Search Engine Optimization Strategy – How to Choose a Keyword to Rank on the First Page of Google
So getting an article or a webpage to the top spot on Google … tough stuff right? Actually, it's a lot simpler than you might believe.
In order to get ranked without having to do a ton of backlinking however, you're going to need a search engine optimization strategy … in this case, proper keyword research. With the right keyword and the right research, you should be able to get ranked fairly easily.
Keyword Research
So let's get started. You can use Google's fee keyword tool … it's great for keyword suggestions, however, their results for monthly searches can be WAY off. I do not know why they do this, but they do. For this reason I would recommend a paid keyword research tool such as Keyword Samurai, but if you really do not have the money, you'll have to go with Google's free tool.
So start searching within your niche for some keyword suggestions. Using this search engine optimization strategy, in order to get a decent amount of views on your webpage or article I would suggest finding a keyword with at least 100 searches per day (or 3000 searches per month). This sounds like a lot, but it's really not that many consider you definitely will not get 100% of those clicks (or close to it), and people who do view your content may be looking for something else.
Narrowing it Down
So you have a starting point … 100 searches a day, obviously all based close around what your content is about of course. Make a list of several of these, and then head over to Google. Now type each of your keywords into the Google search with quotes around them, ie "keyword", and record the number of results returned by Google (next or below the search bar).
To be able to rank on Google, you're going to want this number to be below 15 000. Ideally you want it below 10 000, but 15 000 is capable in some cases.
Now, whenever you're able to rank on the first page with certainty is not 100% based on the number of results returned … it's going to depend also on how fiercely the competition is for the sites which are currently ranked.
First of all, to find the sites that are currently ranking on the first page of Google for your keywords, type your keyword in the search bar WITHOUT quotes. Now take a look at these results … do they all have your keyword in their URL? Is your keyword bolded within the blue hyperlink text for many results? Is it also bolded within the summary text? And when I say the keyword, I mean the full keyword phrase … every word of it.
The greater number of results with your full keyword in all these areas, the tougher your competition. Now, if the returned results for your keyword in quotations is under 10 000, your competition will probably not be too tough, but you never know. So check it out, and if it looks really strong, try another keyword.
Keyword Inclusion
For this search engine optimization strategy, if you're looking to get ranked for an article, you'll want to include your chosen keyword in 1% – 2% of your article text. I would recommend not going to high over that limit, or Google may think you're spamming your keyword. Once the article's done, submit it to EzineArticles … this is the article directory with the most authority, and has the most chance of getting your article ranked. Once you're finished, I would recommend submitting the published article URL to the top social bookmarking sites (check Social Marker and choose the top three or four from both columns).
If you're looking to rank a webpage, ensure your keyword is in the URL. If you want to rank the main page, then buy a domain with your exact keyword in it, or as close to it as possible. If it's not the main page, then name the page your keyword, with each word separated by a dash, ie yourdomain.com/your-keyword. Again, have your keyword in 1% – 2% of the text, include it in the title, and having it bolded once can help as well.
So that's basically it … your search engine optimization strategy for ranking on the first page of Google without having to create any tedious backlinks!
