Do an absolute smash up, in-depth, thorough job covering your topic of choice.
Rank on page 1 of Google.
I scanned an old post a few moments ago. The keyword: “how to drive on the opposite side of the road”. Shockingly enough – or not – I rank on page 1, position 3 of Google for this keyword. The shock? I literally nailed down *only* 5 green check marks with my plugin. Even weirder? 6 red checks and 4 orange checks graced my eyes. I did a poor job optimizing this post. Yet I rank on page 1 for a solid keyword. Position 3 no less. How? I did a really, really good job covering the topic in about 1000 words, jam-packing 6 kick-butt, practical tips into the post. Google loved that. Digging deeper, I did an excellent job formatting the blog post. Note the headers, frequent paragraphs, and A+ readability as far as short, sweet, concise sentences.
I strongly suggest paying attention to SEO details if you desire page 1 rankings. Be smart. BUT….if you genuinely hate satiating all of these little details and still want to drive search traffic, writing an in-depth post dripping with helpful practical tips, and formatting the post ineffective fashion, gives you chance to rank well.
OK. Here’s the post: 6 Tips for Driving a Car on the Opposite Side of the Road without Getting Yourself Killed
Starting with the title, I laid out 6 practical tips for pulling off this feat. I circled the globe for almost a decade, often driving in international locations, on the opposite side of the road, compared to the United States. New Zealand, in particular, challenged me because I never drove a car on the opposite side. The driver’s side is on right side of the car TOTALLY screwed me up for about a week. Eventually, I settled in and got comfortable. Rough time mixing up the blinker and windshield wipers!
I listed these concise, practical tips from personal experience. Riding motorbikes for years in Bali and Thailand gave me insights into how to pull this off. Obviously, my intimate research appeased the Google gods quite nicely. So, do a tremendous job writing a thorough post rich with solid tips readers can seize and use immediately. Google loves sensational content more than anything. Even if you skip SEO details you can reach page 1 by going above and beyond in the content creation department. I did. Google looks good by my post appearing on page 1.
Formatting played a key role, too. Note how my post flows. From frequent headers to bullet point lists, to short paragraphs to short sentences, everything flowed freely from a formatting perspective. Google needs your post to be easily readable and scannable on all types of devices. Break things up. Give readers a sense of contrast. Take the time to gussy up your post just a little bit. Make a firm impress on Google.
Admittedly, two factors played a key role in my ranking without many SEO details on my side. My blog is a respected commodity in blogging tips and travel blogging niches. Live since 2014, my domain is aged, seasoned and respected by Google for all of the valuable content I published over the years. Build your blog on a solid foundation of valued content. Give Google a chance to love your blog. Also, I rank for a solid keyword but of course, not a heavily competitive phrase. As keywords become more competitive, pay closer attention to SEO details to optimize your blog post more intelligently and effectively.
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Super post Ryan,
like you said build blog long term and gain topical authority with Google. That is how you’re able to rank without intending to.
It takes time for this to work and time maybe Google’s method of weeding out the opportunist folks.
So plan for the long haul and win.
Well said Nikola. Time and patience and generous service all play key factors.