Having your own website is very likely a business endeavor for you. Business metrics and understanding your successes helps you evaluate where you are at. I think it’s important to check my website ranking fairly regularly so I know what my standing is and what I can do to improve it.

Ranking is a Snapshot

Checking to see where you rank gives you a snippet, or a snapshot, of how well you are doing and if the keywords you are using are effective. It allows you to see what others are writing about and where they are ranking as well. That is your competition and you should have an understanding of what they are doing, especially those that are ranking higher than you.

Ranking is Based on Content

Regardless how high you rank, whether it is on the first or tenth page of a search engine, will largely depend on the quality content you have included in your post. Writing naturally, with authority, and including the information that visitors are looking for is a great way to ensure your site is found.

We all know what spamming is and probably even what it means to “stuff” your article with keyword after keyword after keyword after…well, you get the point. You will not fool the search engines with these tactics and could actually negatively affect your rankings, something which none of us should intentionally be doing.

Ranking Is The End Result

After all of your research into your keyword, your research into your topic and when you have taken the time to write a quality article, the ranking will take care of itself. It is the end result following a methodical and deliberate approach to publishing a quality post.

While you may begin your research by checking current keywords and sites, once you have determined your keyword and direction you need to focus on that. Remember the end user in all of this. If your keyword and subsequently your post are natural and make sense, meaning that it is something being searched for, you will be found. And being found will help you get ranked. It will also help you as you continue to write other posts which build and support one another. And soon your website is looked upon as an authority by the search engines...which will help with your overall rankings over a period of time.

Have the Right Tools

If you want to increase your opportunities to be ranked then you also need to have a game plan and tools at your disposal. It’s critical that you have a favorite keyword tool that helps you understand the traffic and competition for your keyword. There are many versions, free and paid, and it is worth your while to check these out.

Because your website is your business, and I assume we all want our business to be successful, you must know what’s available and who can help you achieve better success. It’s difficult to dig a ditch without a shovel and it’s difficult to build a website without a keyword search tool.

I’m sure you've all heard the expression “use the right tool for the job”? This is the same rule for your website and you shouldn't ignore taking advantage of an important keyword tool. The more you take advantage of these the better your website ranking!

Thanks for reading.