SEO

How to Show up Higher in the Search Results

Showing up higher in the search results can help you in many ways. It will help you establish you and your business as an authority in your industry. It will also help you receive more traffic and more sales. Here is the process you need to follow to be sure you show up high in the search results.

Keyword Research

The most important part of trying to show up higher in the search results, is keyword research. You need to try to rank for keywords that are relevant, attainable, and worth your time. A common mistake here is to try to immediately rank for a keyword that is very difficult to rank for.

If you are trying to show up higher in the search results, you may have heard of long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are keywords that are more specific, gets searched a less, but is easier to rank for. An example of this could be instead of trying to rank your website for “Digital Marketing”, you could try to rank for “Digital Marketing for small businesses in Austin, TX”. In this scenario, you are mostly just competing with digital marketing companies in Austin.

There is definitely going to be less competition when you target a more specific keyword. It won’t get searched quite as much as “Digital Marketing”, but it is better to show up for a keyword that gets searched less, than not show up for a keyword that gets searched more.

Writing Content

After you have done your keyword research, you should have some good keywords that will benefit you and be attainable. The next step in this process is to write a high-quality piece of content. Typically, longer content tends to perform better in the search results, but more than anything, focus on the quality.

Before I even write my content, I like to look at what type of content is ranking well for that keyword. I will perform a search for the keyword I want to rank for and see what the websites on the first page look like. Something to look for is to see if they are more image and video based or if they are blog posts or articles. This can guide you in the right direction for what you need to do.

After you know what is currently ranking, do your best to put together a piece of content that is similar to what is showing already, but better. This is where you are going to get your edge. Focus on providing value to the readers, because this will only help you in the long run. One of the biggest SEO mistakes is rushing the content, because that will often times results in a low-quality article.

Keyword Usage

One thing to keep in mind while you are writing your content is your keyword usage. Using keywords correctly is important if you want to show up in the search results. Most people know this is important, but this is one of the biggest things that content writers do wrong. There used to be a time where you could stuff your article with keywords and then your content would rank. However, that isn’t the case anymore.

You need to be sure to use your keywords naturally and efficiently.

Here are some things you should do with keywords:

  • Use the keyword in the content title
  • Use the keyword in headings (when possible)
  • Use your keyword a few times in the body
  • Use variations of keyword

Following these keyword usage tips will get you on the right track for your on-page optimization. Be sure to write for the users first. It is pointless to rank for a keyword when your content drives the readers away because of your content sound spammy and is stuffed with keywords.

Search Intent/Relevancy

Another thing to consider when you are writing your content is the search intent and relevancy. You need to think about what the user searching that keyword or keyphrase is expecting to see. What are their intentions when they are searching for that keyword? This will help you gear your content towards what they are looking for.

This is another area that is often overlooked. Although matching your content to the searcher’s intent does not directly affect rankings, it can help. One thing that does matter is click through rate and the way users interact with your page. For example, if many people are clicking on your result, and they are having a good user experience, the search engines will boost your rankings to provide the best user experience.

Promoting Content

After you have your great piece of content. The next thing you need to do is promote it. There are a few ways you can do this, and I would recommend using them all. The first thing you should do is use social media to get your article out there. This can be an effective way to get people coming to your site.

Another thing you can do is reach out to bloggers and ask if they would link to your article. These links will not only increase your traffic, but they will help you rank higher.

After creating the content, the goal is to get as much exposure to this content as possible. The more shares, clicks, and links you get to your page, the better rankings you will get in the search results.

Conclusion

To recap, the first thing you need to do is determine the keywords that make sense for your company. Try to rank for long-tail keywords that are relevant to your company. The next thing you need to do is write a high-quality piece of content with strategically placed keywords. After that, get as much exposure as you can to your content.

Tyler Nalbach

My name is Tyler Nalbach and I have been working in SEO for two years. I am the owner of SEO Align. My goal is to help website owners increase their organic traffic and exposure.

Tyler Nalbach has 2 posts and counting. See all posts by Tyler Nalbach

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