PlofAtayuga
Regular Member
- Jul 5, 2010
- 404
- 226
Isn’t it frustrating when your money site is stuck on 2nd page for your keywords, despite your best efforts to do on-page optimization and build links?
Here are a couple of ideas that may get things moving when more backlinks isn’t the solution:
1. Refresh your content
This one is quite straightforward, and underestimated in my opinion. When it works, it generally works fast. If you haven’t updated your site’s copy for a while, try to refresh it a bit. Reword a few sentences, add a paragraph or two, add new images, etc. Show Google your content is fresh and cared for.
You may start seeing movement after only a few hours. Sometimes it takes days. And sometimes nothing happens at all. But it’s very easy to implement, so why not try it?
If your rankings do go up, they may gradually get back to their original position, so make sure to reapply the trick regularly.
2. Keep creating relevant content on other pages of your domain
Just the way DA and PA are distinct ranking factors, your money page AND your domain as whole should be considered relevant for your keywords. Keep adding related content on a regular basis (time to pop-up your keyword search tool), and make sure the content is unique and useful for extra love : informative articles will generate natural links much easier than sales pages, which can give your an extra boost.
This method takes more time, but it can deliver strong results after a few months.
3. Optimize your CTR: review title & description meta
Right, the meta description holds no direct SEO value. Fine. But what about CTR? Anyone who’s used AdWords knows how much Google values CTR to determine an ad’s quality. Surely things can’t be too different for organic results.
Try to tweak your titles and descriptions to attract more clicks. Do a bit of A/B testing and see what works best. If anything, a better CTR means more traffic your way.
Seeing beyond direct SEO gains is what makes the difference. Care about the copy. Care about the users. Which leads us to the final point...
4. Give visitors what they want
This one is harder to execute, because it really depends on the kind of keyword you’re after. I'll elaborate a bit.
The idea is simple: if someone looks for a keyword, visit your page and doesn’t come back to the search results, it means you gave them what they wanted. In Google’s eyes, it indicated your page was relevant and deserves to rank. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
In practice, it means we need to care a bit about those who find your page but are actually looking for something slightly different. It doesn’t matter what they’re here for, we don’t want them to press the Back button.
Just a simplified example for the sake of illustration: let’s say you offer SEO audit services – not the automated stuff, but a professional, hand-crafted, personalized service. Chances are you’ll have visits from users who are actually looking for a free tool to get basic insights.
Instead of letting them go back to Google, try to help them by giving them what they want. They are most likely not interested in buying a paid service anyway, and you can still pitch your offer. It can be as simple as adding a sentence like “I offer professional, personalized services for ambitions companies. If you want the best results, you’re in the right place. If you just want general SEO information, you may check this tool: (link)”.
It’s even better if you have something on your own domain: here’s your free tool, I’m still here if you need a pro.
To get ideas, just check your traffic data on Google Search Console or wherever you can see that. See what non-commercial keywords generate visits, and think of how you can help users (and, if you’re smart, make a profit out of it
).
Again, a tactic that will only produce results in the long-term (if at all), but what do you have to lose when the other methods don’t prove enough?
Well, that’s it! Sometimes it’s the not-so-obvious stuff that makes a difference. Hopefully it will give you idea to finally make it to page 1.
Here are a couple of ideas that may get things moving when more backlinks isn’t the solution:
1. Refresh your content
This one is quite straightforward, and underestimated in my opinion. When it works, it generally works fast. If you haven’t updated your site’s copy for a while, try to refresh it a bit. Reword a few sentences, add a paragraph or two, add new images, etc. Show Google your content is fresh and cared for.
You may start seeing movement after only a few hours. Sometimes it takes days. And sometimes nothing happens at all. But it’s very easy to implement, so why not try it?
If your rankings do go up, they may gradually get back to their original position, so make sure to reapply the trick regularly.
2. Keep creating relevant content on other pages of your domain
Just the way DA and PA are distinct ranking factors, your money page AND your domain as whole should be considered relevant for your keywords. Keep adding related content on a regular basis (time to pop-up your keyword search tool), and make sure the content is unique and useful for extra love : informative articles will generate natural links much easier than sales pages, which can give your an extra boost.
This method takes more time, but it can deliver strong results after a few months.
3. Optimize your CTR: review title & description meta
Right, the meta description holds no direct SEO value. Fine. But what about CTR? Anyone who’s used AdWords knows how much Google values CTR to determine an ad’s quality. Surely things can’t be too different for organic results.
Try to tweak your titles and descriptions to attract more clicks. Do a bit of A/B testing and see what works best. If anything, a better CTR means more traffic your way.
Seeing beyond direct SEO gains is what makes the difference. Care about the copy. Care about the users. Which leads us to the final point...
4. Give visitors what they want
This one is harder to execute, because it really depends on the kind of keyword you’re after. I'll elaborate a bit.
The idea is simple: if someone looks for a keyword, visit your page and doesn’t come back to the search results, it means you gave them what they wanted. In Google’s eyes, it indicated your page was relevant and deserves to rank. Makes sense, doesn’t it?
In practice, it means we need to care a bit about those who find your page but are actually looking for something slightly different. It doesn’t matter what they’re here for, we don’t want them to press the Back button.
Just a simplified example for the sake of illustration: let’s say you offer SEO audit services – not the automated stuff, but a professional, hand-crafted, personalized service. Chances are you’ll have visits from users who are actually looking for a free tool to get basic insights.
Instead of letting them go back to Google, try to help them by giving them what they want. They are most likely not interested in buying a paid service anyway, and you can still pitch your offer. It can be as simple as adding a sentence like “I offer professional, personalized services for ambitions companies. If you want the best results, you’re in the right place. If you just want general SEO information, you may check this tool: (link)”.
It’s even better if you have something on your own domain: here’s your free tool, I’m still here if you need a pro.
To get ideas, just check your traffic data on Google Search Console or wherever you can see that. See what non-commercial keywords generate visits, and think of how you can help users (and, if you’re smart, make a profit out of it
).Again, a tactic that will only produce results in the long-term (if at all), but what do you have to lose when the other methods don’t prove enough?
Well, that’s it! Sometimes it’s the not-so-obvious stuff that makes a difference. Hopefully it will give you idea to finally make it to page 1.
