Let’s talk about one of the most enigmatic subjects on the internet today. SEO, Search Engine Optimisation or quite simply: How to rank number one on Google search (Other search engines also exist. lol)
It’s something every business owner wants, and rightly so. Over 25% of people click the first Google search result. Meaning if you’re not number one, then you’re immediately missing out on a quarter of all internet traffic. And if you’re not ranking on at least the first page, almost no one is going to look at your content.
The prospect of reaching #1 may sound like a mammoth task at first, and trust me, without a clear and consistent strategy, it’s downright impossible, however, with a few reasonably simple tips and a persistent approach. Then, you’ll be well on your way to ranking higher and higher every week until you dominate the market with your killer content.
1. Discover your niche
In my opinion, being too generic is where most go wrong. Trying to compete with massive companies with an almost unlimited marketing budget for general keywords is only going to end up in headaches and heartache. Sometimes this can seem counterintuitive. After all, you want to capture as much of the market as possible, right? Well, no. what is much better for your business is to be very specific in what you do. And be the best in your field at that particular thing. So, for example, Instead of having a joinery website where you focus on all aspects of joinery (like I see everywhere), why not find one part of joinery you love to do and are good at. Then focus on that. Better yet, if you only serve customers in your local area, focus on using this in your keywords. You’d rank much higher if you concentrate on ‘Best bathroom fitter in Dunfermline’ than ‘Joinery company in Scotland’. The more specific your keywords are the less competition and the more likely you will rank higher.
2. Target the right keywords
We’ve already established that choosing more specific keywords is a good strategy. However, there is another side to this. You also need to select the keywords that people are searching for. Anyone can rank number one for some obscure keyword that makes no sense. And that is because no one wants to rank for those keywords. You need to do some research and choose keywords that people are already searching for. You can use tools such as Google’s Keyword Planner or KeywordTool.io to see how popular a keyword is before you focus all your effort on ranking for those words. you’ll want to get a good balance between easy to conquer and popular here.
3. Optimise your content to target your chosen keywords
This is the part where a lot of people misunderstand the sentiment. It’s not just a numbers game. Don’t go word vomiting all over your content to get it to rank for your chosen keywords. The saying ‘content is king’ has never rung more true than now. So whenever you’re writing your content, keep your chosen keywords in mind and use them where appropriate, but do not fall into the trap of overuse.
Some key areas to get your keywords in are your URL, Title tag, H1, H2 & H3 headings, Alt image tags and throughout your content. Not sure what I’m talking about? Get in touch today and we’ll sort this all out for you.
4. Make your site content-rich.
According to the Content Marketing Institute, 88% of companies are now using content marketing as part of their overall strategy – and there’s a good reason for that.
To rank high on Google search, you need to give your site visitors a reason to visit your site. Frankly, no one cares about your business outside your close circle of friends and family. But they do care about things you can help them with. So to establish yourself as a leader in your field by writing, sharing and commenting on topics directly related to what you and your business offer. This is a far better approach than just constantly spamming your Facebook friends list, hoping to get a bite one day.
I believe every online business needs to have some sort of regular content their followers can digest. Something that sets them apart from the competition. That is precisely why I decided to write this blog for you guys. Hopefully, this information will help some of you who are trying to launch your own online business. And for those of you who don’t have the time, then consider hiring One Web Creations who will take care of all of this for you.
5. Get backlinks to your site.
Now is the one that will take some time to build up. It isn’t always easy to get the backlinks your site deserves. Going back to an earlier point, you need to be consistent in your approach. Try as often as you can to get a new backlink for your site. Every day would be impressive, but every week is also acceptable. Then let the magic of compounding happen.
Backlinks are other sites linking to your content. one of the top ways search engines know your site is good is by the number of backlinks you have. There are a few quick wins in this space that every online business needs to do first, like creating profile pages on as many business directories as possible. But then there are much harder ones which are also vital to the success of your business. For example, try reaching out to other companies in a similar field.
One example I had recently was Fife wedding band, The Dirty Martinis (You’re welcome, lads) where I suggested talking to the other services at the weddings they played with – The photographer; The hair and makeup artists; The venues etc. and writing short articles about the day, linking to each other’s websites.
It’s a long process and takes commitment, but if you stick with it. In a year, you could find yourself with a mountain on links and be dominating your marketplace.
6. Conclusion
There is no surefire way to get to number one on Google search. However, there is a mixture of techniques that can be used. Some are easy to implement, others more difficult. One thing for sure is that if you want to have a successful online business, it is absolutely essential to rank in one of the top positions for at least some of your desired keywords.
Sometimes it takes an outsiders perspective. Ask someone you know and trust to take a look over your site. Are you stuck on ideas? Get help now from One Web Creations in Dunfermline, Fife.
Get in Touch today for a personalised estimate for your business website.