How to Get on the First Page of Google (Without Paying for Ads)

When your website appears on the first page of Google search results, you’re far more likely to get clicks. Few people venture to the second page.

On desktop, the top of the first page looks something like this:

When you scroll to the bottom, you’ll find page numbers or a “More results” button:

(On mobile, pages are harder to recognize. Because Google uses infinite scrolling—that is, it automatically loads more results when you reach the bottom.)

Google’s first page often includes ads.

But there are ample opportunities to rank organically (i.e., for free).

Typically, there are seven to 10 organic search results on the first page. Like these:

And many search engine results pages (SERPs) have SERP features that display content in different and often easily digestible formats.

For example, the “People also ask” box:

If you don’t want to pay for exposure, you have to earn your spot.

Google ranks organic search results based on five main factors:

• Meaning: The intent behind the user’s search
• Relevance: How well the content satisfies the user’s intent
• Quality: The helpfulness of the content
• Usability: The functionality and accessibility of the page
• Context: The user’s search settings and history

Today, you’ll learn how to get on the first page of Google. Using beginner-friendly SEO techniques.

1. Choose a Target Keyword

The target keyword is the search query you want to rank for.

When you know what you want to rank for, you can plan how to get your website on Google’s...