How to Organically Appear on the First Page of Google and Stay There
What’s one of the first things you do when you arrive in a new city and are looking for a place to eat? Probably Google restaurants near you.
What are the chances you will click on the second or third page of your search engine results? Most likely not much.
This example should remind you of one thing: it matters where you show up on a search engine like Google. Even though Google can bring up thousands of pages of results, only the first page is the holy grail of online traffic.
There are approximately 3.5 billion Google searches per day and companies are spending thousands of dollars on Pay Per Click advertising to appear on the first page of Google.
However, if you do your homework and use the right mix of digital marketing strategies and content marketing to make Google your best friend, you don’t need to cash out thousands of dollars each month to get people to call your company.
According to research by Zero Limit, the first five organic results on a Google search page accounts for 67% of clicks, and the results from 6 to 10 account for less than 4%.
For these reasons and more, taking the right steps to build your SEO presence needs a lot of time, effort and patience. But the value it adds to your website traffic is tremendous.
For your website to appear on the first page of Google and most importantly REMAIN there, you must continuously implement a mix of strategies to get Google to keep your rankings up and on the first.
Here are some organic experiments you can try (other than paid per click ads) to keep your website on the first page of Google:
Produce High-Quality and Updated Content
This is pretty much a requirement and non-negotiable. Your digital content strategy will make or break your SEO campaign. Do not post something just to post something. You do not have to be perfect but publish content that people learn something from or adds value to their lives. The more you stand out in your field of expertise, the better your chances are to grow because people will trust you and in the long-run will associate you with that product or service you offer. Also, consistency is key. If you can’t post blogs every week, do it once a month or every quarter, but make sure it’s of high quality. Your audience expects you to provide them with content that adds value to their lives on a continuous basis.
Website Speed & Mobile Optimization
The faster your website operates, the higher the chances of visitors sticking around. For example, if a potential client clicks on your website and it takes 10 seconds to upload, consider it a lost lead. In this mobile-driven world, the need for a responsive website is important than ever. According to Hubspot, from 10 countries around the world including the United States, most Google searches come from using a smartphone.
Use the Right Keywords
In order to select the right keywords, you have to do your research. Make use of the primary keywords that describe your industry properly. With the objective to get positive outcomes, use longer keywords that are more detailed, which will improve your targeting strategy. In addition, you can get extra insight about words in your industry through keywords tools.
Headlines Matter!
Use headlines to break things up rather than putting a bunch of long paragraphs, which will overwhelm the reader. Headlines are significantly important for SEO; Google has a specific system that scans through your content, specifically headlines. Headlines should include primary keywords. Also, add strong, good quality images and videos between paragraphs to make it visually appealing and less text heavy.
Create Video Content
Google rewards websites that have video content on their pages by ranking them higher on search engines. While the upfront costs of video production may seem high, it pays off in the long run due to the high conversion rates videos produce. And it’s not just YouTube that’s going hard on video. Facebook, Instagram and other major social media platforms are putting a lot of emphasis on using videos as well.
Build Less Backlinks and Get Better Results
The use of backlinks is very crucial to the success of your SEO strategy. It’s the best known and hardest way of increasing your website’s ranking. But getting other trustworthy websites to mention you in their content is not an easy task. It requires strategic PR and crossover marketing with other organizations to publish your content.
The key is to build less backlinks and get better results. Three ways to accomplish this goal include:
1) Your website must be technically optimized.
2) You must have a strong site structure.
3) Your website must have rich and valuable content.
Remember, what works one month, may not work the same the next. The secret to winning the game of search engine optimization is to be consistent and find a combination of digital marketing strategies that work for you. Keep in mind your goals don’t happen overnight – some companies have been working on implementing their SEO strategies for years and are still struggling to maintain it.
If you think your organization doesn’t have the manpower to perform its own SEO strategies, and search marketing is the most profitable path for your online business, then maybe it’s time to outsource your efforts to a professional digital marketing firm which might cost you less in the long run and provide optimal and faster results.