If you have a website for your business, there’s one question that is inevitably on your mind all the time: How do you actually get onto the first page of Google?
Landing on the first page is a sure-fire way of driving visitors to your website. According to statistics, more than two-thirds of all clicks are generated due to the first five organic search results that appear.
Yet competition is fierce. The strategy of landing on the first page is also a complex one – an issue that’s compounded by the fact Google tends to throw out the rulebook every few months and start afresh.
Nevertheless, there are proven methods for reaching the top. If you’re wondering what strategies work best to get on Google’s first page, this quick guide will show you the way.
Create SEO rich content
When you think about landing on the fabled first page, your mind will typically be taken to three words: search engine optimization. SEO is, of course, necessary for organically ranking on Google and other search engines.
The problem with SEO is that it’s complicated to comprehend. Many different elements come into play. First of all, you have to find keywords that are not only relevant for your business but are also being actively entered into search queries by your target market.
You then have to take these keywords and build your content around them. Oh, but you have to be subtle with the inclusion of these keywords – if they stick out like a sore thumb, you’re going to get penalized. You also can’t have too high a keyword density; otherwise, yes, you will also be punished.
Plus keywords are only the start. There’s a current emphasis on long, 2,000+ word pieces of content. This content then needs to be dolled up, so it’s easy to read for both users and Google. Then there are backlinks, promoting on social media, keeping it updated continuously, etc.
There’s a reason why many use a marketing agency like Click Intelligence to handle all of their content creation!
Google My Business
If your business is a local one, there’s no downplaying the importance of Google My Business. It gives people instant access to your business information, whether this is your phone number or exact location on Google Maps.
So how does this work with reaching the first page on Google? The snack pack.
If you can manage to get your company ranked in the Google snack pack, which displays three businesses deemed most relevant for local search enquiries, you’re an instant first page hit. In fact, you’ll even rank ahead of all organic search results.
Take a shortcut with ads
The previous two methods typically involve a long-term strategy that requires an extensive amount of effort and dedication. This method, however, delivers results in an instant. If you utilize the power of Google Ads, your business will appear at the very top of the page for applicable searches.
That’s right: you go above both the ‘snack pack’ and organic results. You have to pay for the privilege, of course, but there’s no quicker way of gaining that first-page ranking on Google.