Is there a guaranteed way to be number one on Google? When you think of this question, it is a logical impossibility. After all, if there was a guaranteed way, everyone would do it which would render the technique useless. After all, everyone can’t be number one.
This doesn’t mean you should give up all hope of getting to the top spot of Google. For a start, you should be able to get to the top spot for your business name – that is relatively straightforward. When most people talk about getting to number one on Google, however, they are referring to being in the top spot for other keywords in addition to their business name.
So, while there are no guarantees, here are six tips which will increase your chances of being number 1 on Google.
Tip 1 – Adhere to Google’s Quality Guidelines
Trying to trick your way to number one spot on Google simply won’t work, particularly in the long term. The only way to get real and lasting results is to use open and honest strategies.
A good place to start is to check if your website and SEO strategies adhere to Google’s Quality Guidelines.
Tip 2 – Target the Right Keywords
The keywords you choose to target are critically important to the success of your SEO strategy. Let’s say you are a mortgage adviser, for example. You are likely to find it almost impossible to rank highly for the keyword “mortgages” because it is too competitive. Therefore, you probably should not spend time or money trying.
The more successful approach is to target other keywords. This includes local search terms such as “mortgage advisor <location>”. It also includes more specific search terms, such as “first-time buyer mortgages <location>”.
While there is still no guarantee with these keywords, you will increase your chances of success.
Tip 3 – Optimise Your Website for Keywords
Once you have decided on the keywords you want to target, you need to optimise your content for those keywords. This usually means the following:
- Creating a separate page for each main keyword
- Including the keyword in the page title
- Including the keyword in the H1 tag
- Including the keyword in the first paragraph of the page and sporadically elsewhere
- Including variations of the keyword in the page’s sub-headings and content
- Including the keyword in the page’s meta description
Tip 4 – Add Lots of Content to Your Website
You should also publish lots of high-quality and unique content to your website. This can help with the next tip, plus it helps Google get a better understanding of your website and your level of authority in the field. Google also likes websites that are active.
Tip 5 – Get Links from High-Quality Sources
Backlinks remain one of the most important factors in SEO. Google treats links from other websites to yours as an indicator of your website’s quality. There are two things you should remember about links:
- You need lots of them – the more the better
- But only if they come from good quality sources
In other words, there is no way of faking links that will deliver sustainable results. This may have been possible in the past, but the only realistic option you have now is to build genuine links from quality websites.
Tip 6 – Use Alternative Strategies
The final tip we have is to forget about getting to the top spot in Google’s organic search results. This is because you have other options:
- Use Google My Business and optimise your listing and website for local searches. This is because Google’s local search results are separate to the organic listings, plus they appear above the organic listings.
- Use Google AdWords, optimising your campaign to get into one of the top ad positions. These positions also appear above organic search results.
- If you sell products, promote them using Google Shopping ads which are more attractive on search results pages than organic listings, plus they typically appear at the top of the page.
If you choose to go the SEO route, however, make sure you put in place a long-term strategy. This is the best way get the results you need.
