From Invisible to #1: How to Get Your Website to the Top of Google

Over 90% of users don’t scroll past the first page of Google, so ranking higher is essential for more visibility, traffic, and potential customers! But how is that done? SEO is the perfect way to help businesses attract organic traffic by boosting their ranking on search engines like Google. Better search visibility leads to higher engagement and conversions. 

In this guide, our SEO experts are breaking down the key strategies that help to improve your rankings over time and how to track and measure your website’s presence. 

The Importance of Ranking on Google Search Results

According to SEMrush, 96.98% of clicks happen within the top ten results, which means that if you’re not in the top ten, your business page isn’t going to be seen!

SEO is all about building organic traffic that drives long-term results and generates authority for your page; when a customer sees your page at the top when they type in a search query, they will see your business as reliable and credible.

When ranking high on search engines, you’ll see better engagement and better conversion rates, so not only does ranking on Google get you long-term results, it’s also a cost-effective way to increase traffic and sales of your business. For small businesses, we have a ‘digital growth hub’ which is an entry-level £195 a month package for SME’s and one-man bands who want to grow online but can’t afford an expensive package!

Ways to Get First Page Ranking

On Page SEO

On-page SEO means optimising on-page content so that it ranks higher on relevant search engines. 

Keyword Research

Keyword research is at the basis of ensuring your website content will rank well on Google search engines. This is where you find relevant keywords and phrases that your target audience is searching for. For example, you might sell skincare products, but your customers are searching for “how to build a skincare routine” or “what skincare products do I need.” 

Understanding user intent and the buying process allows you to become an expert while speaking in their language. 

​There are many keyword research tools, including SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner. These sites are great for putting in a seed keyword and gathering long-tail keywords you can use to write content that helps convert customers. 

Optimising Website Content – Creating Quality Content

Content creation is arguably one of the most important factors when it comes to improving your search engine ranking. Content must be reliable, authoritative, helpful, and put your target audience first for Google and other search engines, to rank it highly. It should satisfy intent and be valuable to your audience. 

Creating valuable content with internal and external links to relevant pages will help you rank better on search engine results. The view of the content should also be optimised – make it easy to read on both mobile devices and computers, make site speed quick (slow sites are pushed down in search results!).

We also recommend regularly updating content like meta descriptions, blogs, and more, fixing broken links, and ensuring it’s easy to navigate. 

Internal Links

Linking to internal pages means pointing from one page on your own website to another (relevant page) on your website. For example, on a page about digital PR, you might link to a ‘what is SEO’ blog as these two subjects are intertwined. 

By having links to multiple pages internally, you guide visitors and Google crawlers around your site. Making the experience better for everyone. 

Off Page SEO

Backlinks

Backlinks are links from one page to another, working like a vote of confidence to Google. If a reputable news site within your industry links to your page, it’s like shouting from the rooftop that your page and its content can be trusted and is valuable to its readers. 

However, when building backlinks through strategies like Digital PR, it’s important to remember to focus on quality backlinks, rather than quantity, as only strong authority and relevant pages in link building will have a positive effect. 

Local SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

Local SEO improves visibility in your local area to rank for local searches. Say you own a restaurant in Essex, you want to be coming up in searches for people who are local to you. 

There are a few ways to tap into local searches:

• Google Business Profile – on Google, you can create a free business listing that has your location, opening times, information, and more on it. This will allow your local business to be found through search and Google Maps. 
• Include location-based keywords within your content. 
• Try to secure links on local news pages. 

Technical SEO

Technical SEO focuses on making sure your website is easy for search engines like Google to crawl, understand, and index. One of the most important factors is crawlability, which means ensuring search engines can access all important pages through a clear internal linking structure and aren’t blocked by technical files like robots.txt.

Another key area is indexing control, which ensures the right pages appear in search results. This includes submitting an XML sitemap to Google Search Console, using noindex tags where necessary, and avoiding duplicate or low-quality pages being indexed.

The Best Way to Track Ranking & Performance

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a tool that helps you monitor, fix and maintain your site on search results. It shows keywords that your website is ranking for, click-through rates, and where your page appears in search results. 

It will also highlight any technical issues, like indexing problems, usability issues, and page experience, so you can identify and fix these. 

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that tracks and reports website traffic, user behaviour and performance. You can see how visitors find your site, which pages they viewed, how long they stayed and whether they completed any key actions. This helps you understand which content is performing well and where improvements may be needed.

Getting your website onto page one of Google won’t happen overnight, but it will happen with the right tools and quality content. You have everything you need to be at the top of Google. Our team at The Awesome Marketing Agency can help you. Find out more by contacting the team today!