How to rank on the first page of Google [guaranteed]
My process for getting blog posts ranked every time
Hey there!
In February’s blog income report, I promised to share my entire process for how to produce content that ranks on the first page of Google, every time!
So, here I am diving into that complete process from writing to editing and even auditing past content.
Yes, no matter what niche or when you wrote the content, you can still rank on the first page of Google, pretty much guaranteed.
How?
If you’re new: I own the travel blog, Hashtag Colorado Life and I have big goals for selling the site for $500,000 (maybe more!) in the next 12ish months.
Now, let’s dive in!
The key to well-ranking content
The number one thing to remember about Google, or any search engine for that matter, is that you must understand user-intent.
Yeah, yeah, I know that probably sounds boring.
But knowing why someone is searching for a particular keyword phrase and then being able to deliver the answers to their questions is KEY.
In fact, understanding user intent is THE KEY to ranking on the first page of Google.
If you take away nothing else from the tips I’m sharing today, this is the most important.
So, what is user intent exactly and how can you create user-intent generated content (as some marketers call it)?
Figuring out user-intent
According to the SEO Glossary, user-intent can also be called search intent. And it refers to the goal or intention an online user has when entering a term into a search engine.
In simple terms it’s the purpose the user has when they search a term online.
Example phrase: moving to Colorado
Does someone want to know how to move to Colorado/tips for moving? How much it costs to move? Or maybe what they should know before moving to Colorado?
Sometimes the best way to figure out how to answer user intent is to simply experiment.
I wrote five blog posts related to moving to Colorado.
Guess which one ranks at the number 1 spot in Google (and has for the past 2 years)? It’s the “Things to Know Before Moving to Colorado” post.
Yep, it surprised me too.
I thought it was going to be one of the “moving cost” posts. But apparently when people search this term, they want a snapshot of what life would be like living in this state.
So, it just goes to show that sometimes you can write a blog post with the user in mind and answer those questions. And other times you just write a helpful piece of content and it satisfies it anyway.
Writing irresistible content that ranks
The goal of every piece of content I write (or even produce if it’s a YouTube video) is two-fold.
Fulfill the user intent by answering their questions.
Offer the most helpful (aka well-researched and well-formatted) information that Google will use to rank on the first page.
In other words, your blog post or video covers all of the questions or issues that someone might have when researching the topic. And maybe even a few they haven’t thought of before.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that each blog post needs to be 2,000 words. In some cases it might be that long, but not always.
Write enough helpful information to fulfill what they’re looking for. And break down the complicated topic better than anyone else on the internet.
Include screenshots. Examples. Tests. Research. Tables. Reader reviews. Anything you wish was detailed out for you.
If it’s helpful for you, it will be helpful for someone else.
So, how does this work when you’re actually writing or updating blog posts?
Use the Skyscraper content method
Skyscraper content is a fancy way of saying that you take the top search results on Google (or YouTube or social media) and reverse engineer them.
Then you add onto it and make it even better (aka irresistible).
The great thing about tools like Keysearch or RankIQ is that they do this FOR you, thanks to their Content Optimizers.
You just copy paste the content from your blog post into the Optimizer and it will tell you the keywords, phrases, or sections that you’re missing.
Then you can fill in the gaps and BOOM, write something better than what’s on the first page of Google right now.
But you can also do the same-ish technique without paying for a tool.
Just research the top results on Google.
Include many of the same headings (aka topics).
Add your own ideas/thoughts.
See what questions you can answer more or better.
Write a more engaging title.
Include updated pricing, comparisons, tables, etc.
Compare the format, style, images, and research and ask yourself “how can I make this better, or more helpful for readers?”.
This is when you really have to dive deep into the person you’re writing to. What are they thinking? And how can you help them the most?
Ranking on the first page of Google
Here is a screenshot from my Keysearch account that tracks the rankings of various keyword phrases and blog posts I’ve written on our travel blog.
It’s just a snapshot of the words the site ranks for but gives a good mix of everything.
Some keyword phrases are long-tail keywords (like best snowmobile tours in Colorado) while others are just one word (like Blucifer).
Getting on the first page of Google means ranking between the top 1-10 spots of content.
Sometimes it means ranking in the top 1-8 if there are a lot of ads on the page, or if videos are ranking too. It will push down some of the rankings to the second page due to space limitations.
Anyway, as you can see all of these posts rank on the first page, and many of them in the first or second position!
Some of them have high volume and high competition keywords, and others have lower less competitive phrases.
How to rank on the first page of Google [guaranteed]
The secret to writing irresistible content that ranks high in Google is this simple process:
Understand user intent.
Write content that fulfills this intent (go above and beyond).
Do it better than anyone else.
That’s all for now!
I hope you found these tips helpful in creating great content for Google, or any other search engine. It has also served me well when creating YouTube videos.
Using these steps I find it very satisfying to watch my content climb up the rankings with a new blog post.
And if the content doesn’t rank well, I know that I didn’t fulfill the user intent correctly or thoroughly enough. So I can update it and make it even better.
I know the strategy seems simple, but it’s all about helping people find the answer they’re looking for quickly and easy. Who doesn’t want that?!
Thanks and have a great week.
- Carrie
And don’t forget, you can comment on this post or reply to this email. I read/reply to all of the comments and messages I receive. :)
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