I've talked with a lot of people lately who are keen to improve their ranking on the search engines, and in particular Google.

This isn't a straight forward conversation, and truth is that Google changes it's search algorithm all the time. Unless you are a web wiz, keeping up with these changes and implementing the latest best practice is not easy. But there is one trick I've found which helps enormously.

Keeping up with Google

So how do you go from nothing to the top of Google's natural search? This is a massive question and not one easily answered. There are plenty of ‘gurus’ who are happy to tell you their thoughts. 

There are plenty of companies who will take your money off you promising no end of fantastic results, just as long as you put your faith, and hard earned cash in them.

I have no doubt that some of this works, and optimising your site is absolutely imperative.

A good web designer will make sure that your new website is fully optimised at the time they build it. They will ensure that key words and location type stuff is looked after, and may even monitor things for a short time for you.

But once you are on your own, what more can you do?

Getting to Google page 1

I want to share my own experience with you. My business is not wildly different to many others. I sell a professional service, to other professional service businesses. I help my clients to build their businesses by getting new clients and by getting the most from those relationships. A part of that is business development training. 

Until recently, I have built my business purely by hard work, and networking. I look to build referral volumes, I look after my clients and give them the very best I can every time. As Tom Peters would say, I look to provide excellence.

But now I am getting a stream of new enquiries from the internet. And why? Because if you Google (yes its now a verb) ‘business development training’ I am on page 1. And am I working to get to no.1 on page 1, you bet I am.

So how did I do it? The million dollar question. Actually, its not, and the answer is simple. I blog.

I blog 

I blog, and it really is simple. Google likes changing website content. Adding new blogs really helps, but there is more.

I write blogs about the things my clients, and potential clients want to read. I write about current issues in the marketplace I work in, and I focus on my core stuff.

People read what I write and they share it (thank you to everyone of you) and that shared stuff gets shared again and again. I don’t get massive share numbers compared to some guys, but I get good numbers, and they are improving all the time.

Once a blog is written, I share and broadcast it myself as widely as I can. That said I share it widely to the right sites, blogs and groups, and I work to guest blog as much as I can, on as many relevant great sites as I can.

The result is simple. I blog, I share. You read, you share. The sharing continues. The referral traffic to my site improves, and Google sees it.

Google sees it and up the rankings you go.