The problem is that there are established brands with huge marketing budgets that already have the top spots filled, and they aren’t going to give them up without a fight.

Let’s take a closer look at how.

1. Know your baseline search ranking. 

The first and most important step to actually move your current Google ranking up is to know where you’re currently at. Doing this will help you establish a baseline data which you can act on.

If you don’t have a baseline, there’s no way for you to improve.

you can use either one of the way to diagnose the ranking of your post.

• Use the manual method.
• Leverage a rank checker tool.

To search for your ranking manually, simply type your keyword into Google’s search box and look for your post. Since you’re already showing up on page 1, this method shouldn’t take a lot of time – unless you aren’t.

The second method is to use a rank checker tool called SERPS. You can use it for free.

2. Look for variations of your main keyword. 

Your main keyword isn’t the only thing you need to focus on. One way to boost your rankings is to find more keyword opportunities.

We’re talking about keyword variations.

LSI keywords

Consider LSI keywords and long-tail keywords. Learn more about these keyword variations, how to look for them, and how they can help boost your content below.

These are keywords that are semantically related to your main competitive keyword. LSI stands for latent semantic indexing.

These related keywords are LSI keywords that I can use to improve my content.

 

 

Why do LSI keywords matter for SEO?

Since they help you state your main keyword in other ways, they help you avoid keyword stuffing. Also, semantically related terms make your content more understandable and naturally flowing.

Because Google can now decipher the context your post better because of this variation in user language, it has a greater chance of attaining a higher Google keyword ranking.

Long-tail keywords

Long-tail keywords are comprised of 3 or more words.it is easily increase your ranking because they’re less competitive – which, of course, explains why they’re good to integrate with your main keyword.

Though they don’t have a lot of monthly searches, they’re commonly used by people who are close to making a purchase. Hence, their specificity. This means that you enjoy targeted traffic and leads.

Google suggest is a gold mine for long-tail keyword variations.

Another simple but paid strategy to look for long-tail keywords is to use a popular long-tail keyword research tool called SEMrush.

Integrate your LSI and long-tail keywords in your introduction, H2 tags, images alt text, and basically anywhere applicable. Make sure that you do it in a very natural way.

3.Publish relevant topics to support your cornerstone content.

Cornerstone content refers to any content that performs well. In this case, your cornerstone content is the one that already ranks well.

To make that content attain a higher Google keyword ranking, link similar topics to that particular content. If you don’t have one yet, start tackling different angles of your topic to establish relevance.

4.Review on-page SEO.

on-page SEO refers to all improvements you can make on your blog to rank higher.

 

Here are a few on-page factors that affect your Google rankings you need to pay attention to and optimize right now.

 

Site Speed
Google made it very clear that it uses site speed as one of its ranking signals. A speed of fewer than 2 seconds is the way to go. The reason for this is that Google wants to provide a positive experience to its users.

Basically, pages that load slowly create problems for people completing transactions. A high bounce rate and reduction in the number of your viewed pages pull down your rankings.

Title Tag 

Title tag should help Google understand the context of your article.Not only that, it influences the likelihood of users to click through your post on SERPs. So it doesn’t really matter if you rank 5th because a bad title tag reduces your blog engagement.

Since you’re optimizing for a keyword, Moz recommends that you move your main keyword near the beginning of your title tag.

Remember not to overdo your keywords in your title tag. Do not write a lengthy title tag so that it shows completely on SERPs Make it unique and descriptive for a positive user experience.

Meta Description

Beneath your title tag is the meta description. It’s a 160-character snippet that describes what your blog content is all about.there is no direct effect of your meta description on your post’s ranking.

But it does contribute to an increase in your Google keyword ranking indirectly by increasing your click-through rate and the amount of time people stay to read your content. Remember to include your main keyword in your meta description so that Google displays it on SERPs. The keywords in your meta description will also be highlighted if someone searches for your topic using those terms.

Use an active voice to spark visitor action. Think of your meta description as an “advertisement” that should compel users to click through. Including a call-to-action such as “Read more” helps.

 

Image SEO

 

Images do not just break up a huge block of text to make your blog content skimmable. When it comes to SEO, images contribute to an increase your rankings since they give Google additional information of what your blog post is about.

Tips to tweak your images for SEO:

• Rename your featured blog post image using your main keyword.
• Describe your image accurately in your alt tag. This displays in case your image fails to load. In the image above, a good alt tag to use would be “blue mailbox against a brick wall.”
• Write a good image title to enhance your click-through rate in Google image search.
• Further describe your image in your caption. People see your caption right beneath your blog post image.

5.Have a good link building strategy.

 

Links remain to be one of the greatest factors that influence your Google keyword ranking, so don’t miss them. They boost or undermine your authority in the eyes of Google.

If you want success, adhere to a solid link building strategy. Focus on the quality of the links you’re getting instead of quantity. This should be your basis for building a strong back-link profile for your post.

Guest blogging

 

Reach out to other bloggers in your niche to distribute your content far and wide. This is where you’ll need to leverage guest blogging.

Whether or not the blogs you guest post on gives you SEO link juice (if they’re do follow), guest posting still naturally attracts back-links from authoritative and trusted blogs given that your content was nicely written.

Go into detail

 

The higher your word count, you get better chances of tackling various angles of your topic. At the same time, you’ll be able to naturally incorporate keyword variations.

Above all, put in mind that quality matters more than quantity. Don’t add fluff to your article for the sake of meeting a higher word count. Long but crappy content does nothing but decrease your engagement and eventually your ranking.

Social media sharing

 

First, make sure that you are present on social media platforms where audiences in your niche are likely to be found.
Don’t just create profiles; link your blog to them. Share your content on all platforms. To amplify your reach, use relevant hashtags that also include your keywords.

Two ways to encourage social sharing are to add sharing buttons to your blog content and stating a call-to-action at the end of the post.

Conclusion