8-Steps How to Rank on Google’s First Page for Free? (Practical Guide)

Last Updated on February 6, 2023 by Arif Chowdhury

If you have a business website, getting visitors to your site should be your primary goal. Making a profit is a byproduct of visitors. Therefore, first, you should focus on relevant visitors. Then all others will come naturally.

But how can you get relevant visitors? The straightforward way is to advertise in Google ads and other online advertisements. Okay, that is for a business person with no interest in saving money or efficiency.

One piece of advice, do not waste thousands of dollars on PPC advertisements when you can bring even more visitors by increasing your rank on Google for targeted keywords on organic search results.

How to Rank Your Website on Google’s First Page?

Many small and large organizations keep asking how to get on Google’s first page for free.

Here are simple 8-steps for you:

1. Building a robust website.
2. Research targeted keywords.
3. Spy on the competitor’s website.
4. Determine long-tail keyword phrases.
5. Identify the type of content.
6. Final optimization for keywords.
7. Publish and promote your content.
8. Analyze visitors to measure website performance.

Continue to read on if you want to know how?

Regarding efficiency, we can receive relevant visitors to our site without spending a dime on advertisement just by focusing on-page SEO. Then we will receive organic traffic from Google search, and for that purpose, we need to focus on targeted keywords.

For example, If I want to get visitors to this blog post, I need to focus on relevant keywords like “Increase Rank in Google” it’s a long-tail keyword, and more specific means more targeted.

If I can rank 1 in Google for this keyword, I will receive a handful of visitors from search traffic to this blog post. However, getting ranked 1 for a new website is quite challenging, while Forbes, New York Times, and Wikipedia can do it relatively quickly.

How to Improve Google Ranking for Keywords?

So what to do? Let’s say your website is new. You have to focus on content marketing and SEO. Most of the time, focusing on these two is enough to get a rank higher on search results.

If you want to increase your rank for targeted keywords in Google, continue to read.

Step #1: Building a robust website is the first step to getting on google’s first page.

Without a strong base, no operation can be successful. The same goes for your ranking on Google. You cannot go anywhere without a robust website full of focused keywords. So there are two vital things you need in Step 1.

1. A Strong Website.

It is your base of operation. Build it strong, and you will become successful in the end. Website age is crucial; the longer it stays online, the more value it will get. And you will get ranked high on the page of Google.

Then you need high-quality, engaging, relevant content for your site and quality backlinks. Finally, do not forget to optimize your website for mobile devices, as you may already know that nowadays, people search online using their mobile more than PC or laptops.

Remember, you need to have quality content that focuses on specific keywords. For example, If your website is based on SEO, you must write content with SEO-relevant topics like “How does SEO work?” “What is SEO?” “How to rank in Google,” etc.

2. A Powerful Network.

Building a solid base is vital, but you need access to influential networks to make it operational. Here networks mean relevant websites, blogs, social media pages, profiles, etc. So, for example, after you have built a robust website about SEO, your task is to connect with SEO-related networks, not cooking or sports-related.

For that purpose, you have to outreach to other web admins like you. But here is one thing to remember, as your current DA (Domain Authority) is 0, you need to connect with at least 10+ DA to get some value. If it is 20+ DA, you will get more discount.

You can connect with other networks like social media pages and profiles like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Leverage the enormous audience size of these social media to get thousands of targeted visitors to your site to boost your profit. 

Step #2: Research targeted keywords to rank.

The first time you think of choosing keywords for your website, it seems like nothing to worry about, but it is complex enough to make the wrong decision. Many people, including me, failed to identify the right keywords for my blog post and couldn’t able to rank at all in the Google search results for a long time.

Besides, if you have a local business, focusing on local keywords is vital; otherwise, people near your location won’t find you.

There are many paid and free keyword research tools out there. But how do you know which is the most effective SEO tool?

We have researched for you, and here is a list of the best SEO tools:

1. Google Keyword Planner
2. Google Search Console
3. Google Trends
4. Ahrefs
5. SEOCockpit
6. KeywordTool
7. SEMRush
8. Moz
9. Ubersuggest
10. Answer The Public
11. SpyFu
12. Woorank
13. Majestic
14. SEOQuake
15. Siteliner

Continue reading if you want to know how to utilize these SEO tools to rank on Google.

Guide: How should you use these SEO tools?

We have written down simple yet comprehensive step-by-step guidelines below. So let’s take a look.

1. Focusing on targeted and low-competitive keywords.

Before starting your research, focus on a low-competitive with high-volume search.

Why is that? Because as for a new website, a highly competitive keyword will be challenging and time-consuming for you to rank, and in most cases, you will waste your valuable time and efforts. In that case, it’s better to focus on low competition.

For example, look at the screenshot. It is the Google Keyword Planner tool; it’s free to use. I have provided three keywords to track their competition and search volume here.

“SEO” search volume is between 1Million to 10 million per month, and it’s low competitive. While “How to improve SEO” has 1,000 to 10,000 search volumes, it’s also low competitive. And finally, “Digital Marketing” has a 100K to 1Million search volume with medium competition.

Let me tell you how to differentiate keywords from this type of result. First, “SEO” has the highest search volumes and is lowly competitive. So everything is good.

But one problem it has is that It is a broadly focused keyword, which means you will not get targeted visitors by using this keyword.

Why? Simple, only “SEO” means many things. You need to use a keyword that has a more specific meaning, like “How to improve SEO.”

However, it has a low search volume compared to other keywords, but by using this keyword, you can get targeted visitors to your post. And the last keyword, “Digital Marketing,” has plenty of search volume but a medium competition level.

Quick Note: If your website is new and you want to write an article, “How to Improve SEO for Your Website,” then you should choose the “How to improve SEO” keyword. And the most tricky part is that within your article “SEO” keyword will automatically appear; hence you do not have to focus on that keyword actively. Therefore, by focusing on “How to Improve SEO,” you are aiming at targeted keywords and a broad keyword “SEO” with a huge search volume.

Also, don’t forget to use Google Analytics to measure your site performance. You should look for organic traffic metrics. If your site starts to rank in Google, you are supposed to get more organic traffic. 

2. Focusing on Relevant Keyword Phrases.

Google is becoming smarter day by day. To stay safe, think of Google as a human being and not try to cheat with it. Be honest, and you will get a reward for it eventually.

Why did I say that? Because many newbies tried to trick Google into getting ranked high, they ruined their entire website.

Your blog topic is “How to Get Rank 1 in Google”. When you do some keyword research, you find two keyword ideas. 1st “Get Rank 1” and 2nd “Get Rank 1 in Google”.

You have seen that “Get Rank 1” has a huge search volume and low competition. However, “Get Rank 1 in Google” has a comparatively low search volume and has medium competition. And that’s why you decided to focus on the “Get Rank 1” keyword.

No, you did wrong. Here comes the relevancy issue. “Get Rank 1” means many things broadly; get Rank 1 in Racing, Sports, Swimming, etc. You must be specific and focus on “Get Rank 1 in Google,” even if it has a low search volume and higher competition level. By focusing on more relevant keywords, Google will reward you with targeted visitors and will be able to rank faster.

Quick Note: Do not forget to add your focused keyword on the title, URL, meta description, first paragraph, headings, and image alt text. Do not overdo it; add a couple of times, and that’s it.

Step #3: Spy on the competitor’s website.

After you have found a specific targeted keyword by doing some research, it is time to step out and face reality. Now you will find websites, blogs, videos, etc., using the keyword you selected a few minutes ago. And by doing so, you are about to find out your competitors and what they are doing.

First, search that keyword in Google and other search engines to find highlighted information below. Then, to reduce your workload, look only for a 1st-page search result; in that case, you will track the top 10 websites.

1. How many domains (websites) are using this keyword? Here, you may find an exact match in the domain name; for example, let us assume that you have selected the “SEO” keyword.

Therefore, when you start searching using this keyword, you may find several exact match domains like “seoservice.com” and “myseo.com.” And some other websites do not have precise keywords in their domain. However, using SEO as their main focused keyword. Therefore, you may find it on their homepage, blog title, service title, etc.

2. How did they use this keyword in the title tag? Scan their homepage, blog, and service page to examine how they utilize this SEO keyword. You may use their knowledge to your advantage.

3. Which page or post gets ranked high on Google? First, a search for which post or page gets ranked high in Google. After you find it, check how they distributed keywords on that page or post.

4. What type of business gets ranked? Check what type of business they are. Are they new websites? Blog? Or a huge brand?

Also, check their DA (Domain Authority) to measure your competitor’s strength.

Disclaimer: DA (Domain Authority) & PA (Page Authority) is NOT Google metric. Google never uses it. This DA & PA came from a third-party MOZ. They invent this metric to judge a website’s quality. Therefore, DA & PA values will not help you rank better on Google because Google doesn’t care about DA or PA.

Recommended Reading: How Geotagging Keywords Can Dramatically Improve Your Site SEO?

Step #4: Determine long-tail keyword phrases.

I already discussed it earlier, but let me elaborate more this time. The long tail keyword is better than the short tail as you can target more precisely. For example, if you search for “Pizza,” Google will show you everything related to the Pizza keyword, from the History of Pizza to How to eat a Pizza.

But if you add more words, like “Pizza delivery,” you help Google understand what you are trying to find out. So finally, searching for “Pizza delivery in New York” is even more precise, narrowing it down even more.

Now Google will understand that you are looking for a Pizza to deliver in New York City; you are not looking for Pizza history or how to eat a Pizza. Therefore, by using a long-tail keyword, you help Google to filter out unnecessary information.

Yes, this is what is going to happen to your website. For example, let’s say you have a Pizza shop, but on your website, you focus on the “Pizza” keyword.

Now Google will send you all types of visitors from all over the world. So, for example, those looking for Pizza history will visit your site, and someone who wants to learn how to make a Pizza will visit your site too.

If you receive 10,000 visitors a month, you may find 2,000 visitors who want to buy a Pizza while others are looking for something related to Pizza. Therefore, by using a short-tail keyword, you are wasting your time and effort.

And also, Google will rank you down eventually because those 8,000 people not looking to buy a Pizza will immediately leave your site.

Step #5: Identify the type of content.

Decide what type of content you are going to produce for your site. It has to be something that suits your business. For example, you may create a blog post, a great way to increase your ranking on Google. A static article page can also be beneficial, like a blog post. A product page contains a list of all your products.

Okay, but what about other websites like “Service or Product”? In general, if you start a restaurant business, you would have a menu page containing a list of food items your restaurant is offering, a contact page, and an about page. That’s it.

It is an example of a static website, and Google usually does not like this type of website. Though you would not have any problem growing your business because restaurants do not count for websites, they grow from customer satisfaction.

If you want to rank your website, start a blog. Produce regular fresh content related to food items. For example, you may write about high-quality food items that are great for health, some recipes from your restaurant menus, etc.

By doing so, you will get additional value from search engines and more visitors. Thus, your website will rank higher in the search engine.

Quick Note: If you plan to start a blog, congratulations, you are the favorite child of search engines. Why is that? Because Google loves regular fresh content that only a blog can provide.

Step #6: Final optimization for keywords.

Before publishing your content online, it is wise to check keyword distribution thoroughly. I discussed researching and selecting keywords for your content in my previous steps. Now let me tell you how people tried to trick Google back in 2000.

At that time, Google was still young and didn’t have as much AI-powered technology as it does nowadays. So some webmasters tried to trick the Google spider bot by using keyword stuffing in an article, and because of sheer keyword volume, they could rank higher quickly. It is called “Black Hat SEO.”

Things have changed a lot since then. Even by mistake, do not try to stuff your focused keywords. Google blacklists you for not only this but also for readability will reduce; thus, it will be hard for your visitors to read your content, and eventually, they will stop visiting your site. Try to keep keyword density within 1-3% for best SEO.

Recommended Reading: 9 Best and Cheapest SEO Tools for Beginners? (Tested and Reviewed)

Step #7: Publish and promote your content.

After completing all the above steps, it is time to publish it. Upon posting content, it doesn’t mean that it will go viral unless you show it to the audience in the first place. There are two ways to do it.

1st, your website already has thousands of audiences, or you have a popular social media page or profile. And 2nd, if you do not have any audience base, you can use the advertising service to draw an audience.

Let us assume that you have 10,000 monthly visitors, which means more than 330 visitors every day visit your site. In that case, your website will promote itself. Just put the content links on the front page so your visitors can see them. Send a newsletter with the latest published content links if you have an email list.

Do not forget to put a built-in share button or widget on your website so the audience can easily share your content with a single click. Leverage this option to get a flood of visitors without spending a dime.

You may also utilize social share plugins on your WordPress site to make social sharing easy for your audience. But where can you find the top social share plugins?

No worries, here is a list of the 13 best social share plugins for WordPress that you can try out.

1. Socialsnap
2. Monarch
3. Warfare plugins
4. Easy Social Share Button
5. MashShare
6. Smashballoon
7. Shared Counts
8. Uncanny Automator
9. AIOSEO
10. RafflePress
11. MonsterInsights
12. Pretty Links
13. SeedProd

If your website is new and has no visitors, then let us assume you have a social media page or profile like a Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn profile. Share your newly published content on the social media page for instant promotion. People can like and share your content; thus, it will go viral. You will receive a stream of visitors this way.

Finally, link building is the key to ranking high in search engines. If your website is new, then link building is essential for you. If you have no idea about link building, read my below guide for a better understanding.

Recommended Reading: Link Building a Pathway to Rank High on Google (Beginner’s Guide)

Step #8: Analyze visitors to measure website performance.

It is the final stage and will continue until the end. After publishing content, your task is to analyze visitors to measure your website’s performance. You have done everything to build stunning content, so your audience will read it, buy it and share it. But if you do not get your desired result, that means something you have done wrong, or it is time to fix and upgrade.

Your website is a living, breathing being. You can change it every second with no limitation or restriction on that. Therefore, if you can’t see your desired performance, do not hesitate to edit and tweak to test what works best.

You may have done something wrong with your keyword choosing; no worries, take your time and change it. Google spider bot crawls every 24-48h, depending on its algorithm, so after you have changed, it will take some time to reflect on the search engine.

So, you have nothing to worry about. Publishing your website and its content doesn’t mean you have submitted your thesis paper and are done. Nope, the website is a continuous thing, you will write content, change it, and update it and Google will also update your website according to it. But it is always better to start with good draft content so that later, you can edit it.

Google Analytics is the best performance-measuring tool out there. After you have done everything correctly, it is time to focus on monitoring the performance and tweaking your content.

Conclusion.

By reading this guide, I am sure you know the answer to your question, how do I improve my Google ranking for keywords?

However, always remember this – ranking in search engines is just the beginning. If you do not create high-quality content for your audience, your success won’t last long.

Soon search engines will rank you down as your performance is not good enough.

That’s why I want you to produce quality content for your site and then focus on keyword optimization before you do anything.