Get More Search Engine Rankings with Less
Organic or natural search engine listings, the free ones you don’t have to pay for, require some strategy and forethought to acquire. And it takes time….
One of most important factors when it comes to free search engine rankings is relevancy. Google for example uses over 200 different and constantly changing criteria to determine relevancy. To pull on that coveted top page your site has to be one of the most relevant sites pertaining to the search at hand.
When a search is performed, those sites that are deemed the most relevant, at that point in time, will be listed in order of the level of relevancy as determined by a search engine’s algorithm of the day. Be about a ton of things – you are on page 100; but using the “less is more” methodology you may just be able to get on that coveted top page.
One of the most common search engine misnomers I get approached with on almost a daily basis is the assumption that one’s site should pull on the top page for any term they desire simply because they want it to. Stuff some keywords and whallah — wrong!
First and foremost you have to be realistic and think about why your site deserves to rank higher than those already listed. “Wanting” has nothing to do with rankings unless it is backed up with a long-term consistent proactive strategy to acquire the desired results.
Don’t fall for the hype or misinformation that is so prevalent on this topic. The noise can be overwhelming and confusing when actually the solution is quite simple. When it comes to your search engine rankings, if you remember anything — remember that less is more. The more you are about or try to cram on one page, the less you are relevant for any one thing and the more difficult it will be for you to hope to get on the top page.
Search Engine Rankings = Less is More
Being searchers are looking for one targeted issue, topic, service, or product – you want to determine what those most searched for terms are for your product or service and make sure your site is optimized for those terms. In addition, by simply concentrating on targeted phrases you will benefit from a more targeted site visitor too!
To try to pull for one word terms is a futile effort at best; the numbers are against you. And to guess what you “think” folks may use to find what you have to offer is not your most productive approach either. What if the phrases you “think” searchers are using is not what searchers are actually using to find a site like yours?
That is why it behooves you to investigate the available data at sites like Google to see what your potential customers are in fact using before and during the development of your site, and then moving forward as you grow your site. Check out my list of Free Keyword Research Tools!
Begin by rewriting your site page by page to reflect no more than one or two of the top phrases your target market is actually using. About 300-500 words of readable, customer catering verbiage will do. Remember, the more you blather on, the more you will dilute your efforts — and folks don’t read online — they scan. WordPress offers great SEO Tools and plugins that allow you to optimizes on a page by page basis. Unique titles and descriptions focusing on your one topic for the day — easy!
Checkout the WordPress SEO Plugin which actually guides and coaches you through he SEO process on each and every page or post!
Then for every additional keyword phrase you would like to eventually have hopes to be found by, write an article around that topic and give focus to that individual keyword phrase on its very own page. Turn your wealth of information, knowledge and experience into an article archive or Blog! Now that’s how you get rankings!
Moving forward, as topics arise write a white paper, resource page or article on each topic/phrase you feel is of importance to your site visitors. This approach automatically translates to you improving the chances of your site getting found. Don’t try and fool the search engines with random babbling and incoherent text – you want to have valuable information. Information that serves three critical purposes!
- First, having targeted pages makes your site visitors happy because they have found the helpful, useful information they were seeking and will be more likely to contact you.
- Secondly, valuable information and articles also better your chances of acquiring those cherished inbound one-way links that contribute to your search engine popularity factor (another factor in achieving healthy rankings).
- And, thirdly, more content combined with the above will naturally help your rankings to improve over time.
So go take a look at your site now and integrate the “less is more” methodology and watch your rankings turn from less to more too!
At your service,
Judith
Your WordPress Consultant
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Hi
I see that WordPress comes with some standard SEO features now – what specifically does the plugin you mention add?
Thanks very much
Linda
Hey, Linda:
WordPress is inherently SEO friendly due to how it operates and is structured. The plugin I mention in this article (as well as other useful SEO plugins that are available) offers a whole slew of variables that you can customize specifically for your site. Rather than republish all the features of the plugin here I link to the WordPress SEO plugin page in my article above. I recommend you follow that link so you can review the information you seek.