“Hey, Google! Where’s the best place to get Thai food near me?”
In today’s world, nearly everyone searches Google for everything they want to find, learn, eat, create, or experience. Google says that 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something, visit a business within one day. You have the product, service, or information they need, but are you showing up when they search? Or is someone beating you to page one?
If you haven’t heard by now, the best place to hide something where no one will find it is on the second page of a Google search result. According to HubSpot, 75% of people will never scroll past the first page of a Google search result.
Organic search is one of the most valuable marketing channels there is, making search engine optimization (SEO) a necessity. Showing up on page two or three won’t bring you the traffic or interaction needed to grow your business organically, and it most certainly will not make SEO worth your time or money. I’ll expand on that.
In a single month, Google handles approximately 40-60 billion searches in the U.S. alone. According to the Search Engine Journal, the average traffic share generated by the results on page one of a Google search is 91.5%. That means if you show up on page 2 or 3, you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to grab part of the remaining 8.5% of the pie.
Many business owners are turned off by SEO for several reasons. It’s a long term strategy that doesn’t typically yield immediate results. Countless other businesses are trying to gain the same piece of the pie and it’s nearly impossible to outrank the big guys for standard keywords.
You can’t outrank the big guys using short, popular keywords in your content, but you can outsmart them and steadily grow your organic search ranking and traffic using other methods. I’ll touch on a few.
Long-Tail Keywords
Using Long-tail keywords in your content creation is a smart strategy because they are easier to earn. These types of queries also make up the majority of searches on Google. Why? Because long-tail searchers are looking for specific information. Think “best running shoes for kids” versus “kids shoes.” And, even though these keywords may have a lower search volume, their conversion rates are almost always higher, because the search intent is more straightforward. It’s an opportunity to help prospects land on exactly what they needed to find.
Write More Blogs
You can’t cram all those long-tail keywords into one place. That means you need to create more content. You should focus on 1-3 keywords per blog or article. Longer content also stands up better against Google’s algorithm. But, make sure you use headings and subheadings, bold, italics, numberings, and bullets. These naturally makes your content more presentable and scannable and can boost organic traffic to your blog. Once you have your content start linking back to it on multiple platforms: Pinterest, LinkedIn, Facebook groups, Slideshare, etc.
Build High-Quality Backlinks
Credible sources need to be linking back to your content. After all, Google’s organic rankings are all about credibility. You could build backlinks using a paid service that eliminates most of the elbow grease. Or, you could compile and reach out to a network of bloggers and ask them to share your link or article for you. You can even submit your blog to blogging communities.
Proper Site Structure
It’s critical to have a good site structure that search engines can crawl and index easily. The better your site structure, the more likely you are to rank higher with search engines like Google. An easily navigable website with a logical site structure also makes for better user experience and creates users who stay longer and explore more content.
There are many ways to improve your SEO, but several things remain certain.
- Consumers are starting their fact-finding and decision-making journeys on the internet.
- Ranking organically on page one of a search engine is no longer an option. It’s a necessity.
- The more keyword-rich content you create, the more search engines will find you.
If Google can’t find you, neither can anyone else.
Learn more about showing up on page one of Google.
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