Most folks I work with our obsessed with their rankings on Google. And I get that!

What many don’t realize is that some of the best sites can be found on page 2-3 of Google. Why is that? Many reasons. One being many sites are not properly optimized or marketed. We all know that great Google rankings do not happen by osmosis. You have to work at them consistently, continually and for perpetuity.

What frustrates many are some of the results they experience where 404s or poorly designed, outdated or plain ole’ old sites have top rankings over their sites. While we all like to think our site deserves being ranking before some of those above us, we have no choice but to continue to work our program, knowing what we know (and what Google is willing to let us know) so that we can make the best of a sometimes confusing game.

Game? Yep it’s a game. Those who play it better win. I even have a site of my own that I struggle to keep on the top page of Google. It’s the most comprehensive, constantly updated “authority” site on it’s subject. That’s not just what I think — that’s what site visitors take the time to e-mail me once they find me.

The fact be told that if you are not “above the fold” on the top page of Google, those looking for a site to link to on any particular topic probably will link to one of the first handful of sites. (This based on my theory that many searchers are lazy and have the attention span of a gnat!) And, Google loves those one-way inbound links!

Another issue is Google could be reading my site as having excessive use of my main keyword phrase. But the gig with this particular site is that it literally only has one main keyword phrase all other descriptive phrases simply don’t have much search volume. It’s tough to not use it when it is what it is.

So my approach is to keep writing knowing that interested searchers are in fact finding my site — but not necessarily by my main phrase or coming in through my top page. They are finding specific articles and posts that fit their specific searches. I do keyword research, find out what folks are looking for and write about it. That is why it is so important for every site owner to know that every page/post in your site can be an entry point into the rest of your site!

My sob story aside, which I am sharing with you to show that no matter what you know, and how hard you work at your rankings, is so you know that rankings will always be a challenge and something you have to strategize over and nurture. They don’t just happen by osmosis.

What does Google want? To help simplify things a bit (and this is almost over simplifying Google’s algorithm that no one knows for sure exactly what it wants), Google uses 3 primary sets of factors to help determine ranking;

• On-Page : Title and Description Header tags, Content
• Off-Page : Internal Link Text, Quantity, Location to the other pages, URLs, Response Times
• Off-Site : Links from other sites, the link text, and context relationship

Want to hear it from the horse’s mouth? For your reading pleasure, you can download Googles Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.

When it comes to Google and your rankings, the only thing that is a given is that tenacity is key!

At your service,
Judith