The whole process of getting your website to the top of Google can be broken down into a number of steps that can place your site right up there at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs). The key is to execute these steps consistently until you get results. Here is how to create this process for you and your website.
Step 1: Identify a Reasonable Goal
When you are setting search engine optimization (SEO) goals, set both ambitious goals, and modest goals that are achievable in weeks. These goals will take the form of keywords. Choose 10 keywords and focus on them for the next 3 to 6 months. Use them in page content, links, offsite links,a and more.
Step 2: Set a Content Goal
The content goal needs to come in the form of X pieces of content per Y amount of time. For example:
Goal: 3 Blog posts a week
Goal: 1 Video blog post a week on YouTube, linking back to your site
Goal: 1 guest post blog linking back
Goal: 1 article directory article with a link back
and so on and so forth. Remember that you are going to need to be able to follow this schedule for a few months. Be ambitious, but not so ambitious that you risk falling giving up. While it is possible to rank a website of just static content, Google does place a very strong emphasis and preference on websites that are regularly updated with new content, so if you have a blog rather than a conventional HTML site, you stand a greater chance of a higher ranking.
Step 3: Set a Backlink Goal
Backlinks are the magic that makes an SEO campaign work. Choose one or two backlink strategies that you can execute regularly. Then create a schedule for when you will do the work. The secret to rankings isn’t getting a bunch of backlinks all at once, but consistently increasing your backlinks over time. Otherwise you might get into trouble with Google. Don’t try to buy backlinks. Grow them organically.
In terms of social media, also be consistent. Don’t try to do everything in 1 day and nothing for the rest of the week. Spend about 30 minutes in the morning and evening building links with useful content.
If you follow these three steps and consistently add both content, and backlinks to that content, you will find that you will very quickly start ranking for your lesser competition keywords. In a few months, you will find even higher competition keywords getting ranked, and eventually, you will even rank for your main keywords.
