First Page Google is Golden

No one knows the exact formula that the search engines use to reward websites with high placement. However, one thing that most experts agree upon is that the web pages which are highly relevant and well optimized tend to rank the best. While these are not the only factors to consider for achieving a first page Google rank, these are my TOP 10 favorites.

Top 10 Ways To Get First Page Google Exposure

10. Keyword research – Keyword research is important to ensure that you optimize your pages properly and that you are targeting the keywords which have the best probability of being profitable. You can use the free Google Adwords Keyword Tool to help you determine the number of searches performed each month for a particular keyword phrase. In addition, this tool displays variations of your keyword as well the amount of competition you’ll face.

9. Meta tags optimized properly – You want to make sure that you include your keywords in your title tag, description tag, and keyword tags. It’s also a good idea to include your keyword phrase in your image ALT tags. Since search engines can’t see, these tags provide a description of the images.

8. Domain name – Domain names that contain your keyword phrase tend to rank higher than those that don’t, assuming that your site is properly optimized and you have a good number of high quality backlinks.

7. Keyword density – Keyword density refers to the percentage of time that your keyword phrase appears on a page in relation to the total amount of words on the page. A good rule of thumb is to have a keyword density between 1-5%. Any higher and you run the risk of keyword stuffing which is considered spam by the search engines.

6. Backlinks – Backlinks are links that come from another website and point to your site. These are also known as “inbound links” as these links come “in” to your site.

There are many ways to get backlinks from your content creation such as article marketing, video marketing, social bookmarking, and social media. Another great way to get backlinks is by making comments on blogs and forums. The key is to contribute to the conversation and provide valuable information to the community.

5. Anchor Text – Anytime you get backlinks coming in to your site you want to use anchor text. For instance, if I was targeting the keyword phrase “get on Google maps” I would want that text to be displayed when linking back to my site, instead of my URL. You do this by using HTML or Hyper Text Markup Language. The HTML is structured as follows: Link text. The portion in between the tags will appear highlighted and will be a clickabel link.

4. Social Media – These are sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. You can share information with the people that are your friends and followers. When you include a link to your site and if others find valuable they may wish to share it with their circle of friends.

3. Article Marketing – You do this by writing articles pertaining to your topic and submitting them to article submission directories like ezine articles, go articles, article alley and several others. There is a space at the bottom of the article for you to include a brief bio along with a link to your site.

2. Video Marketing – This is my second favorite way to get to the top of Google in a hurry. You do this by making short videos about your topic and you submit them to YouTube, Vimeo, Revver, and other video sharing sites. Google loves videos, which is evidenced by the fact that you’ll usually find at least one video on the first page of a given search.

1. Google Maps Listing – The Google Maps Listing is the fastest and best way to get first page Google exposure. When you get on Google maps, if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the top 7 spots (aka the Google 7 Pack), your listing appears on the first page just above the organic listings. Not only does this put you in a prime spot on the first page, but your prospects can also see at a glance where you’re located.

Another cool feature when you get on Google maps is that you get a Google Places page. This page allows you to provide all kinds of details about your business, along with photos, videos, reviews, and you can even offer printable coupons to your new found customers!

A WordPress blog with SEO plugins can provide additional tools to improve your ranking process.  My Branding System is a complete article and personal branding system that can help you get that first page on Google.