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Can I compete with high ranking domains for certain keywords

by Smokester
24 replies
  • SEO
    • |
So I have a new website and the SERPS results for the keywords I am targetting show that the top 3 have really high domain authority, but aren't over optimised for the keywords I'm hoping to rank for.

For example some of the competing pages don't have any domain or backlinks for the specific URL. Ahrefs (which is only specific to the top 10) is showing very low keyword difficulty.

So my Q is, can I realistically compete with these very high ranking domains, given the situation?

Thanks guys!
#compete #domains #high #keywords #ranking
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  • Profile picture of the author THEroyseo
    The short answer is it depends on the answers to a few questions

    -Is it only the 3 top results that have very high domain authority or the whole first page results?

    -Is your domain name new?

    -Is the Domain Rating (DR) of your domain good or at zero?

    -Is your domain name a brand name or an exact match domain (EMD) or a partial match domain (PMD) of the keyword(s) you want to target?

    -Do you have good resources to rank this domain (money, time and energy)?

    It's always a cost-reward equation!

    Wishing you the best,
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  • Profile picture of the author Smokester
    thanks. mine is a new website, so starting from scratch.
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    • Profile picture of the author crackhouse
      Originally Posted by Smokester View Post

      thanks. mine is a new website, so starting from scratch.
      In my opinion it's going to be a long and difficult journey ranking a new site from scratch in a competitive niche. But it can certainly be done. The questions is if you have the time, energy (And money) to devote to this).
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      • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
        Originally Posted by crackhouse View Post

        In my opinion it's going to be a long and difficult journey ranking a new site from scratch in a competitive niche. But it can certainly be done. The questions is if you have the time, energy (And money) to devote to this).
        Maybe I read this wrong, but the OP seemed to indicate that the targeted keyword phrases were NOT highly competitive. If that's the case, it is definitely possible to rank well for those phrases, regardless of the age of the website and regardless of the fictitious "domain authority" of the other sites.

        Of course, my real thought is "Why are you wasting time on Warrior Forum asking about it. Go out there and create better content, get better backlinks and see for yourself what is possible." What you learn by trying things out yourself and seeing the cause and effect is almost always better than the responses you are going to get here.
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        • Profile picture of the author Smokester
          Originally Posted by dave_hermansen View Post

          Maybe I read this wrong, but the OP seemed to indicate that the targeted keyword phrases were NOT highly competitive. If that's the case, it is definitely possible to rank well for those phrases, regardless of the age of the website and regardless of the fictitious "domain authority" of the other sites.

          Of course, my real thought is "Why are you wasting time on Warrior Forum asking about it. Go out there and create better content, get better backlinks and see for yourself what is possible." What you learn by trying things out yourself and seeing the cause and effect is almost always better than the responses you are going to get here.
          That is correct Dave.

          And why am I asking (wasting time :-))here? Well, rather than waste days trying to rank these keywords only to find it's too difficult because the competing domains have too much authority, I thought I'd post here first.

          Do others agree with Dave? I.e. - it's still very possible for a new blog/website to compete against very high ranking websites for uncompetitive keywords?
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  • Profile picture of the author Smokester
    Hi crackhouse, thanks! My point is that even though my target keywords are ranked via high domain authority websites, they aren't optimised well at the page level for those websites. For example, the ahrefs report (as attached) is showing the keyword difficulty to be extremely low (due to the page level not being seo optimised and alos (again at the page level) not having many links at all).

    So, I'm trying to gauge just how much weight the domain ranking is likely having on the page's ranking.

    Thanks!

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  • Profile picture of the author strategic seo services
    Originally Posted by Smokester View Post

    So I have a new website and the SERPS results for the keywords I am targetting show that the top 3 have really high domain authority, but aren't over optimised for the keywords I'm hoping to rank for.

    For example some of the competing pages don't have any domain or backlinks for the specific URL. Ahrefs (which is only specific to the top 10) is showing very low keyword difficulty.

    So my Q is, can I realistically compete with these very high ranking domains, given the situation?

    Thanks guys!
    Yes, you can. Since your website is new, it will take a longer time to reach one of the top 3 positions. However, it is possible if you optimize your site properly (on page), add unique, engaging content on a frequent basis, and build high quality backlinks to your site on a continuous basis. Please remember that you will have to have patience, as improvements in rankings will not happen overnight. However, you shouldn't lose hope. Set your goal, stay focused, and you'll eventually achieve it.
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  • Profile picture of the author mattlaclear
    Just because the top three pages do not have links from external sites does not mean they do not have internal links to it. Most likely they have several pages with tons of backlinks, and they are linking to the ranked page from those. Sometimes it only takes one internal link to get a #1 ranking. Check the keyword "Link Building Videos," my friend; the late great Eric Ward ranked that with a single internal link from nowhere to #1 a year ago and it's still at #1 today. So keep that in mind before spending any money to get to the top three position. That doesn't mean you can't make money at #4 though.
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    • Profile picture of the author Smokester
      hks Matt, that's useful to know. Surprised ahrefs etc can't factor that in to their KD metrics better :-/
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  • Profile picture of the author SEOptimization@1
    Can you share (PM) your website and keywords to analyze?
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  • Profile picture of the author Bivhab
    You will get engagement. You want to collect your competitor list and then do as like as your competitors have done. If you want you can do off-page seo more than you competitors.
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  • Profile picture of the author swetha gowda
    Yes, you can !!
    As long as you have optimized your website accurately with the keywords and have perfect on-page, off-page done, with good unique content.
    You can rank your website over higher DA websites, as Google considers good content and better on-page optimized for users perspective.
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  • Profile picture of the author anantspyshop
    Good question , thanks for sharing
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  • Profile picture of the author alexkevin
    Yes, You can rank, there is nothing like impossible exist in SEO world, you just have to find the best way of doing SEO for your website, are you an SEO expert? if yes then you should know that you can rank and if you are not SEO expert then hire an SEO company they will do your work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mindsnoop Marketing
    Originally Posted by Smokester View Post

    So I have a new website and the SERPS results for the keywords I am targetting show that the top 3 have really high domain authority, but aren't over optimised for the keywords I'm hoping to rank for.

    For example some of the competing pages don't have any domain or backlinks for the specific URL. Ahrefs (which is only specific to the top 10) is showing very low keyword difficulty.

    So my Q is, can I realistically compete with these very high ranking domains, given the situation?

    Thanks guys!
    Domain Authority has nothing to do with rankings. Analyse the Domain Authority of the first 10 results on Google for a few keywords and you will see websites with a low DA outranking high DA websites regularly.
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  • Profile picture of the author skylikemake
    Yes, of course. But you need to work really hard for it and also, it needs few months to get domain authority and right high on SERP
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    It sounds like it's possible.
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  • Profile picture of the author patadeperro
    * Go to google and seach and write the term you are interested to rank for.
    * Copy the first results
    * Verify what backlinks they are working for them ( I use [http://www.linksspy.com] to do this, but you can use other tools)
    * If they are getting their backlinks from resource lists, then you can contact the owners of those pages and they will add you as well since you are a competitor. (the above tool automate
    this process, so that it is already solved for you via templates)
    * Or you can see where they are buying their bakclinks from.
    * Or you can see if they are using a PBN and evaluate if you want to enter the competition and how much will cost you to rank.
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  • Profile picture of the author RjMaan
    My simple answer that can help you is "yes". There is always a space left on the first position. All you have to do is to provide some unique content and see what is a single thing that your competitor is not covering. Focus on that missing gap. After creating a quality content, focus on better On-page and Off-page SEO with the quality back links from the high domain authority sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
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    First Google SERP position is for losers.

    Aim for featured snippets.

    If you're going to piss competition off, do it right.
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    Hi
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  • Profile picture of the author Laracraft Lara
    Regardless of whether Moz had Google's calculation completely spot on, the metric still wouldn't be even near being right on the grounds that their connection information is humiliating. Some little organizations with constrained assets have preferred connection information over Moz.
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  • Profile picture of the author nutnight
    Its very difficult for new website to rank in google and it can be done by seo experts but you have to wait for the results with patience.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    After months of creating in-depth, helpful content, and after months of building strong bonds with top folks in your niche, leading to guest posting opportunities and features, you can rank for certain keywords that big boys and big gals seem to be dominating now. All about how much time you put into creating and connecting, generous, to position yourself favorably in Google's eyes. Google really makes you earn it though through persistent, intelligent, detached, generous actions.
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  • Profile picture of the author roberwilliams01
    Yes you can surely compete but it depend on the quality score of the keyword that you want to compete for. First of all make sure that the quality score lies between 8-10 so it becomes easy for you to even lessen your bid amount and compete easily with less spendings. For this you need to highly focus on the content of your website.
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