How Does Google Decide Where to Rank Your Website?
There are hundreds of factors that determine a website’s popularity but who has the time to work out what they are?
I could give you a very long list and you could click right away before you even get to number five. You run a business, you are not an SEO magician. Most normal people don’t do SEO or that’s what they tell me. Not doing SEO is like not doing politics. You can’t bloody avoid it!
You should at least understand the concept and know the basics of good SEO practise.
The Three Fundamentals of SEO
- On-page optimisation
- Back-link building
- Blogging
If you do nothing else but persistently plug away at this very teeny-tiny list, then you will succeed in increasing your rankings over time.
On-page is a no-brainer. It’s the absolute must do. Don’t just go at it with no clue about search volume and competitive key-phrases. Check out Neil Patel’s UberSuggest. It’s a fantastic online tool.
Look at how likely it is that you will rank in the top 20 and also how many people actually search on the phrase you are researching. Some of my clients get hung up on one or two phrases that yield no search volume. No matter how many times I tell them that there is no kudos in getting to number one with a phrase that no-one ever uses to look for their particular service or product.
Persistence is Key to Super-Rankings
It really is as simple as that. It’s a time thing. If you understand the process and why you are doing what you are doing, the rest is pretty much plain sailing. Sure, link-building is not the most glamorous pastime, but it does bring results (over time)
Blogging is by far my optimisation method of choice. But I love writing so it comes easy to me. You may not. Don’t let that stop you. Write and write and write…..until your fingers ache. Don’t worry that it all sounds like nonsense and you’ve got almost fifty typos scattered amongst your nonsense text. I guarantee you that there will be some great SEO worthy stuff in there.
When you’ve read it back and cringed at your lack of creative writing ability, take out the really bad stuff. Now work on the stuff that’s not so bad. Pad it out and add some great imagery. You’ll be surprised how easy it becomes over time. One blog a week is great but two is even better. Aim for between 700-1200 words and get your key-phrase in there every 150 words or so.
Do this over and over and over and….you get the gist. Be persistent and be consistent.
Back-Links Are Still Relevant
They really are. Just be careful where you place them and never pay for a listing….ever. Google doesn’t like it when you do that.
Never use automated software and always add your website to the relevant category. I could tell you more, but then you won’t bother to buy my book 😉
