“Where do you bury something that you don’t want people to find?”
Answer: On the second page of Google.
Very corny, I know but there’s still some truth to the statement – think to how you use Google. If it’s not on page 1 you change your search term – simple as that for the majority of users. 75% of people will never scroll past the first page of a Google search.
That means you can’t afford to be ranking on the second, third, fourth or God forbid on page 374.
Getting SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) right has the power to drive traffic to your site by ‘surfacing’ your best content for your best potential client. That is the mantra of search engines and all their algorithms boil down to that one simple point – they are trying to provide the most relevant content to the user, based on their search term, quickly. Getting SEO right allows you to be that ‘ digital coffee shop at an incredibly busy intersection’ – you make a killing just because people are always finding you.
So how do you rank on the first page on Google???
Incredibly difficulty – if you are not smart about it. There are countless high-profile websites capitalizing on the top industry keywords, there are thousands of other bloggers trying to rank for that keyword as well generating awesome content daily.
That means the deck is stacked, and it’s not in your favor. Ranking requires a solid mixture of patience and persistence. With the tips, I’m going to share you can make your way to that mythical first page of Google.
1. Create unique and relevant content – lots of it!
Like you, your business is a special entity. It has a story. It has a unique way of operating because of the unique set of people that form part of its structure (that being you of course and no doubt you are awesome). How do you expect people to find out about that special something that is you and your business if you are not then taking the time to tell them?
Are you surprised when you stay single because you don’t approach any women/guys? Do you go to a braai and then sit quietly in a corner waiting for food/drinks? NO – you KNOW you are the one who needs to TAKE ACTION!!
So why do you do it online!? Not posting any content on your website after it has launched is akin to having a grand opening and then never being open again – people will pop by once or twice and then just give up. You are missing the opportunity to speak to people and the more content you post the better chance you have of ranking.
Your competition and industry leaders are writing 10 – 16+ posts every single month!
Needless to say, don’t go writing content that is ‘spammy’ or only about ‘selling’. Your content needs to make sense to your audience, be actionable and filled with images, examples, and step-by-step instructions as far as possible. The point of your content should be to showcase people how awesome you are without coming across like a second-hand car salesperson. Your audience will reward you with visits and Google will reward you for being relevant.
Here is an awesome article that details some post types (i.e. How To Guides) that are effective in doing this:
12 Types of Blog Posts to Drive More Traffic to Your Blog
2. Use Long-Tail Keywords.
So you are new to this SEO thing and are probably wondering WTF is a ‘Long-Tail Keyword’!
Here’s a quick example (courtesy of Catalyst Search Marketing):
Source: Catalyst Search Marketing
Adopting a Long-Tail Strategy is a great way to start getting traffic to your site via ranking on the first page of Google. It’s great for two main reasons:
- Long-tail keywords are way easier to rank because they have way fewer people competing for them and that means they’ll usually take less time and money. Pretty much one good blog post that is well structured is often enough.
- A user who searches for a long-tail keyword generally is looking for very specific information, whereas short-tail keywords are more general. If you can give the searcher specific information, they’re going to not only click on your link but also stick around and convert.
And the magic of adopting a long-tail strategy lies in the second point above. Becuase users who search long-tail keywords are looking for very specific pieces of information they are (as mentioned) far more likely to visit your site if you are able to provide that information. Not only that but they are also exponential more likely to convert into an engaged user (i.e. signed up for newsletter, purchased product etc).
Think about it practically, if you are a user who searched “digital consultant” because you really want help trying to get the most out of your website and other online channels Google still needs to try figure this out so you get everything associated with digital consultant – companies, jobs, reviews, definitions, the lot. Now in this scenario, MTYsquared (yes we are a digital consulting company) does not even feature on the first 10 pages!!
To show you the power of long-tail keywords I’m going to add ONE variable to the above example search term and let’s assume you are a user who is based in Rivonia and so you search “digital consultant Rivonia” (a completely plausible scenario) and who do you think pops up on page one (answer in the screenshots below)!!
Bing Search: Right above EOH!!
Google Search: Result 1
Not only does the above strategy get us onto page one but even more importantly the user who searched that term is far more likely to click our link because we are EXACTLY what he was looking for – a digital consulting company in the location of his choice.
And remember traffic doesn’t mean a single thing if people don’t convert! If you’re getting 100,000 visitors a month from a popular keyword, but nobody is converting and performing the action you need to survive, it’s not doing you much good.
3. Get the right tools to help you.
So in order to rank on the first page of Google I have told you a low-risk investment on what to do and the approach you can follow to rank more easily.
But are there tools available to make life easier in ACTUALLY doing what I have suggested?
Of course, there are!! And all of them are just going to need your TIME because they are FREE!
Tool 1: Yoast SEO
Related Post: 10 Must Use (And Free) WordPress Plugins 2017
We have established that the better your SEO, the higher you’ll appear in search engines results, and the more traffic you can get. That means more chances for conversions and revenue (who doesn’t want revenue after all?).
Yoast SEO makes getting the basics in place super simple by performing a page analysis as you are creating a post/page and telling you if you are on the right track with a ‘robot-style’ status (red is bad, green is awesome). Not only that but Yoast SEO will give you really helpful tips to improve both your SEO and readability.
It also helps with sitemaps, meta tags and a bunch more complicated stuff that I will save for another day.
Tool 2: SEO Powersuite OR SEMrush
These tools are awesome – they give you almost everything you need in order to research almost every element pertaining to SEO. From rank tracking to competitor comparisons, to backlink analysis to even helping you find other websites you cant contact for content collaboration and ranking activities and much more…it’s all there!
These are must-haves!
Use SEMrush Now:
OR Download SEOPowersuite – download it NOW!
Tool 3: Google Analytics & Search Console
The first one is not directly going to help with SEO per se (at least not in the short-term) but you need to ‘get to know your audience’ in order to develop content that engages them even further and this is where Google Analytics comes in. You get to know everything Google knows about your audience too.
The second is Search Console – Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor and maintain your site’s presence in Google Search results. You don’t have to sign up for Search Console for your site to be included in Google’s search results, but creating a site property can help you understand how Google views your site and optimize its performance in search results using this knowledge.
Tool 4: Google Keyword Planner
As the name suggests this tool will allow you to do some research on the list of keywords you are thinking of using. Get keyword ideas to help build your campaigns with the AdWords Keyword Planner and you can even then spend some money on creating ad’s once (and if you are able) you find the perfect keywords.
Conclusion:
Showing up on the first page of Google is nearly impossible if you’re just starting out – that’s harsh, but it’s also true.
The competition is already far out ahead. They’ve been accumulating thousands of links and countless shares while this business was still a twinkle in your eye.
But you still need organic traffic to thrive and keep your business growing. Growing traffic starts with getting one person to find you without needing to tell them your exact website address and growing from there.
There’s plenty of unconventional methods to get your brand in front of the traffic that you crave.
You just have to get a little creative, get the basics right and ultimately have patience.
Special Note:
If you just want to talk to me directly about how to rank better on Google feel free to hit me up on any of the social media (& other) channels I am on and if things are ‘really tough’ or you just want help we offer a FREE website consultation. We might not always have all the answers but our intent will definitely be to help you create awesome experiences because that’s what differentiates one great product and business from another!
You can connect with me on:
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