For any website owner, getting your site on the first page of Google is typically a priority. Most people use search engines to find the information they need these days, and Google is by far the most popular search engine. On top of that, people rarely scroll past the first page of results, making it important that you land in one of the top spots.
Whether you land on the first page of Google, or are relegated to a lower page, often plays a large role in determining how much traffic a website receives, and in turn, how well the business or person behind the site performs. So if you are the owner of a website, you’re probably wondering “How do I get my website on the first page of Google?” Luckily, there are a few things you can do to increase your chances, but first it’s important to understand the factors that Google looks at.
Google Ranking Factors
There are many factors that Google looks at for each page when determining where it should rank. But rather than trying to focus on them all, it’s better to learn about some of the biggest.
- Keyword Relevance – First, Google looks at the words associated with your website, and how well they compare to the search query. The more prominent the keyword is on your website, and the more closely it matches the keyword, the higher you will likely rank.
- Page Speed– More and more, Google is starting to look at how fast a website responds. If your website lags, Google is likely to penalize it and drop it lower in its rankings.
- Inbound Links – Another prominent factor is the links from other websites that point back to your own. A website that has a large amount of links from reputable sites is going to rank higher than a site with no links.
What Can I Do To Improve My Rankings?
Now that we know some of the things Google is looking for, we can start optimizing our website to adhere to their rules. Some options are free and easy, while others could take up your entire marketing budget.
- Conduct Keyword Research – The first thing you’ll want to do is keyword research. Keyword research is essentially finding the best words to describe your site, that also happen to be common search terms. You may find keywords that are perfect for your site, but if no one is searching for them – or if there is a lot of competition for those keywords – you might not see any results with them. To learn more about keyword research, you can read this guide.
- Start A Blog – Starting a blog is one of the better things you can do for your website, for two reasons. First, in addition to the factors mentioned above, Google likes to see websites that are regularly updated, and writing the occasional blog post allows you to do this. Second, if you write great content, other websites will link to it, giving you the inbound links you need.
- Speed Up Your Website – See if you can make your website faster. First, check your page speed here. If you find it’s slow, consider upgrading to a faster server, optimizing the website to make the file sizes smaller, or, if you have a WordPress site, removing some plugins.
Paying For The First Page
Finally, we should mention that there is a bit of a shortcut to getting on the first page. Ads also appear on the first page of Google, and if you are willing to spend the money, you can have your site instantly at the top of the results. How much you have to spend will depend on the keyword you’re targeting, and how popular it is. You will also have to decide on your budget, as you can spend as little as a few dollars, or thousands of dollars a month. The great thing about this method is that you only pay when someone clicks on your link (Pay Per Click), so you are only spending money when someone goes to your site.
Ranking Takes Time And Patience
While the above methods will help you to rank higher, remember that this won’t happen over night. You’re likely going against other websites working to do the same thing, and you’ll need patience in order to pass them. But if you are able to pull it off, ranking on the first page of Google is a great reward, and a goal worth pursuing. If you would like to find out more about ranking higher on Google’s search results, please feel free to contact us at any time.
