A web page can rank on the first-page of Google for a given keyword overnight, or it might take 6+ months. In some cases, a page may never rank. So, how can you predict if and when a page will achieve a top position?<\/p>\n
In this guide, we address that question using data from over 40 clients.\u00a0<\/p>\n
First, it\u2019s important to recognize that many factors affecting rankings aren\u2019t easily quantifiable (e.g., writing style, topic coverage). Therefore, we start by examining easily measurable factors \u2014 such as time, number of published posts, and domain rating \u2014 to understand how they influence first-page rankings.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next, we explore various other, less quantifiable factors and explain our approach to handling them.<\/p>\n
Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n (Note:<\/strong> The data presented here reflects results from our specific process. If you take a different SEO approach, your results may vary.)<\/em><\/p>\n To understand the impact of time and domain rating on achieving first-page rankings, we first analyzed the average number of first-page rankings our clients have achieved each month while working with us.<\/p>\n (Note: <\/em><\/strong>Many Google results now feature infinite scroll, meaning there isn\u2019t a traditional \u201cpage one.\u201d So, when we refer to page one, we simply mean the top 10 results.)<\/em><\/p>\n The graph above shows the average number of top 10 rankings our clients achieve over time. The x-axis represents the number of months we\u2019ve published content for them, and each blue dot represents the average number of top 10 rankings our clients have achieved by that time.\u00a0<\/p>\n For example, tracking from month 10, you\u2019ll see that our clients typically have about 20 first-page rankings. That indicates that, on average, after 20 months of regular publishing, clients rank on page one for over 50 keywords.<\/p>\n The key takeaway is a clear upward trend: The longer clients work with us, the more blog posts they have ranking on the first-page, with an average of over 100 first-page rankings after three years.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n While that\u2019s great news, you can argue that the more content you\u2019ve published, the more likelihood you have at first-page rankings. Naturally, a client with 50 pieces published will have more first-page rankings than one with only five. (For most clients, we publish 3 articles per month, each targeting a single SEO keyword. You can read more about our process <\/em>here<\/em><\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n From here, we wanted to isolate the effect of time on rankings by controlling for the number of pieces published. This led us to ask:<\/p>\n Does time alone affect rankings? And if so, how long does it take to rank on the first-page of Google?<\/strong><\/p>\n To answer this, we used the same data from the graph above but adjusted it by dividing<\/em> the number of first-page rankings by the number of pieces published for each client.\u00a0<\/p>\n In this new graph, a y-axis value of 1.00 indicates that the client has one first-page ranking for every unique blog post we published.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n By examining the overall shape of the data in this graph, we observe that around month 15, each post averages close to one first-page ranking.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Note: This value can exceed 1 because some posts rank for multiple target keywords.)<\/em><\/p>\n This analysis answers the question, \u201cHow long does it take to rank on Google\u2019s first-page?\u201d On average, it takes us a little over a year for each piece of published content to reach page one on Google.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n As expected, the number of first-page rankings increases as more content is published.<\/p>\n Website authority is a widely recognized SEO term that refers to the strength of your presence on Google\u2019s search engine. Different SEO tools use various metrics to assess this authority. For example:<\/p>\n Both tools provide a score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater authority. However, it\u2019s important to note that each tool measures different metrics.<\/p>\n Since many marketers rely on these scores to gauge their content\u2019s ranking potential, we analyzed our data to see if it supports this idea. And it does.\u00a0<\/p>\n This graph shows the number of first-page rankings per post over time for two groups:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n For clients with a higher DR, the data reveals that they achieve around one first-page ranking per post just over a year after we begin publishing content for them.<\/p>\n In contrast, clients with a lower DR see about 0.6 first-page rankings per post at the same point in time. It\u2019s important to note that the trend for the <\/p>\n The key insights from this data are:\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that this analysis focuses solely on time and domain strength as ranking factors. But many other factors influence rankings.\u00a0<\/p>\n To maximize your ranking potential, regardless of your domain rating or how long you\u2019ve been publishing, you need to get these other factors right as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the following sections, we\u2019ll explore the most important factors for ranking high on Google, based on our experience of helping over 80 clients rank for high-value keywords since 2017.<\/p>\n In this section, we delve into the most critical factors that influence search engine rankings \u2014 factors that we focus on extensively for each client\u2019s articles. While these elements are challenging to quantify and don\u2019t lend themselves easily to correlation analysis, we believe they are essential for achieving higher rankings.<\/p>\n We will also briefly discuss routine tasks that are necessary but don\u2019t provide a competitive edge on their own because they are standard practices (e.g., on-page SEO, mobile friendliness).<\/p>\n Topical relevance<\/a> means that Google\u2019s algorithm prioritizes sites that are authoritative on a specific topic, not just those with the highest number of backlinks. Essentially, Google wants to rank sites that it deems most relevant and knowledgeable about a given subject.<\/strong><\/p>\n This concept has been widely discussed in SEO, including a nice example in the Ahrefs blog<\/a> where niche cast iron cookware sites outranked a site with far more backlinks.<\/p>\n In our experience, we frequently see our clients\u2019 posts outranking competitors with higher DA. This reinforces the idea that our client results are more influenced by relevance and time rather than just domain authority.<\/p>\n For instance, take a look at our client Cognitive FX<\/a>, detailed in this case study<\/a>.<\/p>\n They\u2019re an awesome, cutting edge concussion treatment center in Utah that heals people who have been suffering from concussion symptoms for decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite their impressive work, their Ahrefs domain rating is only <\/strong>51, which is relatively modest.<\/p>\n We rank #1 for a lot of concussion keywords for them, and for most of those keywords, we\u2019re outranking many medical sites with higher DR.<\/p>\n For example, look at the first-page results for the keyword \u201cmemory loss after injury\u201d:<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite having the lowest domain rating among the top four search results, we\u2019re ranking #1 \u2014 outpacing sites like Mayo Clinic, which has a domain rating of 92.<\/p>\n Even in terms of backlinks, our specific page isn\u2019t leading. We have no backlinks to that page, while #2, #3, and #4 results have 137, 40, and 1,417 backlinks, respectively.<\/p>\n So how are we achieving the top spot? Topical relevance.<\/strong><\/p>\n Disclaimer: Of course we don\u2019t know this for a fact. No one knows the exact \u201cwhy\u201d behind the results of Google\u2019s search algorithm, but we can make educated guesses and we strongly believe this is true for our client results based on everything you\u2019re <\/em>reading<\/em> in this post.<\/em><\/p>\n Our hypothesis is that Google recognizes Cognitive FX\u2019s domain as being solely focused on concussions, which likely contributes to its high ranking.<\/strong><\/p>\n In contrast, at the time of writing:<\/p>\n Cognitive FX, on the other hand, is highly-specialized in concussion treatment. This specific focus gives them a significant edge in topical relevance for concussion-related keywords, a trend we\u2019ve observed consistently not just with Cognitive FX but with many other clients as well.<\/p>\n To summarize, while domain authority does play a role, it\u2019s not the only factor. Focusing on <\/strong>bottom of the funnel keywords<\/strong><\/a> \u2014 those closely related to your niche and products \u2014 can help you compete effectively against higher DA sites.\u00a0<\/p>\n Topical relevance can be a powerful advantage.<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019d like to learn more about topical relevance, <\/em>check out our interview with Bernard Huang<\/em><\/a>, the founder of Clearscope.<\/em><\/p>\n Google\u2019s algorithm prioritizes web pages that best fulfill the user\u2019s search intent. If you meet that intent more effectively than other results, you\u2019ll have a strong chance of ranking highly.\u00a0<\/p>\n While this might seem straightforward \u2014 like providing a list of accounting software for the keyword \u2018accounting software\u2019 \u2014 it can often be more complex.<\/p>\n Take the keyword \u2018data visualization tool,\u2019 for example. At first glance, you might think users are looking for a list of tools. But if you examine the SERP, you\u2019ll notice different types of results:<\/p>\n So, which type of content should you create? Is the primary search intent for a list, informational content, or details about specific solutions?\u00a0<\/p>\n Moreover, the search intent can vary depending on the user\u2019s role and industry. For example:\u00a0<\/p>\n Determining which persona to target involves understanding these layers of intent.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n To effectively address search intent, you need to conduct a thorough SERP analysis, which you can learn about here: How to Do SERP Analysis: Going Beyond the Basics<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you understand the intent, the next step is to create content that meets those needs, which brings us to our next point.\u00a0<\/p>\n As the header suggests, writing great content involves two key aspects: uniqueness and quality. Let\u2019s break down each component:<\/p>\n Uniqueness can manifest in several ways:<\/p>\n If you want to write something unique, you can\u2019t have AI write the article for you. The way AI works is that it pulls from existing material and creates something similar (i.e., it\u2019s the opposite of creating unique content).\u00a0<\/p>\n Likewise, we advise against handing freelancers a brief and having them do their own research to write the article. We call this a \u201cGoogle research paper\u201d because the writer reads through the top results of Google and produces something similar to what already exists \u2014 it\u2019s essentially the human version of what AI does.\u00a0<\/p>\n Creating high-quality content means delivering valuable information that aligns with the needs of the search term you\u2019re targeting.<\/strong><\/p>\n For BOTF keywords, high-quality content should not only rank well but also <\/em>convert. You have to understand your audience\u2019s knowledge level and position your product as the solution to their specific problem.<\/p>\n Here are some articles to help you write great content:<\/strong><\/p>\n Lastly, here are three essential tasks often discussed in SEO that we consider basic \u201ctickets to entry\u201d for your site or your pre-publication checklist.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Note:<\/em><\/strong> If you\u2019ve already handled these, feel free to skip to the next section.<\/em>)<\/p>\n On-page SEO involves several factors beyond just fulfilling search intent, including:<\/p>\n While these tasks are important, they\u2019re relatively straightforward compared to deeply analyzing search intent, crafting content to convert, and some of the other strategies we discussed earlier. These on-page SEO elements should be \u201cchecked off\u201d for everything you publish.<\/p>\n Another basic SEO housekeeping item is ensuring a good user experience (UX) and decent page load speed. Once this is setup properly, you shouldn\u2019t worry about it too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n You can check your site\u2019s performance with Google Page Speed<\/a>. A high (or \u201cgreen\u201d) score isn\u2019t necessary for most sites to rank well, but if your score is very poor, consider making improvements.\u00a0<\/p>\n Just don\u2019t obsess over page speed. While it\u2019s important for extremely competitive keywords (e.g., \u201cbuy flowers online\u201d), for most companies targeting a wide range of SEO keywords, factors like topical relevance, matching search intent, and quality content are far more crucial. Instead, focus on whether your content fulfills search intent and the number of links it has.<\/strong><\/p>\n Finally, make sure your site is navigable, modern in appearance, and both desktop- and mobile-friendly.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many marketers will tell you to update your content on a regular schedule because Google rewards content updates. In our experience, you only need to update content if the intent behind the keyword changes (or if you have something like a new feature to talk about that\u2019s relevant to the keyword). Updating content solely for the sake of updating doesn\u2019t necessarily lead to better results and often isn\u2019t worth the effort.\u00a0<\/p>\n While backlinks do help improve rankings, they aren\u2019t always<\/em> essential. We often wait several weeks after publishing a piece to see how it performs on its own.\u00a0<\/p>\n If it ranks well right away or is steadily moving up, we\u2019ll often leave it alone and focus our attention on other posts. However, if we want a specific post to move up faster or it doesn\u2019t seem to be gaining much traction on its own, we\u2019ll start building one or two links per month until we get the rankings we want.<\/p>\n Although time is an important factor for ranking as we covered above, there are a few things you can do to drive leads temporarily while you\u2019re waiting for high rankings:<\/p>\n A web page can rank on the first-page of Google for a given keyword overnight, or it might take 6+ months. In some cases, a page may never rank. So, how can you predict if and when a page will achieve a top position? In this guide, we address that question using data from over […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[1531,241,4347,31226],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-96581","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marketing","tag-google","tag-long","tag-page","tag-rank"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Time and Domain Rating Affect First-Page Rankings<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\nDomain Authority Does Help Pages Rank Faster<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Main Takeaway: It Takes Just over a Year to Achieve One First-Page Ranking per Post on Average<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Other Factors That Affect Rankings (and How to Rank Faster)<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The Three Most Important Factors for Ranking on the <\/strong>First-Page of Google<\/strong><\/h3>\n
1. Choosing Keywords Where You Have Topical Relevance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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2. Matching Search Intent<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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3. Writing Unique, <\/strong>High Quality Content<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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The Bare Minimum Tasks Needed to Rank<\/strong><\/h3>\n
On-Page SEO<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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User Experience (UX)<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Two Popular Pieces of Advice That Have Little Effect on Rankings<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Update Content Regularly<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Build Lots of Backlinks<\/strong><\/h4>\n
How to Get Leads While You\u2019re Waiting for Rankings to Take Hold<\/h2>\n
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How to Work with Us or Learn More<\/h2>\n
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