It has finally happened! Your efforts have paid off, and you are at the coveted No. 1 position? The world does look good from up there doesn’t it? Well, you deserve to be happy, but don’t you dare become complacent. Maintaining the No.1 position is like mission impossible, that you have to accomplish. And for this you need to pitch in more efforts than ever before.
They Are Coming After You!
Remember the guys you removed from the No.1 spot to get there? Well they are on to you! The competition is after you now, they want their previously held position back and they will be using all in their power to achieve that. Where does that leave you- the answer is ready with steps to stay ahead in the game.
I am No. 1 And No One Is Going To Take That Away From Me!
If this is your desire then there are certain tips that can help you in keeping your position secure. A little proactive approach can help you a lot in maintaining your ranking. You have to make the most of the moment and capitalize on the lead you have got.
Keep Your Site Updated With Fresh Content And Pages- Google is drawn like a magnet towards fresh content. A static site doesn’t gain much favor in its perspective. To build on the No.1 position and hang on to it, make sure that you keep adding new content and new pages to your site. The key is to keep building on the relevancy of your site, and also get credibility to what you’re doing. Keep inviting those spiders back to your site for the latest and relevant information. Linking your content internally is also recommended.
Also when you add content or a page, make sure that the title tags are optimized.
Keep Working On Strengthening Your Links- The task at hand is backed by a simple logic, if your number one page continues to get linked by relevant and authority sites, then you have a good chance of maintaining your ranking. It is made easy for others to link to you when they see you are at number one, so capitalize on the advantage you have here. Link to authoritative sites, leading and relevant blogs. Keep up the article marketing; guest posting etc with the number one keyword in the anchor text.
Also, to make sure that site’s design is improved. It should have content and design to ensure better conversions as well as to induce sites to link to your site.
You must have the perfect combination of great content and inbound links. The stronger your linkage is, the easier it will be to maintain your rank.
Study And Work On Your Analytics: Keep a tab on what is happening on your number one page. How is the response to the leading keyword ? You can work on the data provided by the analytics provide to help you in your efforts to really improve the ranking of your site as well as maintain it. You can monitor what is the reaction of the users coming in and what other trends of user preferences are emerging.
Also if you have used PPC, then keep tabs on your bids. Also spot fake clickthroughs from the same IP address. You must always be in the clear about how much and from where is the traffic coming from.
Do Not Stop Optimizing Apart from ensuring that the new pages and content you add is optimized, you also have to optimize for better conversions and click through rates. You have to maximize the benefit of your number 1 ranking. This means that if a keyword rich page is on number one, then work on its title tag to make people click on it. You have to draw attention to the title- if you can take the risk, then play around with the title too. May be you can change it to the exact match of the search query! Your keyword has the maximum prominence on the title tag, and be very careful while altering it after you are number one. You can also work on your meta description to make it more attractive for the users to click through. A descriptive sentence with your targeted keywords and pitch in a call to action so that visitors click in!
Also, work towards making the incoming traffic fulfilling your conversion goals. Keep testing different approaches to the landing page to see what call to action works for maximum users. Now that you have the traffic, make sure you get the sales and leads too. Users happy with your site will refer you, and keep returning and linking to you- resulting in a better chance of holding on to your rankings.
Keep Looking Over Your Shoulder With those competitors after you like bloodhounds, you have to stay ahead. Keep checking your rankings weekly. Learn and explore new SEO techniques and updates to stay on top. Read what is being published on top search marketing sites. And lastly keep an eye on your competition. If they are changing something on their site. View their source code and make a note of the meta tags- if they change, they are on the move, so you also must buckle up.
To Conclude-
There are several other things too that you can work on as you go, but remember the key is to stick to great content and optimize the site the most to get the maximum output from the number one position. Be watchful and alert and don’t let complacency creep in!
