Are you determined to conquer the world of search engine rankings and see your website soar to the elusive first page of Google for your desired keyword? We get it, it’s a formidable challenge, especially if you’re not a digital giant like Wikipedia or The New York Times. But guess what? It’s not an insurmountable feat. In fact, we do it all the time!
Ranking for a keyword in organic search is a systematic process. While it’s true that you won’t always achieve the results you want, particularly if you’re a fledgling website trying to break through for a highly competitive keyword, a dedicated approach to content marketing and SEO can work wonders. Think about it – improved rankings, increased traffic, and more sales, oh my!
Here’s How to Rank for a Keyword in 10 Steps to make your dream of ranking for a keyword in Google a reality.
STEP 1: LAY THE GROUNDWORK
Before you dive headfirst into the race for internet gold, you need to establish a solid foundation. This pre-step involves a few prerequisites:
- A Strong Website: The longer your website has been around, building authority and acquiring links, the better. Ensure your entire site adheres to SEO best practices. If you’re not sure what that entails, Google’s Webmaster Guidelines are your best starting point.
- A Network to Draw On: To expedite your journey to ranking for a keyword, having a built-in network for sharing your new content is invaluable. This network could include a blog following, a social media audience on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, or an email contact list for occasional link assistance. If this concept is unfamiliar, think of it as link building through relationship building.
Don’t rush through these crucial steps in your quest for online success. If you cut corners now, you’ll likely find yourself retracing your steps later.
STEP 2: DO YOUR INITIAL KEYWORD RESEARCH
You might have a keyword in mind, but it’s essential to verify its potential. Utilize various keyword research tools to gauge search volume and competition before settling on your target. Focus on two key considerations:
- Choosing a Keyword with Optimal Volume: Strive to strike a balance between decent search volume and avoid keywords with excessively low or high competition. For instance, targeting “blah blah jobs” is preferable to “blah blah careers” due to higher search volume. However, avoid overly competitive terms that aren’t within your reach, like trying to rank for “airline” unless you’re an actual airline.
- Selecting a Relevant Keyword: Ensure that the keyword aligns with your business model and target audience. After all, ranking for keywords should translate into meaningful traffic and leads. For example, a party planning business should aim for “how to cook for a party,” not “how to cook rice.”
During this phase, create a list of related keywords, which will prove invaluable when crafting and optimizing your content.
STEP 3: CHECK OUT THE COMPETITION
Once you’ve settled on your keyword, investigate the competition. Search for your chosen keyword on Google and other search engines and pay close attention to the following factors:
- Domains and URLs: Are there exact match domains, and does every URL in the top 10 include the keyword?
- Titles: How are title tags incorporating the keyword?
- Types of Content Ranking: Is it product pages, blog posts, videos, or other content types?
- Types of Businesses Ranking: Are they large brands, small businesses, or news sites?
- Site Authority: Assess the age of the sites in the top 10, the size of their link profiles, and their overall authority.
The goal here is to identify opportunities for differentiation. You need to match or surpass your competitors’ efforts to rank effectively, and ideally, do even better.
STEP 4: CONSIDER INTENT
The specificity of your chosen keyword plays a vital role in determining searcher intent. The more specific the keyword, the easier it is to understand what the searcher seeks. In search marketing, “intent” refers to the user’s underlying purpose when entering a query. Consider the progression from vague to specific:
- glasses
- eyeglasses
- discount eyeglasses
- discount eyeglasses frames
- discount eyeglasses frames for kids
Your content should align with the user’s intent. Your aim is to become the single, authoritative result that satisfies their need, preventing them from returning to the search results in search of a better answer.
STEP 5: CONCEPTUALIZE THE CONTENT
Now, you’re ready to plan the content that will hopefully secure your keyword ranking. There are various content formats to choose from, including articles, blog posts, product pages, guides, infographics, and videos. Consider factors like content creation time, resources, and budget.
Don’t be discouraged – regardless of your size or budget, you can create content that works. Some queries may require specialized tools, such as a mortgage calculator, which demands engineering resources.
STEP 6: EXECUTE
This is where your plan becomes action. Execute your content strategy. While you shouldn’t rush any of the preceding steps, it’s especially important not to rush this one. Search engines now prioritize high-quality content that genuinely benefits the searcher, as opposed to keyword-stuffed spam or ad-laden pages. If you’d rather pay for traffic than invest effort in earning organic search traffic, explore PPC advertising. Keep in mind that “SEO isn’t easy,” and let that be your mantra.
STEP 7: OPTIMIZE FOR YOUR KEYWORD
Steps 6 and 7 should be intertwined. Optimize your content while creating it, rather than retrofitting optimization later. Refer to the list of keywords generated in step 2 to strategically incorporate them into your content. Avoid over-optimization, as it can make your content sound robotic. Remember that there are numerous “invisible” places for keywords, such as image file names, which can improve your rankings.
For a comprehensive list of on-page optimization factors, consult SEOmoz’s guide to the “perfect” page. Consider emulating Wikipedia, whose pages typically exhibit excellent on-page optimization.
Before hitting the “publish” button, double-check your keyword alignment, as your content may have evolved during development.
STEP 8: PUBLISH
Finally, it’s time to share your content with the world. Depending on the content type, consider timing its release. This is especially relevant for time-sensitive content related to news, events, or trends. Coordination with PR or other relevant parties may be necessary, particularly when launching content related to new products or services.
STEP 9: PROMOTE
Promotion is key and should immediately follow publishing, or even precede it for substantial content pieces. Make every effort to increase the visibility of your content before it has a chance to rank:
- Share your content through your business’s social accounts, including Twitter, Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, and your personal accounts if possible.
- Use social buttons or widgets on your site to facilitate independent sharing.
- Build links to your content, even though it’s one of the more challenging SEO tasks.
Accumulating page views and social shares will help you acquire links, which, in turn, will enhance your rankings.
STEP 10: ANALYZE
Your journey isn’t quite over. The web is constantly evolving, so it’s never too late to optimize your content. Periodically check your keyword ranking, manually or with a rank checking tool Keyword.com
Now that you have a clear roadmap for conquering the world of keyword ranking, you may be wondering how to streamline the process and supercharge your SEO efforts. That’s where Keyword.com comes into play. This powerful tool is designed to make your keyword research and optimization tasks a breeze.
With Keyword.com, you can:
- Perform in-depth keyword research to identify the most lucrative keywords for your niche.
- Get insights into keyword search volume and competition to make informed decisions.
- Track your keyword rankings over time and fine-tune your strategy.
- Access valuable tips and resources to stay on top of the ever-evolving world of SEO.
By incorporating Keyword.com into your SEO toolkit, you’ll gain a competitive edge in your quest to rank for your chosen keywords. So, what are you waiting for? Start your journey toward keyword ranking success with Keyword.com and watch your website soar to the top of Google’s search results. It’s time to take your SEO game to the next level!
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