.

Search Console also lets you submit sitemaps to tell Google what and where your web pages are located. Whatever assists Google know your site better will ultimately lead to better rankings. Below are some other SEO tools you can use.

8. Submit a Sitemap to Google – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

We mentioned this above, but is a site important?

It helps Google to index your site and tells them exactly where the site is, which means you don’t need to wait until Google finds you (which may be months or not).

Additionally, it gives them a roadmap to every page and the ability to upgrade or downgrade a page’s importance.

There really is no downside to getting a site and they’re extremely important on sites that create dynamic web pages, if you have a couple of outside links pointing to your website such as a new website and if you have a huge site with many pages.

A fast and effortless way to submit a site to google is to install the Yoast SEO WordPress Plugin and then follow their XML sitemap instructions.

9. Create Long Form Content – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Google loves content and so do its users.

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

(This post is over 2200 words)

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

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

Add LSI keywords

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

For example, once you are composing a post about “home improvements”, you can include phrases such as “house DIY jobs” or “fix your house”.

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

10. Add Engaging Videos – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Video is king nowadays.

55% of all keyword searches today include a YouTube video on the very first page.

By adding videos and other rich media to your site posts, you will increase the time someone spends on your website, which will then give you higher positions.

Additionally, movies are also a great way to explain a subject.

11. Get high-quality backlinks – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Backlinks are links from other sites to yours.

You can get backlinks 2 manners:

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

Either way, you should ensure the websites that are linking to your high-quality (not spammy, have great articles, etc).

12. Boost Social Shares and Opinions

    – White Hat Link Building Techniques in 2019

Google takes into consideration your article social signals (enjoys, shares, remarks) as a variable of engagement.

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

You might also associate with Influencers and Thought Leaders and have them promote your article for their followers.

In Conclusion

12 straightforward white hat SEO hints you can use immediately to help your website rank better in Google’s and other search engines.

By creating a big image for search engines employing these little measures is what white hat SEO is all about.

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

But, whether you are just beginning or a pro SEO you have to understand that there is no magic bullet to getting to the top of SERP’s (Search Engine Ranking Positions). Although, some strong search engine optimization tips will help.

Which SEO techniques are you already using?

Share this post with someone that could benefit from it!