SEO: How to Rank against the Heavyweights
Merchants want to rank number one in Google for search terms that are seemingly important to their business, such as “dog food.” Or “office supplies.” Or whatever popular term describes their products.
The problem, however, is that not every company can rank for high-demand keywords. The workaround is to be realistic about ranking potential and develop search engine optimization strategies accordingly.
Relevance and Authority
Ranking well in any search engine takes a strong combination of relevance and authority. Relevance is determined by the pairing of the search phrase with the context and authority of your site. Authority is based on the quality and quantity of links from other sites to yours, as well as mentions within relevant content communities.
Say you want to rank for “auto parts.” Is your brand known for auto parts, or does it only sell replacement wheels and hubcaps? If you don’t all types of auto parts and focus instead on a few subtypes, your site will almost certainly not be considered relevant for a broader search for “auto parts.” Don’t fight it. Work with your strength.
Conversely, assume you sell all manner of auto parts. Your site could, therefore, be considered relevant for a broader search. Evaluate the content on your site. Do you have critical text content anywhere besides the navigational structure of your header and footer?
Descriptive, plain text content is essential to relevance. And it must be unique, high-quality content that shoppers want to read. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary.
Which brings us to authority. You can’t buy authority without risking penalties. You can’t manufacture it, either. You have to earn it. That’s why authority is so valuable. It’s difficult to accumulate and requires the agreement of others in the topical community.
Links and mentions from any (reputable) source will have some value, such as from the chamber of commerce in your hometown, or a random blog with a single car restoration post linking to your wheels and hubcaps. The most valuable links, however, will come from sites with a large amount of authority in a topically relevant area.
How much relevance and authority you need is based on your competitors. If their sites are highly relevant to high-demand keyword phrases, you’ll need more than they have. And if their backlink portfolios number in the five- or six-figure range, yours will need more, as well.
