RenegadeX
BANNED
- May 12, 2019
- 261
- 436
Hi guys,
After launching several agencies in the past 6 years, I've learned that there are different methods to ranking keywords, whether you are trying into the affiliate space and rank for buyer intent keywords, or whether you are simply trying to rank informational keywords to increase your traffic and ad revenue.
Starting a successful campaign begins with a simple step - keyword research. What people fail to realise is that keyword research is more than just metrics and figures. You need to understand exactly how the keyword could benefit you and whether you should invest time and money into ranking the keyword.
Because I am from the local SEO space, I do a mixture of local SEO methods. 2 of my main breadwinners are Rank & Rent and lead generation. These are the best ways to generate $$$ online in my personal opinion because of the little competition out there.
People assume it's incredibly hard to break into the local SEO space and it makes sense because the barrier to entry is so low, anyone could start their own agency today. However, not everyone has the capability of making it work and this means they give up within weeks or even days.
Take it from me, I started an agency for the first time and didn't close my first sale until years later when I decided to actually put effort in and learn about how the whole operation works. Below I will outline exactly how I rank local sites for businesses using simple steps anyone can follow.
Keyword research
When it comes to finding low competition keywords, it's best to keep it simple. I recommend using Key Search since they're easy to use and has new features added on which are of great help such as rank tracking and new content features.
A lot of people simply look at these things when it comes to keyword research:
My way of doing keyword research entails the following:
Let's say I want to rank for "Roof repair NJ" which has 1,000 monthly searches. According to Key Search, this keyword has a competition score of 32 which in my opinion is quite moderate. It's not too difficult to rank for, but it is not as easy as buying a couple of links and landing #1 rankings.
The way I would ensure this is worth my agencies time in ranking is to figure out some key data.
If I am going the rank and rent method, I could potentially rent the website for $2,000+ per month because the roofer would only need one job per month to make a return on his investment. Any more jobs received due to the ranking would be pure profit for the roofer.
In this case, investing $1,000 to rank the website would be a good payoff for me and I would consider going further with ranking the website
If you are interested in getting into rank and rent/lead generation, it's a good idea to research different costs involved for business sectors to do local jobs in cities you are trying to rank for, and research the keywords that you may be able to rank for.
SEO
Now that I have the keyword I want to rank for, it's time to start the SEO. We always begin with on site SEO because this is where the foundations lie. Without perfect on site SEO, you could kiss goodbye to your money and time because no matter how many PBN links you buy, it won't crack the first page of Google.
For the on site, it's important to make sure you clearly define the <h1> tags of your site. The heading would be the keyword you are ranking for. I personally believe in click bait for generating higher CTR in today's day and age so for the title, it wouldn't be something as basic as: "Roof repair NJ"
It would be something along the lines of "Best Roof Repair NJ - Highest rated roof repair in New Jersey"
It's important to get into the customers psyche so it's easier to sell the service to them. Having a generic title would lead to you being just one of 10 ranked sites on the first page which means you're competing heavily unless you are in the top 3. It's also important to target long tails in your website content, blog pages, meta descriptions etc. Because New Jersey is separated by different municipalities, you want to target ALL of them to ensure you rank for the different boroughs within this state.
Some examples would include:
Head on over to KeywordShitter, input the main keyword you are trying to rank for and you'll be greeted with keywords like these to input on your website:
Once you've optimised the on site for the website, it's time to do the off site SEO.
(This is actually really long to write, kudos to those who wrote detailed methods)
To begin any off site SEO campaign, I always send social signals to the page. I do this because I want to show that the page is getting a viral boost from social media, which can help aid with rankings, and show Google that the page is credible. (Whether or not this is still true, it still holds a place in many agencies SEO plan because, quite simply, it just works)
After I've sent the social signals, I send out some quality PBN links from my own network. The amount of links I send really varies based on the competition of the keywords/niche I'm going after - but for this example, let's just say I'll send 10 PBN links. there's no need to worry about metrics etc. I pick 10 domains from my network and I create posts on them linking to the website page I am trying to rank.
Now I understand not everyone has their own Private Blog Network so if this is the case, you'll have to buy some. When I first started this game and didn't have my own network, I used to use a website called Source Market, now known as Konker to buy links. I used to have a vendor who provided really good links from a network but as far as I'm aware, he no longer sells services.
There are plenty of BHW services here that sell really good PBN link services but you'll have to sift through a lot of generic ones that do not really do much. I've been burned in the past buying on BHW paying for generic links that don't do much, so I'm a little more cautious nowadays when it comes to buying the right service.
My best advice is to maintain a nice budget of around $200 for link building so you can buy different kind of links that add diversity. PBN may be the biggest cost from this so it's important to make sure you choose carefully.
I use my main money keywords that I want to rank for in the anchors but I make sure to mix it up and
go after generic anchors, URL variations, brand anchors and so on. Just make sure you do not forget your main anchor keyword you are trying to rank for either.
A new method that myself and some friends I've met in co-working spaces abroad have found is that guest posts are booming for local SEO. Finding blogs and guest post opportunities for your niche is a golden nugget, and after a lot of testing, I've found that this is something that definitely boosts ranking.
Before I found Key Search, I used to hire VA's to find some guest blog sites for me and format it in an excel document for me to review. However, I've found that Key Search has a feature that lets you find guest post opportunities now.
I'm sure a few other software also allows you to do this but I haven't tested them. I've only ever used Key Search for this and from using it, I know that it works perfectly in finding you the best sites that allow for guest posts.
You will have to contact the site owners and tell them your situation regarding your new website you are ranking for, and that you want to share the site with other blogs. Sometimes these blogs may charge fees to guest post, but some will be happy to let you post for free as long you provide actual value in the blogs with your post, and do not post random generic drivel.
That's pretty much it for the on site and off site SEO. It takes a little testing, and buying new links periodically to see where your rankings are. Don't be disheartened if you do not rank within 30 days. Sometimes, my keywords take 3 months to rank, but the results are worth it when you sell leads or rent your websites out to local businesses.
That's all in this quick guide. I had some time on my hands today as it's a quiet Tuesday night so I thought I'd share some of my lessons learned in ranking local sites in my time of being an agency owner and employee.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch below and I'll be sure to answer your questions.
After launching several agencies in the past 6 years, I've learned that there are different methods to ranking keywords, whether you are trying into the affiliate space and rank for buyer intent keywords, or whether you are simply trying to rank informational keywords to increase your traffic and ad revenue.
Starting a successful campaign begins with a simple step - keyword research. What people fail to realise is that keyword research is more than just metrics and figures. You need to understand exactly how the keyword could benefit you and whether you should invest time and money into ranking the keyword.
Because I am from the local SEO space, I do a mixture of local SEO methods. 2 of my main breadwinners are Rank & Rent and lead generation. These are the best ways to generate $$$ online in my personal opinion because of the little competition out there.
People assume it's incredibly hard to break into the local SEO space and it makes sense because the barrier to entry is so low, anyone could start their own agency today. However, not everyone has the capability of making it work and this means they give up within weeks or even days.
Take it from me, I started an agency for the first time and didn't close my first sale until years later when I decided to actually put effort in and learn about how the whole operation works. Below I will outline exactly how I rank local sites for businesses using simple steps anyone can follow.
Keyword research
When it comes to finding low competition keywords, it's best to keep it simple. I recommend using Key Search since they're easy to use and has new features added on which are of great help such as rank tracking and new content features.
A lot of people simply look at these things when it comes to keyword research:
- Search volume
- Keyword competition score
My way of doing keyword research entails the following:
- Search volume
- Keyword competition score
- Value of the keyword
Let's say I want to rank for "Roof repair NJ" which has 1,000 monthly searches. According to Key Search, this keyword has a competition score of 32 which in my opinion is quite moderate. It's not too difficult to rank for, but it is not as easy as buying a couple of links and landing #1 rankings.
The way I would ensure this is worth my agencies time in ranking is to figure out some key data.
- What is the cost of the service in New Jersey?
- How much would it cost the roofers to complete an avg job?
- Is the job a one off or can it turn into recurring revenue for the roofer?
- How much would it cost to rank this keyword?
- The cost of the service on average in New Jersey is $3,500
- It would cost the roofers an avg of $1,500 in time, and resources to complete the job.
- The job is a one off for a roof that needs repairing.
- The SEO would cost on average $1,000 to rank the keyword.
If I am going the rank and rent method, I could potentially rent the website for $2,000+ per month because the roofer would only need one job per month to make a return on his investment. Any more jobs received due to the ranking would be pure profit for the roofer.
In this case, investing $1,000 to rank the website would be a good payoff for me and I would consider going further with ranking the website
If you are interested in getting into rank and rent/lead generation, it's a good idea to research different costs involved for business sectors to do local jobs in cities you are trying to rank for, and research the keywords that you may be able to rank for.
SEO
Now that I have the keyword I want to rank for, it's time to start the SEO. We always begin with on site SEO because this is where the foundations lie. Without perfect on site SEO, you could kiss goodbye to your money and time because no matter how many PBN links you buy, it won't crack the first page of Google.
For the on site, it's important to make sure you clearly define the <h1> tags of your site. The heading would be the keyword you are ranking for. I personally believe in click bait for generating higher CTR in today's day and age so for the title, it wouldn't be something as basic as: "Roof repair NJ"
It would be something along the lines of "Best Roof Repair NJ - Highest rated roof repair in New Jersey"
It's important to get into the customers psyche so it's easier to sell the service to them. Having a generic title would lead to you being just one of 10 ranked sites on the first page which means you're competing heavily unless you are in the top 3. It's also important to target long tails in your website content, blog pages, meta descriptions etc. Because New Jersey is separated by different municipalities, you want to target ALL of them to ensure you rank for the different boroughs within this state.
Some examples would include:
- Newark
- Jersey city
- Paterson
- Trenton
Head on over to KeywordShitter, input the main keyword you are trying to rank for and you'll be greeted with keywords like these to input on your website:
- roof leak repair nj
- slate roof repair nj
- roof repair clifton nj
- roof repair newark nj
- emergency roof repair nj
- roof repair bergenfield nj
- roof repair edison nj
- roof repair freehold nj
- roof repair bloomfield nj
- roof repair cresskill nj
- roof repair paterson nj
- roof repair wayne nj
- roof repair passaic nj
- roof repair union nj
- roof repair middletown nj
Once you've optimised the on site for the website, it's time to do the off site SEO.
(This is actually really long to write, kudos to those who wrote detailed methods)
To begin any off site SEO campaign, I always send social signals to the page. I do this because I want to show that the page is getting a viral boost from social media, which can help aid with rankings, and show Google that the page is credible. (Whether or not this is still true, it still holds a place in many agencies SEO plan because, quite simply, it just works)
After I've sent the social signals, I send out some quality PBN links from my own network. The amount of links I send really varies based on the competition of the keywords/niche I'm going after - but for this example, let's just say I'll send 10 PBN links. there's no need to worry about metrics etc. I pick 10 domains from my network and I create posts on them linking to the website page I am trying to rank.
Now I understand not everyone has their own Private Blog Network so if this is the case, you'll have to buy some. When I first started this game and didn't have my own network, I used to use a website called Source Market, now known as Konker to buy links. I used to have a vendor who provided really good links from a network but as far as I'm aware, he no longer sells services.
There are plenty of BHW services here that sell really good PBN link services but you'll have to sift through a lot of generic ones that do not really do much. I've been burned in the past buying on BHW paying for generic links that don't do much, so I'm a little more cautious nowadays when it comes to buying the right service.
My best advice is to maintain a nice budget of around $200 for link building so you can buy different kind of links that add diversity. PBN may be the biggest cost from this so it's important to make sure you choose carefully.
I use my main money keywords that I want to rank for in the anchors but I make sure to mix it up and
go after generic anchors, URL variations, brand anchors and so on. Just make sure you do not forget your main anchor keyword you are trying to rank for either.
A new method that myself and some friends I've met in co-working spaces abroad have found is that guest posts are booming for local SEO. Finding blogs and guest post opportunities for your niche is a golden nugget, and after a lot of testing, I've found that this is something that definitely boosts ranking.
Before I found Key Search, I used to hire VA's to find some guest blog sites for me and format it in an excel document for me to review. However, I've found that Key Search has a feature that lets you find guest post opportunities now.
I'm sure a few other software also allows you to do this but I haven't tested them. I've only ever used Key Search for this and from using it, I know that it works perfectly in finding you the best sites that allow for guest posts.
You will have to contact the site owners and tell them your situation regarding your new website you are ranking for, and that you want to share the site with other blogs. Sometimes these blogs may charge fees to guest post, but some will be happy to let you post for free as long you provide actual value in the blogs with your post, and do not post random generic drivel.
That's pretty much it for the on site and off site SEO. It takes a little testing, and buying new links periodically to see where your rankings are. Don't be disheartened if you do not rank within 30 days. Sometimes, my keywords take 3 months to rank, but the results are worth it when you sell leads or rent your websites out to local businesses.
That's all in this quick guide. I had some time on my hands today as it's a quiet Tuesday night so I thought I'd share some of my lessons learned in ranking local sites in my time of being an agency owner and employee.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to get in touch below and I'll be sure to answer your questions.
