What’s your goal? Do you want to rank on the first page of Google for a specific keyword or phrase? If so, then we have some very important information for you. In this blog post, we will cover strategies and tips that will help get your site ranking on the first page of Google. In addition, we provide actionable steps that can be completed by someone with no SEO experience at all. In this blog post, we will cover an ideal SEO game plan and tips that will help get your site ranking on the first page of Google.
Table of Contents
Plan Your Site’s Architecture
First and foremost, we recommend planning your site’s architecture. This is one of the most important things to do when starting a website from scratch because it will ensure that all of your future efforts aren’t wasted on poor search engine optimization. Before you start building out content for new pages or creating links pointing back to the root domain (example: mysite.com), map everything out first in an excel sheet or Google Docs spreadsheet using this template. If done correctly, learn more about this simple step that can save countless hours trying to fix broken SEO campaigns later down the road!
Perform Keyword Research
Once you have your site’s architecture planned out, it is time to get started with keyword research. Unfortunately, keyword research can be overwhelming and extremely boring, which often leads people to put off performing this crucial step in the SEO process. We suggest using a free service like Google AdWords or SEMrush (paid) because they provide highly accurate search volume data for average monthly searches within specific locations, languages, and devices (mobile vs. desktop).
Perform Competitor Research
Now that we have identified some keywords related to our business/product/service, we need to perform competitor analysis on these phrases, so we know what exactly is ranking for them – how many links do they have pointing back at their website? Who are the top publishers linking back?
Optimize Your Site’s Platform
Now that we have a list of keywords and phrases to target, it is time to optimize your site’s platform using these tips:
Use the keyword phrase you identified in step one throughout all content on your website. This can be done easily by adding metadata for each page or section within the CMS (WordPress). If you’re struggling with this part, reach out to us here. We would love to help.
Link internally between pages when possible. For example, if my product comes in different colors, I want links pointing at /blue-woolen-sweater from other blue clothing articles on my blog, so search engines know that they are relevant topics together.
Use a Mobile-Friendly Design
If you’re not using a mobile-friendly design on your website, the majority of users will likely bounce due to slow load times or issues with usability. You can check out Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test here.
Use Schema Markup
Schema markup is an easy way for search engines like Google and Bing to understand your website content better so they can display it in SERPs more efficiently. We recommend checking out this blog post by Ellie Mirman on Moz that goes into great detail regarding schema markup along with examples.
Create Quality Content & Distribute via Social Media
Creating quality content means different things to different people – some think original articles are best while others prefer curated posts (listicles). The most important thing to keep in mind is that you should be providing value for your readers. This can take the form of tips, tricks, or even entertainment (videos, infographics, etc.). If it doesn’t provide something useful to the reader, then it’s probably not worth publishing.
Don’t forget about distribution once content has been created and published on your website(s). Social media sites like Twitter & Facebook are great ways to get more eyes on new pieces, so make sure they are posted there, using relevant hashtags when possible.
Set Up Your New Site in Google’s Search Console
Once you have all of your new site’s content published and distributed via social media, it is time to submit them for indexing in Google. By setting up a “New Property” (website) within the Search Console, you can do this.
Submit Your Sitemap to Google for Indexing
Once your website has been submitted to Google in the Search Console, it is time to submit a sitemap so search engines can see all pages and sections of your new site.
