Ranking your website on page one of Google isn’t easy, but it is possible. As we discussed last week, less than 1% of people even look at page 2 of search results. Regardless of the value, most business owners don’t think page 1 is attainable so they give up before they even start. However, with the right SEO strategy along with paid search, your business can make it onto page 1. 

Local Search

The most attainable way for businesses to reach page 1 of Google is through local search. Choose a specific, targeted geography and moderately competitive keywords. This will allow you to start developing strategy, content, and pages around the keyword while focusing on a specific market. Depending on your business and where you are, you may want to start with a smaller city. For example, in Los Angeles, you may want to first rank on page one for a city around LA, like Pasadena, before trying to capture Los Angeles. Build momentum with small wins and build from there. Begin developing content around this keyword to increase your organic search results. This is called SEO. As part of a basic SEO plan, you should add this keyword to your website multiple times so search engines begin to recognize and rank your website for these specific searches. 

Paid Search

Combining SEO efforts with paid search is a powerful combination. Since SEO is a longer process (6-12 months), you want to augment your efforts with some paid ads. This will quicken the process and elevate your website’s visibility within search. With paid search, you’re paying only when someone clicks on your ad for specific keywords that relate to your business. With paid search you’re not creating demand, you’re simply capturing demand for your product or service and directing inquiries to your website. (This is why when you spend money on ads, you must ensure your website is high quality and converting.)

Website

The quality of your website plays a big role in your ranking on Google. By quality, I mean technology used, speed, content, images, functionality, and structure of the website. This is why investing in a quality website upfront is worth the money. Gathering client testimonials, high-quality photography, videography, and more make a big difference and add to the customer experience. Google tracks how long a person stays on your website as an indicator or how engaging your site is and how relevant it is to a person’s search query. Again creating a quality website, can’t be emphasized enough. It may cost extra upfront but will be worth it down the road. 

Implementing a SEO strategy that includes paid search and a quality landing page can help your business succeed online.