We have a lot of people who come to us wanting to rank well for a specific keyword. They often ask something like…
What is it going to take for me to rank well for this keyword?
Usually people want a specific answer – a specific number of links, a specific amount of content, a specific amount of time.
In this Search Engine Optimization Frequently Asked Questions (SEO FAQs) video blog, I address the question, What does it take to rank well for my keywords? and share 5 things that impact what it takes to rank well for a particular keyword.
(The article below is a summary of the video, but you’ll get more details and examples if you watch the video.)
5 Things That Impact What It Takes to Rank Well for a Keyword
1. Technical SEO
Before we dive into anything else, let’s address your website’s technical health. Are there any issues preventing search engines from accessing your site? Does it load too slowly? Is the code messy? Fixing these technical aspects is your first step because if your website isn’t functioning smoothly, your chances of ranking well are slim.
2. Keyword Research
Choosing the right keywords is vital. Don’t make the mistake of targeting highly competitive keywords that are way out of your league. Start with thorough keyword research to identify terms that are both relevant to your website and feasible to rank for. It’s all about finding that sweet spot.
Relevance x Authority = Search Rankings
Search engine optimization comes down to basic formula. If a web page is relevant to particular keyword but has no authority, it won’t come up in the search results. Similarly, if a web page has a ton of authority but isn’t relevant to a keyword, it also won’t come up in the search results.
Therefore, almost every SEO tactic either has the goal of improving relevance or improving authority.
3. Relevance & On-Page Optimization
Relevance is a cornerstone of SEO. We improve a web page’s relevance to a keyword through on-page optimization. This means integrating your target keyword into your headings, text, title tag, and meta description. These tweaks signal to search engines that your page is a perfect match for that keyword.
4. Authority, Backlinks, and E-E-A-T
Authority is the other side of the SEO coin. Links (aka backlinks) are an important aspect of authority. Search engines see backlinks to your site as votes of confidence, vouching for your content. The more high-quality, relevant websites link to you, the more authority your website gains. It’s like building a reputation in the digital world.
E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This concept was developed by Google to measure the quality of a page.
In an era where the internet is being flooded with AI-generated content. Search engines are looking for signals that the content of your web pages were written by a real person, with real-world experience, who knows what they’re talking about.
5. Competition
SEO is a competition. Only 1 site can be Number 1 in the search results for a particular keyword. Only 10 sites can be in the top 10.
If your church is the only church in Springfield, Florida, it’s a breeze to secure the top spot for “Church in Springfield.” But, if you’re running a Christian school in Tampa, Florida, with 40 other schools vying for the same keywords, getting your school in to the #1 spot or even the top 10 is much more challenging.
Therefore, what it takes to rank for each keyword depends on the number of sites competing for that keyword and the authority of their websites.
The bottom line is…
SEO comes down to a simple equation: Relevance x Authority = Rankings.
Want to work with our SEO team?
When we onboard a new SEO client, we always start with an SEO audit. In the SEO audit we evaluate their website’s technical SEO, it’s authority, and do competition research. This audit is essential in developing an SEO plan that will actually succeed in getting good search rankings and more website visitors, so the client will reach their goals of more church visitors, school students, ministry impact, or business clients.
If you’re interested in having our team of experts work with you on Christian SEO for your church, business, school or ministry, or you’d like to learn more about our packages that combine web design and SEO, we’d love to talk with you.
Complete the consultation request form below (mobile) or to the right (desktop) to schedule a call.
Comment and Discuss…
- What questions do you have about determining what it will take to rank well for your target keywords?
Read or watch more SEO FAQ articles and videos!
Co-founder & CEO, OurChurch.Com
Paul has been the CEO of OurChurch.Com since its founding in 1996, combining his passion for faith and technology to lead the organization.
An accomplished writer, Paul has authored over 2,000 articles on faith and technology, featured on platforms like ChurchLeaders.com, The JoyFM, and his personal blog, LiveIntentionally.org.
Beyond his professional achievements, Paul serves as an elder at Journey Community Church and is deeply engaged in his community through his involvement with the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch and the Safety Harbor Chamber of Commerce. He is a contributing author of the book Outspoken! Conversations on Church Communication.
18 Comments
I enjoyed the video very much. You simplified the subject and made it easily understood by the non-IT professional. But I would like to see you follow it up with something which is becoming more prevalent. The last five churches I worked on the SEO, which on the SEO-MOZ bar ranked 0, I found 3 of them were penalized by the search engines. They were church sites which had the site for an extended period of time. It would be nice to put out a piece, to follow this, on how to avoid search engine penalties.
Hi Tommy. Thanks for the suggestion. I like the idea. I think I should be able to come up with something. I have a video I'm working on, "Blackhat SEO: Mortal Sins to Avoid in SEO" which will be published later this month, but I also like the idea of something like "How to Avoid Google Penalties".
Hi Tommy. Here's the post, "How to Avoid Being Penalized by Google": https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/how-to-avoid-being-penalized-by-google/ Thanks for the suggestion!
Local SEO is fast becoming (if not already) a completely separate SEO discipline. Google and the other SEs are making a big distinction between a user having local intent in their searches and a user just looking for general information.
Love the basic SEO information though. We can never review the basics enough when it comes to effective SEO.
I think the biggest piece of advice is to find a way to incorporate your normal ministry workflow into online platforms. It may take some adjustment at first but just like going from a typewriter to a computer, the benefits will snowball.
Great suggestion Ben. One of the hardest things organizations face is finding the time to create content and interact with people online. By changing the workflow to naturally include that, it saves time and makes you more consistent.
I also agree that local SEO is, at this point, almost it's own discipline. In fact, I agree so much that I've put together another video, The Five Essential Elements of Local SEO, which we plan to publish at some point. I have to work it into the schedule.
Looking forward to seeing that.
Here is it Ben: https://www.ourchurch.com/blog/the-5-essential-elements-of-local-seo/
God bless!
Many people neglect on page parameters and focus more on the links. Such was the case with the website of my company. We had a large number of links, and the content was more optimized for search engines rather than visitors. As a result we had a bounce rate 70%. After that we can devote more time to on page optimization and the results are already visible. Excellent video.
Thanks for reading the post. In the future, please post your comments with your name rather than targeted keywords, so I know your comment is genuine and not simply a link building campaign.
Unfortunately there are still numerous people looking for quick wins, and will use spammy tactics to manipulate the search engines. Creating quality shareable content should be at the forefront of any search marketing campaign. It’s amazing the amount of sites I have worked on recently that have been penalized by the big G (Google that is).
To be able to get a good ranking I always focus on 3 things: Onpage optimization; Good content, and of course
Backlinks ….
And it always works well. I can reduce the difficulty in doing offpage optimization, if i do the onpage optimization right….and create contents that can satisfy my blog visitors.
Hi Kurt
Great post and quite an informative video. I just had a question, if you can clear it for me.
Is Good SEO all about the keywords and how you put yourself on Search Engine?
Or should we concentrate more on the category/items, which we are offering services/products too, and the keyword optimization will automatically take place?
Very informative
I am one of the many people who want to rank well for specific keywords. It is true that I struggle with the task that my client gave me, and I am grateful for the ideas shared here because they are a great help to speed up my work.
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