How to rank high on Google: Learn from the experts

Being the #1 in the SERP for an important target keyword is the aim of any webmaster and SEO specialist. According to the statistics, 81% of people search online for a product or service. Obviously, websites with the highest positions in the Search Engine Result Page get the most traffic. For instance, Brian Dean from Backlinko did in-depth research and found that the first position in Google’s organic search results has an average CTR of 31.7%. François Mommens CEO & Founder at Linkody while he agrees with the above statement he also believes, on-page factors are limited and without backlinks from credible sources the chances to outpace competition are vastly insignificant. 

Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, ranking high on Google isn’t an easy task. There are lots of visions, strategies, rules, tips and tricks, which you can easily find. But we believe that the best tips and pieces of advice should be given by the practitioner – a person who always tests theories, overcome challenges and gets top positions for specific websites and keywords. 

That’s why we’ve involved experts in SEO and digital marketing to share their #1 tip on how to rank high on Google. Check the top tips below, learn from the experts, and get the most out of knowledge!

Milosz Krasinski

#1 tip: Work on the rich link profile

“While technical SEO and content, in general, are very important factors when ranking a website in Google, still off-site factors such as link building remain one of the most major ones. With that in mind, many marketers report on the number of successfully won links and that is right – however many links may come from the same domain, and going deeper with that many domains may sit on the same IP addresses. This is why it is so important to report on the number of unique IP addresses also called subnets. The higher diversification the richer link profile of a given domain may be. 

In short, make sure when doing any link building activities either in-house or with the help of a consultant or agency make sure you are getting links from domains that are on unique subnets not on the IP addresses or closely related IP addresses. This will help you to quickly enrich your off-site factors and build up some authority in google’s eyes.”

Shane Baker

#1 Tip – Create remarkable content

Contrary to popular belief, the most important tip to rank on the first page of SERPs is not keyword stuffing. Instead, my number one tip would be to create remarkable, useful, and relevant content keeping a specific target audience in mind.

Search engines strive to show the best content to their users. And that means content that answers their search queries. So, if you focus on understanding the search intent behind each keyword and then creating content that best matches that intent, then you’re sure to rank.

So, do your keyword research, understand the search intent behind each keyword, and create high-quality content to answer your target audience’s queries. You can use tools to write great content to help you create the best content on any topic or keyword.

Also, don’t forget to write content keeping your target audience in mind. This means using the language that they prefer to read and creating the types of content that best match their preferences. So, apart from keyword research, you also need to invest time in understanding your audience.

So, yeah, create high-quality, useful content for a specific target audience and you’re good to go. Of course, other SEO aspects are also important, but this is the first and most important requirement for ranking on the first page of SERPs.

Komal Tyagi

#1 Tip – Pinpoint target keywords

One essential element of SEO strategy is keyword research. You won’t get far in your online business without understanding how it works.

With the right keyword research, you will learn about your audience search and adjust your content accordingly. 

To be effective, you need to pinpoint the keywords that your target audience is using to find your site. Here’s how that works.

Segregate your keywords with transactional and informational search intent. Step into the customer’s shoes to know the intent behind the search using that keyword.  Does the user look for specific information or consider purchasing? Do the research needed. 

My top tips for SEOs for success –

• Include both educational (as they have high searches) and buyer keywords in your SEO strategy.
• Include long-tail keywords (4-5 keywords) in your strategy if you are a newbie, as they have a higher conversion rate compared to short-tail keywords (2 words).
• Make a list of LSI keywords. LSI keywords help in increasing the relevancy of your content and tells the search engine that — Hey, this is highly relevant content for this seed/main keyword, which the searcher is using.
• Use the right frequency of seed keywords and LSI keywords to write blogs and product pages. Don’t go overboard or spam.

You have to perform some psychology tactics to know the intent behind using keywords. For example, when someone searches for “html5 tutorials for beginners,” you know that the searcher is a newbie who might have searched extensively for solutions and wants content that helps with this topic. That can guide you to write headlines and content that ranks well in the Google search results.

It’s helpful to figure out the buyer personas, and what motivates them to buy a product. Then, provide relevant page content that will help you increase your Google ranking. 

Maarten Stad

#1 Tip – Get the most out of low-volume keywords

The most important thing to do when you start with a website is to aim low. This sounds strange because everybody is telling you to set your goals very high. In the special world of Search Engine Optimization that is sadly not how it works. Why not? Because SEO is hard work en to keep going you need some success.

So the trick I use for all websites that have no authority is this: Use the keyword tool you prefer and find a couple of keywords with less monthly search volume than 200. Write down the semantic keywords and find the websites which rank currently on the number one spot. Compose an in-depth article for this keyword and make it visual. Write at least 1.5x the words of the current number one position.

Repeat this for 20 articles. The result? By creating in-depth content you reach a lot of longtail search volume. Every article can easily get you 1.000 visitors a month. This keeps you motivated and after a short period, you will have 20 articles which not only provide 1.000 visitors each but also gives your website authority.

Sean Si

#1 Tip – Analyze Search Intent first

In SEO these days, everyone argues which of the ranking factors is the number one ranking factor that is used by Google. You can argue that it’s link building, some will say website speed, and of course, most will say that content is king. Well, content is undeniably king but to me, what defines quality content these days is search intent.

People tend to forget that Google’s number 1 goal is to serve users the best and most relevant search results. When a user does a search, they already have a specific intent in mind. If you want to be number one on Google, you need to produce content that satisfies what the user needs, not give them content that you think they need. If you are able to fully understand the search intent of a specific keyword, then you’ve finished a huge part of the work already.

Neal Taparia

#1 Tip – Build links for your content partners

As part of link building, you’re going to be writing content for other sites. While that’s great, you can’t stop there. Even if a domain is good, the article itself may not have not much authority. You want to write great content that Google recognizes, you can’t just depend on the strength of the domain. 

With our gaming site Solitaired, we always try to help market and drive links towards any content we contribute to other sites. As a prerequisite, the content has to be strong. If it’s good, then, others are willing to link to it if you put the marketing work behind it. 

Ultimately, it’s a win-win. It’s great for your partners and creates stronger backlinks to your site.

Which advice do you consider as the most important? Share your tips on how to rank high on Google in the comments below.