I Want My Website To Be #1 On Google!

Most of the folks we work with already understand the importance of ranking high in Google’s search results (and to a lesser degree, ranking high on Bing and Yahoo as well). Google search is probably one of the most common ways that customers find your site, so you want your business listed on the first page of results. How often have you performed a Google search and clicked past the first page of results? Probably not that much.

Sometimes we hear demands of, “I want my site to be #1 on Google!” That’s quite an ambitious goal – truth is, it’s incredibly difficult/impossible to magically drop any given website into Google’s top results position. By making use of best practices and our extensive experience, we’ll make every effort to get sites ranked as high as possible. But, quite simply, there is no guarantee.

Here are a few reasons why:

1. We don’t know (exactly) how Google’s ranking algorithm works…. and nobody else does either.

Google constantly adjusts and tweaks the algorithm it uses to determine the order of search results rankings. As SEO pros, we make educated guesses related to how we think Google is calculating rankings. But unless we can successfully place a spy into Google headquarters itself, we’ll have to continue using the intel we’ve got.

2. We can’t control what your competitors are doing.

Because everybody can’t be #1, this situation sometimes results in a cat-and-mouse game between competitors. If Company A finds themselves in the #1 position, Company B will attempt to make SEO-related changes to bump Company A out of the top spot. Company A will then do the same, and so on. SEO success is a moving target.

3. Search engine optimization can be a full-time job, and there is no end date.

Constantly adjusting and tweaking your website for SEO purposes requires a good deal of time. SEO requires ongoing maintenance and improvement, so a competitor who stays on top of their SEO initiatives will end up ranking higher that those who drop the ball.

4. Writing great content and acquiring inbound links requires effort. 

Two of the big factors in search engine rankings are (a) having great, keyword-rich content on your website, and (b) acquiring quality inbound links to your site. Google rewards sites with fresh and regularly-updated content by ranking them higher than those sites that have stale or outdated content. Your website will benefit from quality inbound links as well, because search engines will deem your site important if other sites think your site is important. With that said, there is no magic button to push that will automatically generate great content and inbound links. Writing quality content on an ongoing basis and asking other website owners for links is often a tedious and time-consuming process.

We know, the truth hurts. But if you have the will (and the budget) to commit to a proper search engine optimization campaign, it’s possible for any website to earn a high Google ranking, even on that crucial first page of search results. It takes effort and time, but it also helps to have SEO pros supporting you along the way. (Hey, that’s us!)

If you’re ready to climb that ladder to the first page of Google search results, give us a call at 804-577-8679 or contact us below!