How Do I Go From Page 2 to Page 1 of Google?

There’s a (relatively) old joke that goes, “Where do you go to bury a dead body?”

 

The answer? Page two of Google.

 

Almost no one bothers to check page two of Google and what that means for businesses is that you’re either on page one or you’re dead.

 

Of course I’m being a tad dramatic, but you get my point. As a business owner, you want people to be able to find your site and unless you can get to page one of Google, that’s going to be a challenge.

 

In this post I’m going to share some tips and strategies on how to get your site from page two to page one of Google – so let’s go!

 

Reverse engineer your competitor’s backlinks

 

Open up Google and do a search for the kind of company you are. If you’re local, include a geographical location in your search. For example, if you’re a chiropractor in South Jersey do a search for “chiropractor south jersey.”

 

Take a look at every search result that shows up before you on the first page. Go to all those pages and copy their URLs and paste them into a document or spreadsheet for your records.

 

Now, enter those URLs into a competitor research tool like SEMRush, Ahrefs, or SpyFu and you’ll get a report of every site that links back to your competitors.

 

Then, you go to those sites who are linking to your competition and find their contact information. Reach out and say, ”Hi I’m so and so from this company. I noticed you linked to this other site in your article on X, I have an incredibly in-depth article on the same topic that covers some stuff that other site doesn’t. Feel free to have a look and if you’d be interested in linking to it as well, that would be great! Thanks!”

 

That’s it!

 

Now before you go and do that, for the love of god, please make sure your article or page you’re going to ask for a link to is actually better than your competitor’s page. Appearances matter and you only get one chance to make a first impression.

 

 

Optimize your title tag

 

Next, you’re going to want to optimize your site’s title tag by going into Google’s search console.

 

Title tags are the title of the pages that Google lists in its search results.

 

Google’s search console allows you to see what keywords you’re getting impressions for and what keywords people are actually clicking through to your site for.

 

If the main keyword you’re ranking for under impressions isn’t getting that many clicks. you need to change your title tag to be more appealing to people searching for that keyword.

 

For example, if you’re trying to rank for the keyword “3D ultrasound” – you can adjust your title tag to read something like “5 Reasons First-time Moms Should Get a 3D Ultrasound – Number 5 Will Shock You.”

 

That title evokes curiosity in anyone who comes across it and very likely gets them to visit your page. Odds are your competitors aren’t creating titles like that and are instead just using generic titles with the keyword they want to rank for. Now you tell me, if you see a bland title and a title that evokes my curiosity, which one am I more likely to click? And once Google sees your link getting more clicks than the other search results, you’ll start moving up and ranking higher and higher.

 

 

Solve people’s problems

 

One of my biggest pet peeves is clicking a link that doesn’t actually answer my question. So now I have to click the back button and take a chance on the next search result, hoping that page has the answers I’m looking for.

 

This phenomenon is a result of bloggers not understanding that people want answers above all else. They don’t want to look at ads, they don’t want sales pitches  – they want their problems solved. I’ve found that if you can solve a person’s problem, then you’ve earned their trust and can proceed to offer them an even better, paid solution.

 

That’s how internet marketing works! And there are very few exceptions to this rule. I know it and now you know it. But most importantly of all – Google knows it.

 

Google will penalize a site that constantly has users clicking on the link and then quickly hitting the back button to go to the next search result.

 

Don’t let Google penalize you. Create content that answers questions and solves problems.

 

One way you can better do this is to go into Google’s search console and take a look at the URL to the blog post you’re focusing on. Look at ALL the keywords that page is ranking for and then adjust the page to address each and every keyword. This way you’ll be servicing more people than just the ones who googled your primary keyword!

 

Become a trusted resource for people and Google will eventually reward your site with that coveted first page position!

 

 

Be a brand, not a business

 

What I mean by that is, you need to be a constant presence in people’s lives so that you’re the first business they think of.

 

Think about it. When you go to buy running shoes, what’s the first thing you think of? Nike or Adidas. And that’s because those companies have spent a boat load of money to make themselves an ever-present entity in your daily life.

 

You don’t have the budget of a worldwide brand like Nike, but you’re playing in a much smaller field which give you the advantage.

 

Anyone can build links and have great SEO, but building a brand helps create longevity and long-lasting relationships with your clients and customers. Google loves ranking brands higher than non-brands because it signals to them that you’re a business that is not going away and you’re in it for the long haul.

 

A few ways to get your name out there is to user PR services like PRServe.com – a company that will make press releases that mention your brand. You only pay them when your brand gets mentions.

 

You can also collect people’s email addresses or phone numbers right on your website to alert them of when you have a new sale, promotion, or even a new blog post that they might be interested in. This practice keeps you in people’s heads and when you’re inside someone’s head, you’re 10 steps ahead of your competition.

 

 

 

 

Think about the user first

 

Thinking about the user experience first is the best way to build your business.

 

It’s not about making money (yes you want to make money, a lot of businesses do) –  but successful brands and businesses don’t make money just because they want to make money. They make money because they solved a problem.

 

So put your site visitors first, knock their socks off, and you’ll reap the rewards over and over and over again.

 

I feel like I should note that doing all of these things will definitely get you on page 1 of Google… eventually.

 

Getting to page 1 of Google takes time, patience, and persistence. ANd that’s not becuase Google’s algorithm is slow or not working properly. Just the opposite in fact!

 

Google takes its time to rank pages on the first page to make sure that they’re not only a trusted resource for site visitors, but that they’re going to be around for a long time. And the best way to tell a brand or business is going to stick around is if it’s already stuck around. It’s frustrating if you’re looking to get ahead ASAP, but it makes sense.