The ABCs of SEO: How to Get on the First Page of Google

Google holds more than 90 percent of the search engine market share.

Each search produces dozens, if not hundreds of pages of results. Your website is probably among the sites with a lot of those searches. The bitter truth, though, is that most users never move past the first page of results.

That means you have to figure out how to get on the first page of Google searches.

The answer? Search engine optimization (SEO). We're going to look at some SEO basics today to show you how you can improve your Google rankings and start seeing more success online.

Let's get started.

SEO Basics: What is SEO?

Search engine optimization is the process of tailoring your website to the ever-changing preferences of Google's search engine algorithm.

The algorithm is Google's way of judging the relevancy and quality of trillions of sites in its index. There are roughly 200 factors used to determine these qualities.

Fortunately, you don't need to account for all of these factors. Some of them come naturally when you're making honest content for your business, and some of them are too specific for you to pay any mind to.

There are a number of factors that you do need to focus on, though. We'll describe a few of the most important factors in optimization and give you a basic look at the SEO campaigns in the process.

Each of the factors below can help you improve search rankings slightly, but a holistic campaign can get you on the first page of Google.

How to Get on the First Page of Google

Google's primary goal is to provide sites that are useful to users. Optimization and all of the technical work that goes into it are second to the user experience of your site.

The algorithm is a method for artificial intelligence to use while judging how relevant a site will be to humans. You, as a human, should have a sense of how useful or functional your site is.

We say this as a reminder to keep user experience and value in mind throughout the optimization process. It's easy to get lost in the weeds of technical jargon and forget the purpose of the work you're doing.

Google rewards things that are useful. It's good at doing that. So, follow your gut and do your best to create a site that's meaningful to your users.

Back-End Optimization

The first thing to do is make sure that your website is functioning well. That means healthy site speed, no broken links, and logical organization. Google Search Console is a great help with identifying those issues when they pop up.

In many cases, the Search Console gives a notification when it notices that a link is broken, your mobile page isn't loading correctly, or something else negative occurs on your site. You can use that platform to try and troubleshoot the issue as well.

The other back-end optimization challenges might be out of reach. You can do them yourself, but there's a lot of time and effort required to learn how to code, develop sites, and more.

So, serious issues with your site might be worth hiring professionals to complete. You'll save a lot of time and frustration. You'll likely get better results as well.

Keyword Research

The next thing to note is that all Google searches relate to keyword phrases. Anything you enter into Google's search bar is a "keyword" or "keyword phrase."

On a large scale, keyword trends emerge and help businesses see what their target audiences are searching online. Through keyword research, you can identify the type of content that will be most successful for your website.

Note that the most popular keywords are dominated by massive companies. For example, "best running shoes" will draw search results from companies like Nike, Reebok, or Adidas. Those companies are too hard for small businesses to compete with.

It's great to be ambitious, but there are smart ways to keyword optimize.

Instead of shooting for the stars, find optimal keywords that balance popularity with the competition. "Best running shoes" might have 2 million searches per day, but you won't see any results if you're tucked on the 14th page of the search.

Instead "shoes for running in the Midwest" might have 14,000 searches per day. If you rank in the top position for that search, you'll see a massive influx of web traffic.

Content Creation Strategy

Once you've got the keyword, your job is to create content that's optimized for that keyword. That means you include the keyword phrase in important positions.

The title, meta description, body text, and more are all places you can include a keyword. Note that "keyword stuffing" will hurt you. Placing excessive keywords is less effective than using the terms naturally a few times throughout the text.

You should also create content in response to the question implied in the keyword. This ensures the content is relevant to the user as well as the keyword.

So, the person searching for "best running shoes in the Midwest" is asking, "what kind of shoes will work best in the place live?" They're also implying that they need running shoes and they're looking to buy them.

Responsive content to that search would include information about running in the Midwest. It would also offer reasons that particular shoes work better in that climate, then include a number of potentials shoes to choose from.

Your hypothetical shoe company would use this as an opportunity to direct users back to your sales pages. This is called a "call to action."

Repeat that process regularly as keyword trends change and you'll see a general trend upward in the Google results.