In this article, I'll show you exactly how to rank higher in Google by following great advice from SEO experts at BITS. In the article, we present real cases of blog posts that have been ranked very well on Google for certain targeted keywords.
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| Google Ranking |
So if you want to rank higher in Google in 2021, you are going to love this new guide.
Step # 1: Improve Your On-Site SEO
Step # 2: Add LSI Keywords to Your Page
Step # 3: Monitor Your Technical SEO
Step # 4: Match Your Content to Search Intent
Step # 5: Lower Your Bounce Rate
Step # 6: Find Peer Keywords To Target
Step # 7: Post-High-Quality Content
Step # 8: Build backlinks to your site
Step # 9: Track and Monitor Your Results
Bonus step 1: increase your click-through rate
Bonus step 2: use the internal link.
Step # 1: Improve Your On-Site SEO
Here is the truth:
On-page SEO is one of the FASTEST ways to improve your Google rankings.
This is because you can optimize your page in about 2 minutes. And start to see a ranking increase in a matter of days.
The question is:
How do you optimize your site around your target keywords?
First, make sure your keyword is at the start of your title tag.
Here is an example:
This is called "pre-loading" your keyword.
Why is it important that your keyword is at the beginning of your title tag?
Well, Google puts a little more emphasis on the terms that appear at the beginning of your title tag. And they put less emphasis on keywords that appear later.
For example, the target keyword on this page is "e-commerce SEO":
As you can see, the title tag begins with this keyword.
Second, create your content AT LEAST 1,800 words.
Analysis of Google's top-ranking factors revealed that longer content = higher rankings.
And I can tell you from experience that longer content tends to be better in search engines.
For example, a keyword for which BITS ranks # 1 is: "Mobile SEO". And that's a REALLY competitive keyword.
BITS competes with giant authority sites like Moz, Yoast … even Google!
That's why BITSmade sure their page covered everything anyone would want to know about optimizing their site for mobile devices.
In fact, its content is 4,330 words in total.
Obviously, there are times when long content just doesn't make sense (like an eCommerce category page). But if you can post long content you must post long content.
Finally, add your 2-3x keyword to your page.
It's not about keyword stuffing or anything like that.
Instead, when you add relevant terms to your page, you tell Google:
“This page is about this search query!”.
Which can help you improve your ranking.
Step # 2: Add LSI Keywords to Your Page
LSI keywords are an advanced on-page SEO tactic.
And they are working very well at the moment.
So: what are LSI keywords?
These are words and phrases related to the topic of your page.
For example, here are some sample LSI keywords for the keyword "Cold Brew Coffee".
These LSI keywords confirm to Google that your content is actually about this topic.
And, as it turns out, covering an entire topic on one page is KEY to Google's first-page ranking.
How do you find and use LSI keywords on your site?
I recommend checking out a free SEO tool called LSIGraph.
All you have to do is insert your main keyword into the tool ...
… And it will spit out a handful of LSI keywords that you can add to your page.
Pleasant.
Step # 3: Monitor Your Technical SEO
For 90% of websites, technical SEO is NOT a problem.
That said:
Even though they're rare, technical SEO issues can really hurt your site's SEO.
So it is worth paying attention to it.
Specifically, here are three things to watch out for:
The first thing BITS recommends verifying that your site is 100% optimized for mobile devices.
We are in 2020. So this is probably not a problem for you.
But it never hurts to check.
Fortunately, checking your site's mobile optimization is a snap.
All you need to do is use your website URL support in Google's mobile-friendly test tool.
If you see everything green, you're good to go.
Otherwise, this is something you want to fix ASAP.
It is also recommended to watch to see how fast your site is loading.
It's no secret that the average site load time is a Google ranking factor.
In the experience of SEO experts, page speed is not a very important ranking factor. But it does make a difference.
So go ahead and run your site through site speed tools like WebPageTest.org.
It's free and gives you a full list of ways to speed things up.
Then go to Search Console.
And go to “Index” → “Cover” in the sidebar.
If Google is having trouble indexing your site, it will let you know here.
As you can see there is a "Valid With Warnings" error on this page.
These are not big things. But they are worth fixing.
But if you see a lot of red errors, this is something to look into right away.
Finally, if your site works on WordPress, we recommend that you use the Yoast SEO plugin. Otherwise, there are other plugins on the net for other CMS like Joomla ...
Will these plugins magically improve your ranking on Google?
No.
But it can help make your WordPress or Joomla site SEO friendly.
Step # 4: Match Your Content to Search Intent
"Search intent " is the new buzzword in the SEO world.
And for good reason.
Thanks in large part to RankBrain, Google can now determine if your site is a good fit for a specific keyword.
In other words, Google pays attention to how people interact with your website.
And if people generally get what they're looking for on your page, you can expect your ranking to improve.
Otherwise, Google will drop your site in a few places.
The key to this step is to make sure that your page is giving a searcher exactly what they're looking for.
How does this work with a real example?
A few years ago, I wanted to rank for the keyword "Conversion Rate Optimization".
backlinks have spent WEEKS working on this giant list of CRO techniques.
At first, the content went very well. He was getting a decent amount of search engine traffic every month.
But over time, Google figured out that people searching for "Conversion Rate Optimization" didn't want a giant list of techniques.
And, as you can see in this screenshot from Google Analytics, the organic traffic to this page has slowly been declining.
A few months ago backlinks decided to figure out what the research intent for "Conversion Rate Optimization" really was.
First of all, they thought that someone typing that phrase into Google is looking for.
And realized they probably wanted content that included:
1. A definition of what CRO really is
2. A description of how the CRO works
3. Examples of CROs in action
4. Tips for getting started
Second, they looked at what was already ranking on the first page.
And quickly noticed that almost all of the first page results included all of the things my content was missing.
(Mostly in the form of a giant beginner guide).
So they completely reworked their content from scratch.
They've turned this list of techniques into Conversion Rate Optimization: The Definitive Guide.
Now that their page matches search intent, it is now driving 214% more organic traffic than before.
Conclusion? If you want to improve your Google rankings, your page should be a perfect fit for what someone is looking for.
When you do, Google WANTS to show your site to more people. This is why giving Google what it wants is the foundation of any good SEO strategy.
Step # 5: Lower Your Bounce Rate
Our next step is to improve your site's bounce rate.
Why is this important?
Well, Google doesn't like to see people land on a site… and bounce back quickly to search results.
This is a clear sign to Google that people are not happy. And if the users aren't happy, you can kiss your rankings goodbye.
Needless to say, aligning your content with Search Intent is a great way to improve your bounce rate.
After all, you give a researcher what they're looking for. Why would they bounce back?
Besides Search Intent, there are a few simple things you can do to improve your site's bounce rate.
First, we recommend that you check out the " Above the Fold " section of your site.
It's the first thing people see when they come to your site.
And based on experience, people decide whether or not to bounce broadly off what they see here.
The first thing you can do to improve your area above the crease is pushed your content up. This way, Google searchers can easily find what they are looking for.
For example, you can see my content is at the very top of my page here.
You also want to structure your page so that users can easily find what they are looking for.
For example, you may have noticed that I added a small table of contents at the top of this page.
This way people can jump right to the step that interests them the most.
Finally, add visuals, videos, graphics, screenshots, selfies… or any other form of visual content you can to your page.
It makes your content more engaging and easier to understand. Both can drastically reduce your bounce rate.
For example, there are dozens of visuals for each publication.
And it helps keep my bounce rate very low.
Step # 6: Find Peer Keywords To Target
At this point, you should start to see your site ranking higher on Google.
Now is the time to get even MORE traffic to your site.
And the easiest way to do it?
Optimize your page around several different keywords.
Here is the exact process.
First, go to the Google Search Console "Search Results Performance" report.
Then browse through the queries you rank for.
You will probably recognize most of them because you have already optimized your web pages around these exact keywords.
But every once in a while you will come across a keyword that you are not optimizing.
And if you rank for that term by accident, imagine how easy it will be to rank if you actually TRY to rank it.
For example, BITS gets quite a bit of traffic from people looking for a "sample YouTube video description".
But they have no optimized page around that exact keyword.
Instead, people who search for that keyword find this page on the BITS site.
This page includes a sample video description.
But it's not really optimized around this term.
BITS, therefore, wanted to come back to this page and add this exact phrase a few times. And develop the example a bit.
We can also create a brand new optimized page around this keyword.
Either way, it works.
Rinse and repeat this process several times.
Step # 7: Post-High-Quality Content
You've probably heard that in order to rank in Google "you need to post high-quality content".
And while this is true, it is also very difficult to take action.
(After all, what does “high-quality content” actually mean?)
So yes, you want to post awesome stuff on your site.
But it needs to be the kind of high-quality content that people share on social media… and link to.
Indeed, as you may already know, Google's algorithm is largely based on backlinks.
The more backlinks your site has, the higher you will rank.
And the best way to build backlinks to your site?
Post content that people will connect to.
(Also known as " linkbait ").
Here are a few ways to increase the chances of people linking to your content.
Become a data source
In other words:
Post something that other people can quote in their blog content.
This article was filled with data, statistics, and numbers. What kind of thing do bloggers and journalists love to relate to?
For example, one of our findings is that less than 10% of all outreach emails are answered.
And bloggers and journalists quickly began to cite this statistic as proof that most advocacy efforts were failing.
Focus on long content
Well, it turns out that longer content is also great for getting links.
While there isn't a "perfect" word count for blog posts, content over 3,000 words tends to do better when it comes to link building.
Publish visual content
I'm talking about things like:
1. Infographics
2. Plans
3. Graphics
4. Organization charts
5. Videos
Visual content is great for getting links.
For example, some time ago we posted this infographic on our blog.
Yeah, we had to do a lot of email outreach to get the word out.
But when we got this infographic in front of the right people, they were happy to embed it on their blog.
Step # 8: Build backlinks to your site
Posting amazing content is awesome and all.
But in order for your content to get links, people have to see it.
In other words:
You can't just take a “publish and pray” approach to content marketing and HOPE people will link you.
Indeed, your content is a drop in an ocean of blogs, videos, Instagram Stories, and Facebook posts that come out every day.
In fact, WordPress reports that 70 million new posts come out every month.
The point to remember here is that if you want people to link to your site, you need to actively promote your content.
This backlink video will show you the 9 link building strategies that work best for me right now.
That said:
You probably don't need to use these 9 elements to bond.
Instead, I recommend focusing on these 3 techniques:
Getting links through broken links
This is also known as the “ Broken Link Building ”.
To use this policy, first install the CheckMyLinks Chrome extension.
Then scan a page you find for a dead link.
When you find one, email it to the person who manages that page (usually the content author or website webmaster). a customized version of this messaging script:
Hi [First name],
I found a broken link on your page: [title].
This is the link to [website]. It gives me a 404 error.
In addition, I recently published an article on [topic]. This could make a good replacement for the dead link.
Hope this can help!
Guest Posting Guest posting is a VERY controversial topic in the SEO world.
And for good reason.
Guest posting can certainly be spam.
In fact, Google specifically states that large-scale campaigns that use “keyword rich” anchor text links are a no-no.
So as long as you don't a) get guests to post your # 1 link-building strategy and b) use keyword-rich anchor text in your backlinks, you're good to go.
For example, here is a guest post I posted on the SEMRush blog.
This was posted on another site in my niche (search engine optimization). So a big checkmark there.
And that was one of two guest posts I posted this month. It is far from large-scale guest blogging.
Also, my link to my site did not contain any keywords.
So overall, this guest post would be considered A-OK in the eyes of Google.
Resource Pages
Resource pages are great for link building.
This is because resource pages are pages that someone has created to link to the best things on a given topic.
For example, BITS has a resource page designed to help people learn SEO quickly.
And this page has links to helpful content on keyword research, content, and more.
So if you had an outstanding SEO resource, BITS might consider adding it to this page.
Step # 9: Track and Monitor Your Results
So at this point, you should start to see your site ranking higher on Google than before.
Who is great.
But how do you know if these rankings are doing something for you?
Also:
How do you keep tabs on your SEO results without manually checking your rankings every hour?
This is what this step is for. In this step, BITS shows you how to track your results like a pro.
"Organic traffic" from Google Analytics
The rankings are great and everything. But when it comes to measuring SEO marketing results, NOTHING beats organic traffic.
(In other words, traffic coming directly from search engines).
This is mainly because the rankings can be misleading.
In fact, an industry study conducted by Ahrefs found that Google's # 1 ranking isn't all it's cracked up to be.
They found that Google's highest-ranking page didn't always get the most traffic.
How is it possible?
First of all, the organic CTR.
I will talk about this a LOT more in the next step.
But as a quick overview, result # 2 in Google sometimes gets more clicks than result # 1.
And if you can double your organic click-through rate, you've just doubled your traffic from that keyword.
Second, a single page can rank for THOUSANDS of different keywords.
Suppose you rank # 1 for keyword A. And your competitor ranks # 2 for that same term.
But your competitor ranks # 1 for keywords B, C and D.
Because they rank for more keywords, they will likely get more Google traffic than you.
In short: tracking your Google rankings has its place. But the gold standard of SEO tracking is organic traffic.
Google search console "Impressions" and "Clicks"
It's a good addition to the Google Analytics organic traffic report we just discussed.
This report in Search Console basically shows you how many people have seen your site. And how many of those people have CLICKED on your site.
As you might expect, the more people who see and click on your site from Google, the better.
Prospects and sales
In other words: does this influx of traffic actually add to the bottom line?
This is a question that people ignore. But if you want to get a huge ROI from SEO, you need to know if all of those new visitors are turning into customers.
There's a million and one way to follow it. But the preferred one is the Goals function of Google Analytics
In fact, what BITS is using here to see which pages are generating the most email subscribers for them?
Bonus step 1: increase your click-through rate
It's no secret that Google uses click-through rates in its algorithm.
In fact, several studies ( like this one ) have found a correlation between “expected CTR” and Google rankings.
In other words:
The higher your organic CTR, the higher you will be ranked overall.
This is because a high CTR tells Google that your page is what searchers are looking for.
And they will increase your page ranking to make it easier to find.
Here are some easy ways to get more clicks:
Use emotional title tags: in other words, titles that stand out. Here is an example:
Use short, descriptive URLs - they're good for SEO in general. But they also help Google searchers see your page as a great choice for their search.
Rich Snippets: Rich Snippets (like stars) really help your site stand out in the SERPs.
Compelling Meta Descriptions: Your meta description should "sell" your page.
Bonus step 2: use the internal link
Want an easy way to improve your Google ranking?
Use internal linking.
In other words:
Link a page on your site to another page on your site.
And unlike backlinks, you can use exact match anchor text in your internal links.
For example, BITS is currently at the bottom of the first page for the term "Google Search Console".
And considering how many people search for this keyword each month, even moving up from one location could make a huge difference to me.
So, to increase the chances of this page ranking, we add an internal link to this page every time we mention Google Search Console.
Rinse and repeat for all your high-priority pages.
Conclusion
So hopefully you enjoyed this guide written by BITS which takes you step by step through the process to rank higher in Google searches.