You have created a website and want it to rank higher on Google or Bing.
Where do I start to rank a website from nothing?
Focus on the fundamentals
Several factors help to rank or improve a website’s rank. However, they’re fundamental and primary factors that outweigh others.
One of the primary factors is content, useful and relevant content. You need to have a content strategy in place.
Google, for the most part, cares about providing useful and relevant results to searchers. When I say “relevant”, I mean results that answer a user’s question.
Other factors like backlinks and internal linking are only as effective as your content. Who will link to your site if there’s nothing valuable? What pages within your site are you going to link to if they’re no content pages?
Again, does SSL matter if your site is providing irrelevant information. A website with no SSL but providing useful and relevant information can outrank one with it.
It doesn’t make sense for Google to leave out a website with relevant information and rank one without it just because it is secured.
Don’t focus too much on secondary SEO factors like SSL certificates, site speed, mobile optimisation, sitemaps etc while your content is irrelevant. Focus on providing useful content that answers the user’s question and then apply other factors that can help the content to rank higher.
Focus on helping not ranking
Shady tactics come into play when people focus too much on ranking and trying to manipulate searches.
Focus on helping and answering user’s questions the best way you can.
Which content should I write?
Google needs some sort of written content. Content can be in the form of
- Blog posts
- Service pages
- FAQ pages
- User-generated content through site forums
Establish topical authority
Topical authority means your website is the go-to area on a particular subject/topic.
Google is always looking to rank websites that provide the best answers to every possible question a user might have
Wikipedia is one of the biggest encyclopedias on the web. One of the reasons Wikipedia ranks high and almost always shows up in searches is because of its vast content coverage.
Here’s how to establish topical authority:
Answer every possible question your audience may have
Suppose your website is about construction. What are the questions that people want to know when it comes to building? What are the costs associated with building a house, cottage etc? What is a bill of quantities, setting out, etc
You must write content even on topics you think people know.
Keyword Research
You can do keyword research using tools like Ahrefs Free Keyword Generator, Keyword.io, or analysing search result pages.
For starters, you can simply tell what people are searching for in the “People also ask” section of Google. Here you will find a list of different questions that users ask on a particular topic.
Use Long-tailed keywords
There are two types of keywords – short and long-tailed. Short-term keywords are short one or two-word queries like construction, building & construction, Apple, double-storey house etc.
On the other hand, long-tailed keywords are more specific and in-depth. For example,
- How much does it cost to build a double-storey house?,
- Human factors affecting weathering,
- What are the dangers of building on a slope?
Long-tailed keywords are easy to rank for because they tend to have low competition.
Big authority websites rarely target long-tailed keywords, and if they do, they are usually less thorough.
Despite having low search volumes, you can capitalise on those neglected, long-tailed searches and build authority from there.
Create a content structure
Going back to the construction site you may structure it like so:
Create categories that will group related topics together, e.g Residential Construction, Road construction, Structures, Design & Architecture.
The categories should have every possible topic (post) under it, e.g What are the different roof types, Asphalt vs Pavers, What are deck pans, Cost of building a double storey house etc
Create quality & comprehensive content
Your articles or posts should be comprehensive and in depth. Tackle every area of that particular post, e.g Definition, Pros & Cons of A & B, Best practices, Frequently asked questions etc. Your content should show Expertise, Experience, Authority, and can be Trusted (EEAT). Google values and ranks content that shows EEAT.
Number of words doesn’t matter as long as your content is concise.
Add images where possible and describe them clearly in the alt attribute.
Outbound linking
Link to other websites or sources where possible for people to read more in depth. This is called outbound linking and Google values this as it signals that you care for the readers to find more information.
You can hyperlink a text to an external website or create a reference section at the end of your content.
Optimise TheTitle & Meta Description
The title of a page is found in the <title> tag of an HTML page and is shown in blue in searches.
The meta description shows a brief summary of a page’s content.
Your title and meta descriptions should contain the main keyword/ keywords you’re targeting.
The title and meta descriptions also dictate if people will click on your website in search pages. You need to use attention grabbing words and headline hooks like:
- How to do ….
- 4 things you should…
- Is …. still relevant in 2025?
Use power words like Ultimate, Step by step etc
If your title is not enticing enough people may scroll past your website.
Internal link your content
Once you have created a decent amount of content you can now interlink the content with each other.
Internal links are links to other pages on your own website. In your content you can hyperlink certain text with a page where you want people to go and read. Take a look below.
In the construction site example, In the “Cost of building a double storey house” article you can write about the cost of the different roof types and link to the “What are the different roof types” post.
Internal linking helps other pages to be discovered by search bots. In addition, they help spread link juice to other various pages.
How long does it take for a website to start ranking?
Well, it depends.
Varying factors like keyword competition and niche may determine the time a website will start ranking in the top pages.
Some websites can start to rank in about 3 to 4 months, and some up to 6 or 12 months. For less competitive, long-tailed keywords you can rank in the top page faster. However, competitive, short-term keywords may take relatively longer.
