By Neil Patel

Top Google rankings are a pinnacle of online business success.

According to Backlinko, the first result on Google gets 31.7 percent of all clicks — while results on the second page receive just .78 percent of clicks.

I’ve talked to a lot of business owners and managers – newbies and veterans – who have gone crazy trying to unlock the secrets of how to improve Google ranking without getting penalized.

I wish I could tell you there’s a magic button that ranks your site #1 without fail.

The truth is, it takes resourcefulness, dedication, persistence, and creativity. This is especially true because of the constantly-changing nature of Google’s algorithm.

While there’s no magic, there are steps you can take to soar to the top of a search engine results page (SERP).

I learned this the hard way. But luckily, you don’t have to.

I’m going back to basics with on-page SEO to help you understand the new SEO rules, learn how to optimize for both humans and search algorithm crawlers, and to master on-page and off-page SEO.

Here are the steps I will cover in this guide:

• Step #1: Get to know the Google ranking algorithm
• Step #2: Assess your current search ranking
• Step #3: Track and measure the right metrics
• Step #4: Ensure your website is mobile-friendly
• Step #5: Diagnose and fix your current penalties
• Step #6: Do keyword research
• Step #7: Perfect your on-page SEO
• Step #8: Use your keywords to create great content
• Step #9: Build links the right way

Step #1: Get to Know the Google Algorithm

I could jump right into some actionable SEO strategies to use on your site right now.

But I want to set you up for long-term success so you’re not penalized every time a new update rolls out.

Google executives like Gary Illyes and John Mueller confirm Google constantly changes its algorithm, even though most of these changes aren’t publicly announced.

Moz estimates there are 500 to 600 Google algorithm changes per year!

While Google used to share major update announcements, the exact inner workings of the algorithm are still unknown. The majority of information is just speculation from industry professionals.

After all, if everyone knew exactly how to rank in the first position without penalties for shortcuts or black hat SEO strategies, Google wouldn’t succeed in ranking only the best results. Anyone could hack their way to the top without putting in the work.

Not only would this make it hard for honest people like you and me to succeed, but it would also seriously compromise Google’s mission statement:

Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

The best knowledge we have of Google’s algorithm comes in the form of major algorithm updates like:

• …read more

  Source:: Kiss Metrics Blog