Want To Be On Page 1? How Ranking REALLY Works...
- SEO |
Want to rank on Page 1? Of course, we all do. Understanding how ranking works will help you get - and stay - there. Otherwise, your options are brute force or blind luck.
What is "ranking" anyway?
Key Concept #1: Websites don't rank, only pages or URL's do.
When we talk about terms like “ranking”, “Page 1”, “SERPs” (Search Engine Results page), we have to understand one very important concept. Websites don't rank, only pages, or individual URL's do.
In many cases, it is the homepage that shows up for a search, but then it is the home page itself that is ranking, not the overall site.
Key Concept #2: "Ranking" is ONLY in relation to the search being done.
First, realize that a given page will rank in different positions for different searches. If I have a site with a page about "bee sting cures", I may have achieved a good Page 1 rank for a search on "bee sting cures", while that same page may not even be in the top 100 for a search on "bumble bees". Same page, different ranking. Where I rank depends on the search being done.
Second, understand that there are no set rankings. When you do a search, Google takes all the pages it deems appropriate for that search, orders them by relevance and 'strength', then presents the results at that time. That same search may yield different results the next day. Ranking is determined when a search is done.
It is a mis-statement to say, “My site finally reached the first page in Google.” First, it must be in relation to a search, so “My site finally reached the first page in Google for the phrase “Paralegal Training” would be more accurate.
Again, it isn't the site that has a ranking position, but a specific page. And so, my site on Paralegal Certification might have a page devoted to “Paralegal Training”, and that page might rank on Page 1 for that phrase, but it is that specific page, not the site itself.
All of this means that if we are trying to rank for a particular keyword or phrase, we have to be 'relevant' and 'strong' for that phrase. We do this by optimizing our page for the keywords we want to rank for (on-page factors), and boost our 'strength' by increasing our "Total Backlink Value" for those keywords (when we rank for keywords without specifically targeting them, it's through a combination of 'brute force' and weak/low competition, meaning the overall 'strength' of our page happens to be high enough to outrank other pages).
Key Concept #3: PageRank
First, it is misleading to think of "a PageRank 5 website". Websites don't have PageRank, pages/URL's do. While it is usually the homepage that has the highest PR, it isn't always the case. When you hear "a PageRank 5 website" this usually means a website with a PR5 homepage. The 'inner' pages of that site will almost always have lower, and even no PageRank.
Second, "PageRank" is an indicator, it doesn't "do" anything. Based mostly on IBL's (In-Bound Links), it's a relative measure of the overall 'strength' of that page. Unfortunately, for our purposes - the purpose of ranking - it is a poor measure. The main reason is that it is a 'cumulative' measure, and as such, doesn't tell us much a page's strength in relation to individual keywords or phrases. In some ways, it's like a 'rating' - we get our 'rating' by virtue of our IBL's, the 'rating' itself doesn't give us anything.
This is why we sometimes see pages with lower PR ranking above pages with higher PR - the higher-ranking page is stronger for that particular search. This is also why it's important to think of 'competition' as only those pages on Page 1 where we're trying to get.
When I look at who is occupying Page 1 for a keyword I'm trying to rank for, their PR is only a small factor in determining how hard it will be. This is because a page may have an overall high PR, but not be either well-optimized, or 'strong' for the keyword I'm targeting.
Key Concept #4: "Total Backlink Value"
There are two things that determine our ranking: the site or pages themselves (content, optimization, age, etc.), and our "Total Backlink Value". This is my own term for the number of backlinks, times the strength of each backlink.
All backlinks are not equal. The 'value' of a backlink is determined by where it is (the 'strength' of the page it appears on, the position it appears i.e. in content vs. elsewhere, etc.), age or 'freshness' of the links, the rate at which they increase ("link velocity"), and other factors. One very strong backlink can be worth more than dozens, even hundreds of 'weak' backlinks.
Anchor text - the 'clickable' text of a link - serves to 'focus' it's value. It doesn't necessarily increase the value of the backlink, but serves to focus it's strength to that specific keyword, rather than dilute it's value across the page it points to. As such, we still get value from 'bare' backlinks, but if we're trying to rank for a particular keyword, using that keyword as our anchor text boosts our 'strength' for those particular keywords. In essence, it says to Google, "this is what that page is about".
If we were able to total up the value of all our IBL's, and all other things were equal - two identical sites - the one with the highest "Total Backlink Value" will rank first, second highest will rank second, etc. Similarly, for a particular search, the one with more relevant anchor text links will rank first since it's overall strength is 'tipped' in favor of that search term.
So, how do we get onto Page 1?
First, we have to decide what we want to rank for. The 'narrower' our target, the more straightforward our strategy can be. If we're trying to rank for a lot of keywords, we're going to have to focus more effort overall.
For my own business, I'm generally looking to monetize specific search phrases, rather than a more general approach. For this type of strategy, I create one specific page for each keyword I want to rank for. This lets me focus all my ranking efforts onto a single URL, rather than diluting it across an entire site.
To do this, I optimize one page for it's target keyword phrase. I do this by optimizing the content on the page as follows:
Keyword in title
Keyword in first sentence of first paragraph
Keyword in first sentence of last paragraph
Keyword 2-3 times throughout the body
I then create 'internal' anchor text links on my homepage pointing to the target page. This helps focus incoming "backlink value" to that page, for that specific keyword.
From there, I begin a backlinking campaign, with at least half of my backlinks using that keyword as anchor text, and pointing to that page.
In order to get a Page 1 ranking, I have to displace or 'beat' someone who is already there. This is why it's so important to think of competition as those on Page 1. One of the key factors I look at are their backlinks - both how many, and how strong they are (fwiw, Yahoo usually lists backlinks with the stronger ones towards the top).
How long it takes me to reach a Page 1 position depends on the 'competition' for that keyword, but I've insured that all my efforts are 'optimized' towards pushing that targeted page up, for that specific search.
Since backlink value can degrade over time, and competitors don't stand still, once I reach my desired position, I move to a 'maintainance mode', putting a little time into continuous link building. This helps insure I keep the positions I've reached.
This is by no means meant to be an 'authoritative treatise' on ranking, but hopefully can help some of you better conceptualize the 'big picture' and wrap your arms around the whole ranking thing - and have a clearer sense of what you can do to get better rankings.
Michael
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