How can I rank on the first page?

A client asked:

I just did a quick search for "such and such phrase" on Google and my website did not appear on the first page. Is there a way to ensure it does?

The search engine Google decides what order the web pages are listing for a particular search. If your website is not ranking for that particular phrase, you can use a process called Search Engine Optimisation to improve your ranking for that phrase. I offer basic SEO plans to work with you to do this.

There are over 200 ranking factors that Google uses to determine your ranking. However, here are 3 important factors that are worth looking at first.

1. Relevancy: Is the phrase relevant to your website?

Is it a phrase that you actually use on your site? Do you have content that includes related terms? You can check by searching Google. For example, I can search the phrase "SEO" and then my site using the below:

seo site:buildyourwebsite.co.nz

This will give you a list of all the times the phrase appears on your website and it will also show the page that Google considers is most relevant for that particular phrase. You might not be ranking because you need to add some more content making it clear that this is a phrase that is important to you. Read my article about  Your content and Search Engine Optimisation which discusses how important it is to be clear for Google.

It is also worth doing some keyword research because sometimes a phrase you think is important is not the phrase that a customer might put into Google to find you. See my article: Improve your ranking with Keyword Research

2. Your Website Authority

Google decides how authoritative your website is based on factors like who links to you and your social media profile. Website Authority is especially important in the "Your Money or Your Life" area ie if your website involves investment or medical issues. The authoritative standards are different, they are not just looking for the number of links and their authority but they consider particular links especially important ie from professional organisations.

3. User Experience Factors

These factors include how long people spend on your website, how many pages people browse and your bounce rate. If a page has a very high bounce rate - i.e. people leave very quickly after landing on it, you need to consider why people are not staying on the page.

If people find your website in Google and then read it, then you will rank higher than a website where someone leaves pretty soon after arriving.

Basically, user experience factors measure how useful your readings find your website.