How do I Rank on Google?

Article Overview:

Google ranking requires three key elements to work effectively: a technically sound website that loads quickly, content that truly answers user queries and credibility established through backlinks from quality sites.

Start by researching what your customers actually ask, create comprehensive content that helps them, make sure your site works brilliantly on phones, and then earn your reputation through content others find valuable enough to reference. Expect months of consistent work before seeing real results, but those results compound over time.

Article Summary:

Start With What People Actually Want

Content Worth Ranking

Get the Technical Stuff Right

Building Your Reputation

Optimise Each Page Properly

Track What Actually Works

Wales Marketing's Approach

Start With What People Actually Want

Ranking on Google isn't mysterious anymore, though it does require understanding how several pieces fit together. You can't trick the system these days. Google's too sophisticated for that. What works is genuine quality across everything you do.

Before you write anything, you need to understand what people want when they search. Someone typing "plumber near me" wants contact details and availability right now. Someone searching "how to fix a leaking tap" wants step-by-step instructions.

Google excels at matching what people want with what you offer.

Research the phrases your customers use. Tools like Google's Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush show you what people search and how many others are competing for those terms.

Look at what currently ranks when you search those phrases yourself.

What format works?

What questions get answered?

Why is that helpful content?

Content Worth Ranking

Create something genuinely better than what's already ranking. Not longer necessarily, but better. That means:

• More thorough coverage of what people need to know
• Clearer explanations that anyone can understand
• Practical examples showing how things work in reality
• Current information reflecting how things are done now
• Original insights from actually doing this work

Usefulness is more important than length. A 700-word article that thoroughly answers a single question is more effective than a 3,000-word piece that tries to cover everything, but loses focus.

It's important to match the depth of your writing to what readers actually need. At times, a brief response suffices, while other times a more comprehensive approach is necessary. Let the question guide your writing.

Get the Technical Stuff Right

Technical issues will create barriers, because Google needs to access your content easily. Sort these basics:

• Fast page loading, especially on mobile
• Responsive design works on any screen size
• Logical site structure that people can navigate
• Proper use of headings (H1 for titles, H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections)
• URLs that actually describe what's on the page
• An XML sitemap helps Google find everything

These aren't extras you add later; they're essential foundations.

Brilliant content on a slow, broken website will not rank because users leave immediately, and Google notices. Fix technical issues first, then focus on content quality.

Optimise Each Page Properly

Once you've created quality content, help Google understand it:

• Put your main topic in the title naturally
• Use clear headings, breaking content into logical sections
• Write meta descriptions that make people want to click
• Add descriptive alt text to images
• Link to related content elsewhere on your site
• Keep everything readable, not stuffed with awkward keywords

These optimisations help Google grasp your content's relevance, but never sacrifice readability - write for humans first. Google's smart enough to understand natural language. Keyword stuffing makes content worse for readers, and Google notices that too.

Track What Actually Works

Use Google Search Console to see what's working: Which searches bring people to you? Where do you rank? Which pages perform best?

Google Analytics shows how visitors engage with your content once they arrive.

Never obsess over daily ranking changes. They fluctuate constantly. Watch trends over weeks and months instead.

If pages aren't performing after a few months, figure out why. Is the content comprehensive enough? Does it match what people actually want? Are there technical problems? Continue refining, based on real performance data rather than guessing.