When it comes to online success for your business, one page can make or break you. Of course we are talking about online search rankings, where landing on Page 1 is the ultimate goal. This means that your website is visible on the first page of search results. The higher on the first page you rank, the more likely you are to have your page get clicked on and visited by searchers. The most valuable positions are one through three.
“Ranking on Page 2 means that your page is likely not being seen by many, or any, people. Most people don’t go to the second page of search results to find an answer to their query,” according to Tony Patrick, Director of Digital Marketing at content marketing agency Influence & Co.
Nick Chasinov founder and CEO of Teknicks (a research-based internet marketing agency certified by Google in Analytics, Tag Manager, and a Google Premier AdWords partner) further breaks down why Page 1 should be an entrepreneur’s Top Priority:
Page 1 typically includes up to 10 organic (non-paid) results and paid ads. Being on page 1 means being listed in one of those organic listings.
Page 2 refers to the second page of Google. A user will have to select “next” to view page 2 results. In terms of success, page 1 typically receives the lion share of clicks, and it dramatically drops off on page 2. The goal should be to get on page 1; however, going from page 46 to page 2 is a great accomplishment and is an indication you are doing things right. It is rare to immediately jump to page 1 as it takes time to earn that position.
Read on for The Ultimate Roadmap to Ranking on Page 1:
- How to get your site ranking on Page 1:
So, how do you land on the front page?
“To position your page as best as you can, you should focus on creating comprehensive, accurate, and descriptive content that’s designed to help and educate your audience,” says Patrick of Influence & Co.
Building links to that page is critical, as search engines use links as a signal for ranking. Also, Patrick advises founders to naturally include relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. “It takes time to build up a page to the point that it ranks on the first page, so it’s important to get started now,” Patrick says.
Chasinov says it is not so much of a secret as it is a process. “You need to understand your audience, their pain points, frustrations, and how you can add value through content.”
Then comes user experience. “You need to provide a delightful user experience while providing keyword-centric content that adds a tremendous amount of value and meets the needs of the users,” adds Chasinov.
- Five ways entrepreneurs can work on getting their site ranking on Page 1:
- Meet the needs of the user: Create comprehensive content that educates and informs your audience.
- Create valuable, helpful, and comprehensive content
- Provide a delightful user experience: Improve the technical performance of the website to ensure it’s aligned with best practices.
- Secure links from relevant and reputable sources: Additionally, build links back to your site and its content.
- Optimize and refresh your content over time.
III: How Solopreneurs, Startups and Small Businesses Can Jumpstart their SEO Journeys
Nick Chasinov’s Top 3:
- Don’t just focus on keywords and search volume. Get to know your users, and understand their needs, wants, and frustrations. Write for utility and provide helpful content that answers questions and solves problems.
- Make sure you track everything. Especially use Google Search Console to identify what keywords your site is ranked for, and expand on topics that need more visibility. Pivot based on insights gathered from analytics and let the numbers do the talking.
- Conduct marketing research surveys and interview your prospective customers. Having that qualitative conversation will allow you to better understand their needs and align your SEO with your audience.
Tony Patrick’s Top 3:
- Don’t try to do it yourself. You have other things that require your attention, so enlist the help of an expert to avoid redoing work later.
- Build a foundation using keyword research to understand what content is in demand.
- Scale up your efforts as you can. The more content you can create on a consistent basis, the better, but we all have to start somewhere. Getting one new blog post or webpage up per month is better than doing nothing.