While there are a large number of blogs and sites claiming that they can get first page Google rankings in a matter of a few weeks or months, these statements are simply untrue. Getting a first place ranking in Google takes time, effort and a lot of hard work. However, it is possible to get high rankings if one follows the steps outlined below.

Choose the Right Keyword

Choosing the right keywords makes all the difference in the world. To start with, consider what your target demographic is and what sorts of keywords they would search for online. Next, check these keywords out in Google Analytics to find out how much competition there is for any given keywords and how many people search for any particular keywords in a single day.

Choose clear keywords that directly relate to what you have to offer. These keywords may be three or four words long or as long as seven or ten words. The length of the keyword does not matter; what matters are relevance and the amount of competition that you will be up against.

Putting Keywords in the Right Place

Once you know what keywords you want to use, be sure to put them in the right place. Make sure a primary keyword is added as part of the domain name and add the keywords to the website header, footer and in title tags. You will probably also want to use your chosen keywords if you set up a Google Adwords campaign.

Getting Quality Backlinks

Getting quality backlinks to your site is important. Google has a multifaceted standard of measurement for determining how to rank any given site and way in which it determines a site’s ranking is by measuring how many quality backlinks the site has.

You can get backlinks from highly rated, relevant sites by looking up popular blogs related to your products and then leaving insightful, helpful comments on these blogs, together with your website link. You will also want to set up a Facebook business page and blog to help promote your site and get more traffic.

Use YouTube

YouTube can be a shortcut for those who want to get high rankings for free. Google owns YouTube and often automatically gives relevant YouTube videos first page ranking. If you have added your website URL in the video description section, chances are that YouTube can boost your site’s rankings dramatically and help you generate a lot of site traffic.

The video does not have to be long or complex, but it should have clear sound and picture. It should also have highly relevant tags to make it search engine friendly.

Local Optimization

Local optimization is a particularly good option for any business that caters to a particular city or state. While there are some things that can be sold both online and offline, a lot of people search for local products and services on a daily basis.

You can optimize your site on a local level by signing up for Google places, submitting your site to local business directories and putting your company address on Google Maps. Using Foursquare is also a good idea; this specialized social media site gets millions of visitors every single month and is used by those who want to find a local business that is offering a good deal on any given item.

These are some basic ways in which you can, over time, get first place Google rankings for your site. While these tips will take time to put into place, they do not cost a lot of money to implement and are tried and proven ways in which you can boost your Google search engine rankings.

While there is no magic formula for online success, you will increase your chances of success dramatically if you put a priority on making your site search engine friendly. A site that is high quality and properly optimized will, over time, attract an ever-growing number of visitors and earn a high ranking on Google and other major search engines.