How to Rank Higher on SERP: Proven SEO Strategies

Introduction: Why Ranking Higher on SERPs Matters

In today’s digital-first marketplace, appearing on the first page of Google can make or break your business. Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) are where visibility begins—and if your website isn’t showing up, your competitors are getting the clicks, leads, and sales instead.

This guide breaks down proven strategies to rank higher on SERP in 2025 by focusing on search engine optimisation (SEO) best practices that are both sustainable and impactful.

1. Understand How SERPs Work

A Search Engine Results Page (SERP) is the page displayed by a search engine (like Google) in response to a user’s query. It’s not just a list of blue links anymore; modern SERPs are dynamic and include various “features” designed to give users immediate answers or more diverse content.

Key Components of a SERP:

Organic Listings: These are the traditional, unpaid search results. Their ranking is determined by a search engine’s complex algorithms, which evaluate factors like content quality, relevance, website authority, user experience, and backlinks. Achieving a high ranking in organic search engine results is the primary goal of SEO. Each organic result typically includes a title, a URL, and a short description (snippet).
Paid Ads (Sponsored Results): These are advertisements that businesses pay to display. They usually appear at the very top or bottom of the SERP and are clearly labelled as “Ad” or “Sponsored.” Advertisers bid on keywords, and the highest bidders often secure the top ad spots. While they offer instant visibility, users are increasingly aware of these and sometimes prefer organic results.
Featured Snippets (Position 0): These are highlighted excerpts from a webpage that directly answer a user’s query, appearing at the very top of the organic search results (often referred to as “Position 0”). They can be in a paragraph, list (numbered or bulleted), table, or video format. Earning a featured snippet can significantly increase visibility and click-through rates, as it provides an immediate answer and often prompts users to click through for more details.
People Also Ask (PAA): This feature displays a box of related questions that users frequently ask. Clicking on a question expands to reveal a short answer, often pulled from a website, along with a link to the source page. Optimising for PAA can drive traffic by answering common user queries.
Local Pack (Map Pack): For location-specific searches (e.g., “coffee shops near me”), Google displays a map with a list of three local businesses. This is crucial for brick-and-mortar businesses and relies heavily on an optimised Google Business Profile, consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) information, and local reviews.
Video, News, or Image Carousels/Packs: These are rich content formats that appear when Google determines that visual or timely content would be most helpful to users.
Image Packs: A row of images, often appearing for queries where visual content is highly relevant.
Video Carousels: A carousel of videos, commonly seen for “how-to” queries or topics where video demonstrations are valuable.
Top Stories/News Carousel: For trending topics or breaking news, a carousel of recent news articles appears.
Knowledge Panels/Knowledge Graph: These provide factual information about a person, place, organisation, or thing, usually appearing on the right-hand side of the SERP (on desktop). The information is pulled from Google’s vast Knowledge Graph, which compiles data from various public and licensed sources.
Rich Snippets (Rich Results): While similar to featured snippets, rich snippets are not “position 0.” They are normal search results enhanced with additional data (like star ratings, product prices, event dates, recipe cooking times) pulled from structured data (Schema markup) on a webpage. They make search listings more attractive and informative, often leading to higher click-through rates.
Sitelinks: These are additional links that appear under a main organic search result, directing users to specific pages within the website. They appear when Google deems them highly relevant to the search query and help users navigate directly to deeper content on your site.

Understanding these components is vital because it informs your SEO strategy beyond just ranking for the “blue links.” You need to optimise your content and technical setup to appear in these diverse SERP features, maximising your visibility and attracting more targeted traffic.

2. Perform Comprehensive Keyword Research

Keyword research is the bedrock of any successful SEO strategy. It’s about understanding what your target audience is searching for and the language they use

Detailed Steps:

Utilise Keyword Research Tools:
Google Keyword Planner: Free and excellent for identifying keyword ideas, search volume, and competition directly from Google.
Ahrefs, SEMrush, Ubersuggest, Moz Keyword Explorer: Premium tools offering more in-depth data, including keyword difficulty, backlink analysis for ranking pages, competitive keyword gaps, and SERP feature analysis.
Target Long-Tail Keywords: These are longer, more specific phrases (e.g., “best vegan restaurants in Brooklyn” instead of just “restaurants”). They often have lower search volume but higher conversion rates because they indicate specific user intent. They also face less competition, making it easier to rank.
Analyse Keyword Difficulty (KD), Search Volume, and User Intent:
Keyword Difficulty (KD): An estimate of how hard it will be to rank for a particular keyword, often based on the authority of the sites currently ranking. Aim for a mix of low, medium, and high difficulty keywords.
Search Volume: The average number of times a keyword is searched per month. Balance high volume (more potential traffic) with KD and relevance.
User Intent: This is critical. Why is the user searching for this keyword?
- Informational: Looking for information (e.g., “how to fix a leaky faucet”).
- Navigational: Trying to find a specific website or brand (e.g., “Amazon login”).
- Transactional: Ready to buy something (e.g., “buy noise-cancelling headphones”).
- Commercial Investigation: Researching before a purchase (e.g., “best laptop for graphic design”). Optimising content for the correct intent ensures you’re providing what the user needs.
Group Keywords by Content Themes/Topics: Instead of optimising a single page for a single keyword, group related keywords into “topic clusters.” This allows you to create comprehensive content that covers a subject broadly, establishing your authority and making it easier for search engines to understand the scope of your content.

Pro Tip: Focus on “intent-based” keywords—informational, navigational, transactional, and commercial—depending on your funnel stage.

3. Optimise On-Page SEO Elements

On-page SEO refers to optimising individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic in search engines. This involves optimising both the content and HTML source code of a page.

Key Elements to Optimise:

Title Tag: This is the most important on-page SEO element. It appears in the browser tab and as the clickable headline in SERPs.Best Practices: Keep it concise (under 60 characters to avoid truncation), include your primary keyword naturally, and make it compelling to encourage clicks. Each page should have a unique title tag.
Meta Description: A summary of the page’s content that appears under the title tag in SERPs.Best Practices: Around 150-160 characters (though Google’s display varies), include relevant keywords, and feature a clear call-to-action (CTA) to entice users to click. While not a direct ranking factor, a well-written meta description can significantly improve click-through rate (CTR).
Headings (H1-H6): Used to structure your content. H1 is your main heading, followed by H2s, H3s, and so on, to break up text and improve readability. Best Practices: Use only one H1 per page (often the same as your title tag or a variation). Use H2s and H3s for subheadings, incorporating relevant keywords naturally to signal content hierarchy to search engines and users.
URL Structure: The address of your webpage.Best Practices: Keep URLs short, descriptive, and readable. Include your primary keyword if possible. Avoid long strings of numbers or irrelevant characters.
Example: www.yoursite.com/rank-higher-on-serp It is much better than www.yoursite.com/page1?id=123.
Image ALT Text (Alternative Text): A description of an image for visually impaired users and search engines.Best Practices: Describe the image accurately and concisely, incorporating relevant keywords where natural. This helps search engines understand the image content and can help your images appear in image search results.
Internal Linking: Linking from one page on your website to another relevant page on the same site.Best Practices: Use descriptive anchor text (the clickable text) that includes keywords. Internal links help distribute “link equity” (PageRank) throughout your site, improve crawlability, and enhance user navigation.

4. Create High-Quality, Helpful Content

Google’s focus on “Helpful Content” means prioritising user needs above all else. Content is king, but only if it’s truly valuable.

Best Practices for Content:

Address User Intent Clearly and Early: Directly answer the user’s question or provide the solution they’re seeking at the beginning of your content. Don’t make them dig for it.
Provide In-Depth Solutions: Go beyond superficial answers. Offer comprehensive, well-researched, and detailed information. Use data, statistics, real-world examples, and case studies to support your points.
Use Visuals (Infographics, Videos, Images): Break up text, explain complex concepts, and make your content more engaging and digestible. Visuals can also improve time on page and reduce bounce rates.
Keep Content Updated and Relevant: Regularly review and update your content to ensure accuracy, freshness, and relevance to current trends or algorithm changes. Outdated information can hurt your credibility.
Ensure Readability: Use tools like Grammarly or Hemingway to check for grammar, spelling, and readability. Use short sentences, clear paragraphs, and bullet points to make content easy to scan and understand.

Google E-E-A-T Principle (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness): This is Google’s core framework for evaluating content quality.

Expertise: Is the content created by someone with demonstrable knowledge or skill in the subject?
Experience: Does the content demonstrate firsthand experience with the topic?
Authoritativeness: Is the website/author a recognised authority on the topic?
Trustworthiness: Is the information accurate, reliable, and safe? (e.g., secure website, transparent sources). Google heavily emphasises E-E-A-T, especially for “Your Money Your Life” (YMYL) topics (e.g., finance, health) where inaccurate information could cause harm.

5. Boost Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on optimising your website’s infrastructure to help search engines crawl, index, and understand your site more effectively. It’s the foundation upon which all other SEO efforts are built.

Technical SEO Checklist:

Mobile-First Design: Google primarily uses the mobile version of your website for indexing and ranking. Your site must be responsive and offer a seamless experience across all devices and screen sizes.
Fast Load Speed: Page speed is a critical ranking factor. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and can lead to higher bounce rates.
Tools: Google PageSpeed Insights, GTmetrix, WebPageTest.
Optimisation Techniques: Optimise image sizes and formats, minify CSS and JavaScript files, leverage browser caching, use a Content Delivery Network (CDN), and improve server response time.
Secure Site (HTTPS): Using HTTPS (SSL certificate) encrypts data between the user’s browser and your website, making it secure. Google has confirmed HTTPS as a minor ranking signal.
XML Sitemap & Robots.txt:
XML Sitemap: A file that lists all the important pages on your website, helping search engines discover and crawl them more efficiently.
Robots.txt: A file that tells search engine crawlers which pages or sections of your site they should or shouldn’t crawl. Used to prevent the indexing of irrelevant or duplicate content.
Canonical Tags: Used to prevent duplicate content issues. If you have multiple URLs with identical or very similar content, a canonical tag tells search engines which version is the “master” copy to index.
Core Web Vitals: A set of real-world, user-centric metrics that Google uses to evaluate user experience. They are part of Google’s Page Experience signals.
Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance (aim for under 2.5 seconds).
First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity (aim for under 100 milliseconds).
Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Measures visual stability (aim for less than 0.1). Improving these metrics directly impacts user experience and can influence rankings.

6. Build Quality Backlinks

Backlinks (inbound links) are links from other websites to your website. They act as “votes of confidence” from other sites, signalling to search engines that your content is valuable and authoritative. Quality backlink profiles are crucial for high rankings.

Strategies to Get Backlinks:

Guest Posting: Write articles for other authoritative websites in your niche, including a link back to your site. This establishes you as an expert and earns valuable links.
Create Link-Worthy Content (Linkable Assets): Develop unique, valuable content that other websites will naturally want to link to. Examples include:
Original research, studies, or surveys.
Comprehensive guides or ultimate resources.
Useful tools, calculators, or templates.
Infographics or data visualisations.
Build Relationships with Bloggers and Influencers: Network with others in your industry. If they find your content valuable, they might link to it or share it.
Submit Your Site to Relevant Directories: While not all directories are valuable, some niche-specific, high-quality directories can provide relevant links. Avoid low-quality, spammy directories.
Utilise HARO (Help a Reporter Out): A service that connects journalists with expert sources. By providing quotes or information to journalists, you can get mentions and backlinks from news sites and authoritative publications.
Disavow Spammy or Paid Links: Google’s algorithms can penalise websites with unnatural or manipulative link profiles. Regularly audit your backlink profile and disavow (tell Google to ignore) any toxic or spammy links that could harm your rankings. Focus on earning natural, editorial links.

Avoid spammy or paid links—they can lead to penalties and drops in SERP rankings.

7. Leverage Structured Data (Schema Markup)

Structured data (Schema markup) is a standardised format for providing information about a page and its content to search engines. It helps search engines understand the context of your content more clearly, which can lead to enhanced visibility in the form of “rich results.”

Types of Schema to Use (Common Examples):

Article Schema: For blog posts, news articles, etc., to provide information like author, publication date, and headline.
Product Schema: For e-commerce products, to display information like price, availability, and customer reviews directly in SERPs.
Review Schema: For content with reviews, to show star ratings.
FAQ Schema: For pages with a list of frequently asked questions and their answers, allowing these to be displayed as an expandable section in SERPs.
How-To Schema: For step-by-step guides, to show the steps directly in the search results.
Local Business Schema: For physical businesses, to provide information like address, phone number, opening hours, and business type.
VideoObject Schema: For videos embedded on your page, to help search engines understand the video’s content, duration, and thumbnail.

Implementation: Schema markup is typically added to your website’s HTML code (often using JSON-LD format). Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool (or the Rich Results Test Tool) to validate your schema implementation and ensure it’s correctly interpreted by Google.

8. Optimise for Local SEO (If Applicable)

Local SEO focuses on improving your visibility in local search results, primarily for businesses with physical locations or those serving specific geographic areas.

How to Optimise for Local SEO:

Claim and Optimise Your Google Business Profile (GBP): This is the single most important local SEO factor. Ensure your GBP is fully completed with accurate information, high-quality photos, services, and business hours.
Use Local Keywords: Integrate location-specific keywords into your website content, title tags, and meta descriptions (e.g., “digital marketing agency in Delhi,” “best pizza in Karol Bagh”).
Encourage Positive Google Reviews: Reviews significantly influence local rankings and consumer trust. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your GBP. Respond to all reviews, positive and negative.
Ensure Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone) Across Directories: Your business name, address, and phone number should be identical across your website, Google Business Profile, and all online directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages, industry-specific directories). Inconsistent NAP data can confuse search engines.
Create Location-Specific Landing Pages: If you serve multiple locations, create dedicated landing pages for each location, optimised with local keywords and relevant information for that specific area.

9. Monitor, Measure, and Improve

SEO is an ongoing process. It’s essential to track your performance, analyse the data, and make continuous improvements.

Tools for Monitoring and Measurement:

Google Analytics: Provides comprehensive data on website traffic, user behaviour (bounce rate, time on page, pages per session), conversion rates, and audience demographics.
Google Search Console: Essential for understanding how your site performs in Google Search. It shows keyword rankings, indexing status, crawl errors, and mobile usability issues, and helps you submit sitemaps.
Ahrefs/SEMrush/Moz Pro: Advanced SEO tools that offer detailed insights into keyword rankings, backlink profiles (your own and competitors’), competitive analysis, site audits, and much more.

Key Metrics to Track:

Keyword Positions/Rankings: Track where your target keywords rank in SERPs over time.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): The percentage of people who click on your listing when it appears in search results. A higher CTR indicates a more appealing title and meta description.
Bounce Rate: The percentage of visitors who leave your site after viewing only one page. High bounce rates can indicate irrelevant content or poor user experience.
Conversion Rate: The percentage of visitors who complete a desired action (e.g., making a purchase, filling out a form). This directly measures the effectiveness of your SEO efforts on your business goals.
Pages per Session: The average number of pages a user views during a single visit. A higher number suggests engaging content and good internal linking.
Organic Traffic: The total number of visitors coming to your site from organic search results.

By regularly monitoring these metrics, you can identify what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your SEO efforts to achieve your ranking goals. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint, and continuous optimisation is key to sustainable growth.

Conclusion: Start Climbing the SERPs Today

To rank higher on SERP, you need a balanced combination of content, technical precision, backlinks, and constant monitoring. Whether you’re a local business or an e-commerce brand, these SEO strategies will help enhance your visibility, drive organic traffic, and sustainably grow your business in 2025 and beyond.

Need help climbing the SERPs? Contact our SEO experts today for a personalised growth strategy tailored to your business goals.

How to Rank Higher on SERP: A Complete Guide for 2025