How to Raise Your Business' SEO Rankings for the Long Term


When it comes to SEO marketing, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Building up a top page ranking requires a detailed strategy covering several angles of attack, because the search rank algorithms never measure only one thing. It can take months, even years, to claw into a top-ranked position in the coveted first five clicks. But with the right mindset and efforts, it can be done.

Why do the first five ranks matter so much? According to a Moz study, 67.6 percent of all clicks come from the first five results. By comparison, the 6-10th positions were only 3.73 percent of clicks. So if you are at the bottom of the page, and a user has to run their scroll bar all the way to the bottom in order to find you, the SEO ranking game is far from over.

For business owners, especially new business owners, new clicks need to come in for revenue not months down the line, but immediately. That’s a big reason why Pay-Per-Click revenue generation stays so popular. It’s instant gratification, compared to a long term business investment strategy that may only pay off a year down the line.


However, when it is done right, an organic rise to the top of search engine ranking has incredible revenue generating potential. These five strategies are designed to help you get there.

First, the business needs a specific plan of action. Knowing what you want out of the keywords and the customers or clients will give your SEO strategy a good groundwork for what you are looking to build. Knowing exactly which keywords to use can help searchers target your business at both a local and a national scale. Secondly, customize your search engine keywords to your exact city, so locals can have an easier time finding you.

SEO success should be measurable, and have defined sets of goals. When you track your progress using statistics rather than vague guesswork, it is easier to identify trends of what’s working and what’s not. Then you can tweak what needs to be fixed while enhancing what people already want to see.

Backlinks are one of the hidden gems of the SEO world. Google algorithms partially base ranks off how many links other companies have to your pages. The more that other companies or pages think yours is worth visiting, the more they assume people will want to visit. One of the fastest ways to do that is to create connections with news outlets. You can send them stories about your local business that they will want to publish, and those stories will link back to your website. 


All of those steps, however, will not mean much without great content on the page. Search analytics favor websites that are not just throwing around random keywords, but adding quality phrases built around those keywords and even HTML tags. Plus, great content and organic, positive reviews on your site will hook people in more once they get there.


Finally, embrace your local market. The people nearest your business’ physical location are the most likely to walk in your doors. Adding your site to online business directories will literally put you on the map, and raise the credibility of your business. Search engines need to see local activity before they accept your location.

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