Once you know the keywords and phrases your target market is searching for, you can begin optimizing your on-page SEO. That means it’s time to start crafting new pages and editing existing pages to match your audience. 

It might sound easy, but there’s a skill to it. 

It’s all about creating content that appeals to Google as well as your target audience. 

Writing to connect with your audience will be something you’re familiar with, but writing to impress Google – how exactly do you do that? 

Well, the truth is, what Google likes to see is staring right in front of you. 

There’s no secret recipe; all the ingredients are already there, you just have to look.

How to Write For Google

Google ranks pages based on hundreds of factors. The pages found on the first page are there because the search engine has determined them to be the best answer to the searcher’s query. 

And, most of the time, Google gets it right. 

Think about it: how often do you find yourself scouring for the information you need on Google’s page 5?

To emerge at the top of the pile, you need to provide valuable content better than any other page currently found for your target search term. Providing authentic content that your readership loves simply isn’t enough anymore. Google has to love it, too! 

To understand what Google likes, and what you need to do to rank for a search term, follow this simple formula:

• Search the keyword you want your page to rank for
• Click onto the top-performing pages 
• Examine the qualities the pages possess
• Improve upon the content they created

Evaluate High-Performing Pages

The quickest way to see what you need to do to rank for a specific keyword is to look at what the competition is doing. 

Let’s say you want to rank for “yoga classes in New York”. Simply search the term and look through the top 1-3 organic listings. 

As you read and scroll through their pages, ask yourself:

How much content do they have? 

How do they display their content (do they use images and videos)?

What do their header tags look like? 

How many backlinks do they have? 

How many internal links are pointing to this page? 

How powerful is the domain? 

How fast is the page?

Knowing the answers to these questions means you’ll understand exactly what’s needed to elevate your page above the competition.

Improving Existing Content

Google already gives you the blueprint; you just have to execute it better than anyone you’re chasing. If you create a page with more content, more visuals, and more links than the other pages, you’ll be rewarded!

It can be hard work competing with the top ranking websites for any search term, but properly evaluating what they do well and how you can improve them will pay dividends in the end. 

Need help creating high-ranking pages for the terms that matter most to you? Give us a call at 1-800-915-7990 to speak with one of our SEO experts and learn how to get more traffic.