5 Basics To Rank On Google

How to Rank Well On Google

Introduction:

Ranking well on Google is no small feat. It takes a lot of time, strategizing and careful execution. The whole experience of true SEO work is really getting into the weeds but there are generally basic rules you can follow that help you.

In this I want to help you learn some tricks and tips on how you can use to help you rank well on Google. These are tips that we at MomentumX recommend when building and ranking a website.

5 things you can do to help massively boost your Google rankings!

1. Keyword Research: The Starting Point Most Businesses Miss

Keyword research is hands down one of the most underutilized steps in building a high-performing website. Sure, you might know what your website is about — but do you know what you’re actually trying to rank for?

Using tools like Google Keyword Planner is a great starting point, but success comes down to strategy. You want to target keywords that have high search volume and low competition — the sweet spot. This is known as keyword gap targeting: finding underserved topics that people are actively searching for but aren’t saturated with competition.

That said, keyword research isn’t always black and white. The “competition” metric you see in keyword tools often refers to paid ads, not organic SEO. So even if a keyword looks low-competition, it doesn’t guarantee an easy ranking.

Still, spotting these underutilized opportunities gives you a leg up. Even if it’s not a textbook keyword gap, targeting these long-tail phrases can help you build authority in a niche where others aren’t paying attention — and that’s exactly how smaller businesses outrank larger ones.

2. Why Fast-Loading Websites Rank Higher on Google

Speed matters — big time. One of the top factors Google looks at when deciding how to rank your website is how fast it loads, especially on mobile devices. If your site takes more than a few seconds to load, it’s already costing you traffic. And there are two main reasons slow load times hurt your SEO:

1. Google Penalizes Slow Sites

Search engines prioritize fast-loading websites because they provide a better user experience. If your homepage has massive images or videos that aren’t compressed, they can slow things down dramatically. One simple fix? Use tools like TinyPNG (not TinyURL — that’s for shortening links) to compress your images without losing quality.

The faster your site loads, the better it will perform across devices — and Google will reward you for it.

2. It Ruins the User Experience

Slow websites frustrate users. Maybe you’ve experienced this: you’re reading an article, and suddenly the page jumps because an image loads late. Or you tap a link, and nothing happens. Google notices this behavior too — if people leave your site quickly (known as a high bounce rate), your rankings can drop fast.

Improving your load speed and delivering a smooth experience keeps visitors on your site longer and tells Google you’re worth ranking higher.

Bottom line? A lightning-fast, mobile-friendly site is one of the easiest ways to climb in the rankings — and stand out from the competition.

3. Backlinks: The Currency of SEO Authority

You can have a beautifully designed website, lightning-fast speed, and perfect keyword targeting — but if your competitors are stacking up high-quality backlinks and you’re not, they’ll likely outrank you every time.

Backlinks are links from other websites pointing to your own. When reputable sources in your industry link to you, it builds your domain authority, which is one of the most important ranking factors Google uses.

There are several types of backlinks that help grow your authority:

• Local backlinks from news articles, chambers of commerce, or community websites

• Mentions from industry blogs or influencers in your niche

• Directory listings like Yelp, Angi, or Thumbtack (great for quick wins)

While business directories can give your site a fast SEO boost, your long-term goal should be earning trusted, high-authority backlinks from relevant blogs, guest posts, or press features.

If your competition is investing in link-building and you’re not, it’s only a matter of time before they pull ahead. Backlinks are like votes of confidence for your website — and Google takes them seriously.

4. Blog Posts: How to Capture Long-Tail Search Traffic

A lot of websites completely ignore blogging — and that’s a missed opportunity. Publishing blog posts is one of the best ways to rank for long-tail keywords — the detailed, specific questions people actually type into Google.

Let’s say you’re an electrician. Your main page isn’t going to rank for search terms like:

• “Why does my light flicker when I turn it on?”

• “Is it dangerous if my outlet sparks when I plug something in?”

These are long-tail keywords with clear intent — and they’re nearly impossible to rank for on your homepage. But a well-written blog post targeting those exact questions? That’s how you capture organic traffic, build trust, and bring in leads that never would have found you otherwise.

When done consistently, blogging improves your site’s topical relevance, which helps Google understand what your business is about. The more helpful, detailed content you publish around your services, the more Google sees your site as a go-to source in your niche.

Best practice: aim to publish at least one new blog post per week. Focus on answering real questions your target audience has, using natural long-tail phrases, and providing genuine value — not just fluff.

Over time, your blog will become a powerful engine for inbound traffic, local visibility, and lead generation.

5. Hire A Marketing Agency: Why Outsourcing Your Marketing Can Be A Game-Changer

Trying to handle SEO, website design, Google Ads, blog content, social media, and email marketing all on your own? It’s doable — but it’s also a full-time job (or three). That’s why many smart business owners choose to hire a digital marketing agency.

If your goal is to actually grow — not just survive — working with an agency can save you time, money, and countless headaches. Here’s why:

1. You Get an Entire Team of Experts

Instead of hiring one in-house marketer who might be decent at everything but an expert at nothing, you get a full team — web designers, SEO specialists, ad managers, content creators — all working together toward one goal: Keeping you busy.

2. Agencies Know What Works

Marketing trends change fast. Whether it’s a Google algorithm update or a new ad strategy, agencies are in the trenches daily — testing, adjusting, and optimizing. You benefit from strategies that are already proven to work, not just educated guesses.

3. It’s More Cost-Effective Than You Think

Hiring a full-time employee comes with salary, benefits, and onboarding. In contrast, many agencies (especially lean, local ones) offer flexible plans that cost significantly less than an in-house team — and deliver faster results because of their experience and cool tools. Our plans equal to paying a full time employee from 3.13/hour to 12.50/hour +, what do you pay your cheapest employee?

4. You Can Focus on Running Your Business

You didn’t start your business to become a Google Ads expert or write meta descriptions. When you hire an agency, you’re free to focus on what you do best — while your marketing engine runs behind the scenes generating traffic, leads, and sales.

There are so many things that Google uses to rank a website for that it is impossible to write all here. The hard part too? On top of having to know all of this, you have to keep up with keyword trends that are always changing.

If you are interested in hiring a company to help you out check us out! MomentumX