This article was co-authored by Richard Casamento. Richard Casamento is a Digital Business Development Specialist and the owner of the WIN Marketing Group, a digital marketing consultancy based in northern New Jersey. With over ten years of experience in marketing and over 25 in electrical engineering, he specializes in content marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), paid media advertising, television, and social media operations. He has grown the WIN Marketing Group to serve a diverse group of clients who benefit from a highly analytical and personal approach to marketing. Richard holds a BS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of New Hampshire and a Certificate of Study in Lasers and Optical Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology.
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Getting on the first page of Google can be done by implementing Search Engine Optimization (SEO) changes to your website. Making these edits, which include changing your site's content or code, will improve your site's visibility to Google's complex algorithms. Though you can't guarantee that the site will be listed on the first page of Google results, SEO changes can help increase your rankings and get your site more visitors.
Steps
Optimizing Your Content
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1Create quality content. The best thing that you can do to increase your rankings with Google is to run a quality website.[1] You can even hire a professional designer to create your page (and if you can't, just be sure to keep it updated and looking modern). You'll also want to focus on the quality of the text.
- Google likes to see lots of text with correct grammar and spelling. Make sure your content matches the preview of your site from the search page. If you bait and switch readers, or if they otherwise immediately leave and look for something else, your rankings will be docked.[2]
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2Create original content. You'll be docked for duplicating your content over different pages of your site and you'll also be docked for stealing someone else's content. It's not a matter of getting caught by a person, Google's bots do all the heavy lifting. Just focus on creating quality content that's all your own.
Changing Your Code
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1Choose a good domain name. If you can make it work, fit your main keyword into your domain name as the first word in the domain. To boost rankings, you can also use a country TLD (top level domain, like .com) if you have a local business. You'll be rewarded for searches in your area, but doing this will hurt your searches outside of your country. Of course this doesn't matter if your business is local. At the very least, avoid replacing words with numbers (and other 90s tricks) and avoid using a subdomain.
- This applies to subpages as well. Use descriptive and valid URLS for each page of the website. Give the pages names that tell search engines and users what they are instead of using generic names like "page1". Instead, do something like weddings, for your wedding rentals and catering page.
- Keywords in subdomains also work in your favor. So for example, if you have a section of your site that is for wholesale, use an address like "weddings and wholesale".
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2Use descriptions. Your website code allows you to add invisible descriptions for pictures and pages. Use these, and try to fit at least one keyword into the text. Having one at all will help your rankings. If you don't know how to work your html code to do this, get your website designer to help you.
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3Use headers. Headers are another part of the website code where you can add text. Use these, and try to fit at least one keyword into the text. Having one at all will help your rankings. If you don't know how to work your html code to do this, get your website designer to help you.
Joining the Community
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1Work to create quality backlinks. Backlinks are when another website, preferably one that gets more hits than yours, links to your page. Find websites that are in the same vein as yours and see if they'd be willing to do some cross promotion. You can also contact relevant blogs and ask about guest posting, giving you another chance to link to your site.[3] [4]
- Remember, you want these backlinks to be quality. Google can tell the difference. Do not spam comment sections trying to build backlinks for yourself. You will be docked for this behavior.
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2Get on the social media train. Social media like and shares are rewarded more than ever these days with Google, especially with subjects that are currently relevant. This means that you should create social media accounts and try to build a base of followers who will like your pages and share them with friends. Remember: the trick is to not be spammy!
- Keep interacting with your customers online so that they can feel valued. Try to respond to the reviews as this would be appreciated by the customers. Retweet and repost your good reviews.
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3Be active in the online community. Update your website regularly. Google rewards sites which see regular maintenance and updates. This means if you've been ignoring your website since 2005, you're in trouble. Find small ways to update it: new pricing, news posts every couple of months, photos from events, etc.
- Do some tweaking to your website in order to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. Use free online tools to keep updating your website on a regular basis.
Using Google
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1Learn to use Keywords. Keywords is Google's most powerful tool for website owners. It is a tool found within Google's AdSense website. For free, you're allowed to search and find what people are looking for most. For example, for your winery, search the term winery (applying any filters you think matter). Click on the Keyword ideas tab and it will tell you how often people are searching your term, what the competition is like, and suggest some alternatives that are also frequently searched. Look for the most popular keywords that are relevant to you and use them![5]
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2Learn to use Trends. Google Trends tells you specifically how interest changes in a topic over time. Search your term and look at the charts for months when you can expect a peak. Smart website owners will be able to guess why there's an increase and find a way to meet that need and set themselves apart.
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3Add the physical location of your business to Google maps, if applicable. Businesses listed in Google Maps are displayed first when a user enters a regional search phrase. It's easy to add a listing; simply login to the Google account and fill out the online forms.
Community Q&A
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QuestionCan I pay to be on first page of Google?Community AnswerYes, you can pay AdWords, and they can give you a certain position on Google search.
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QuestionHow do I rank my website on the first page?Community AnswerYou can't change the position of your site in Google's search results because their algorithm determines which sites are the most relevant and helpful for the search term.
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QuestionWould social media make a good platform for promoting a website?Community AnswerYes! Social media is a great place to promote your website. If you put some work into creating your profile and making it look attractive, then build up followers on Twitter, Facebook etc. you can get a huge amount of traffic to your website.
Warnings
- Make sure the website has valid content and doesn't have the appearance of keyword spamming. A site that contains only keywords and not helpful information will not only be a turnoff to users, it can be penalized by search engines and not show up in search results at all.⧼thumbs_response⧽
References
- ↑ https://neilpatel.com/blog/improve-google-rankings-without-getting-penalized/#step_8
- ↑ Richard Casamento. Digital Business Development Specialist. Expert Interview. 30 March 2021.
- ↑ Richard Casamento. Digital Business Development Specialist. Expert Interview. 30 March 2021.
- ↑ https://neilpatel.com/blog/build-high-quality-backlinks/
- ↑ https://www.disruptiveadvertising.com/marketing/google-serp-101/
About This Article
To get on the first page of Google, start by using Google Analytics to find the best keywords for your business. Next, create quality content and use those keywords throughout your text, which will improve your visibility. Then, incorporate high-res images that match your content and update your site's code to include invisible descriptions for the images so you can use more keywords. Adding the physical location of your business to Google maps can also improve your ranking. To learn more about keywords and how to use them effectively, read on!