Google is the most popular search engine in the world, and if you’re not ranking on Google’s first page of results, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of traffic.
But it’s not just about driving more traffic to your site; ranking higher on Google has many other benefits as well. It can help you build trust with customers and clients, boost your brand visibility, and increase sales.
Here’s how I was able to rank on the first page of Google, on multiple articles, with my tech blog (vividbay.com), without researching keywords or SEO (search engine optimization).
The importance of keywords research and SEO
Keywords research is one of the most important elements of search engine optimization (SEO). It involves analyzing your website and finding the right keywords to optimize.
Keywords are words or phrases that people type into search engines when they want to find information. These keywords are used by search engines to filter content on the web into categories. When you type a keyword into Google, Google matches it against a list of words it considers relevant and shows you results based on those matches. A good keyword research plan will tell you what keywords to use in your content, as well as where to place them on your site.
Now that we’ve established that keywords play a critical role in making your website more visible to search engines, I’ll explain how my articles were able to rank on the first page without any optimizations.
To learn more about keywords and SEO, read our detailed article here.
How to rank on the 1st page of Google without SEO or Keywords research
The purpose of this article is not to discourage people from learning how to properly optimize keywords or to misinform novice bloggers, but to showcase my personal experience and the simple things I did to help boost my website presence.
Write answers to unanswered questions
When I started my tech blog vividbay.com, I didn’t know anything about SEO or keyword research. But I had a strategy that I used to quickly rank on Google. This is what I did.
As a tech enthusiast, I constantly searched for new devices, DIY projects and troubleshooting articles. I remember at the time I was trying to install three operating systems on my MacBook, so naturally, I Googled that information. To my surprise, I couldn’t find a reliable guide to walk me through the steps for my specific model. I then had to figure it out by compiling information from different forums, websites and self-experimenting. In the end, I was able to successfully achieve my goal and with that, I decided to write a detailed article on how to triple-boot a Mac.
To my surprise, this article ranked on the very first page of Google. Even Google Assistant referenced my article when I asked questions related to that information.
In summary, it sometimes pays off to write articles about questions you have, that are unanswered. This means that other people who are asking the same questions will be directed to you when you answer those questions. Just make sure to write informative high-quality articles, linking to reputable sources.
In addition, this strategy can be used with keyword research. Even if you write an article on an unanswered question, it will only pay off if it has a high search volume. And this is why keyword research matters. Because it allows you to see how many people are interested in that topic.
Write mutual content
Once I started ranking on Google with my tech guides, I then wrote articles related to those guides. Whenever an article ranked on the first page, I would try to come up with topics that could cohesively connect and engage my audience. For example, if you write an article on how to change a car battery, you could then write a supplementary article on the proper ways to store car batteries.
High-quality content
Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned blogger, the only way to grow your site is by constantly producing high-quality content. Eventually, I did have to learn how to research keywords and SEO, but it doesn’t take away this crucial step.
How to start a blog
It’s never been easier to start a blog. You’ve probably heard of websites like Wix and Squarespace that allow you to build websites within minutes. But the reality is, no serious blogger would use these platforms because of the limitations, costs and long term strategy.
If you’d like to give blogging a shot, I highly recommend WordPress. The software is open source, highly customizable, user-friendly and offers a ton of features. WordPress also makes it easy to implement features that are specific to your site. If you have a feature that you need to add, there are millions of free plugins that you can install to improve your site. There are also countless themes to make your site look unique.
To get started with blogging, here’s a link to our article, covering all the basics.
