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Local SEO Question, Offliners?

by payoman
13 replies
Aren't you supposed to get Page 1 of Google if the other websites don't have any backlinks and bad on page SEO?

I used market samurai to check the competition on this keyword, and it was basically ALL GREEN with no exact match domains, no on page SEO and no backlinks.

So I started a website for a this search term that received something like 150 searches per month, with the competition having NO backlinks and bad on page SEO, yet I didn't even rank in the top 100. Why could this be?

Here is what my page looked like :

www.exactmatchdomain.com

H1 <keyword>
H2 <Keyword blablablabla>
H3 <Keyword blalalalalalala>
Body <Keyword in bold and italic bla bla bla>
3 pictures with keyword as the alt text
Meta tags with keyword, description with keyword

I hear everywhere how you can instantly get page one if the competition is bad and the term is rarely searched. So why wasn't this the case for me?

This is what every client I have talked to wants to know, how to get Google page 1 for 'dentist townname', and the sole reason they justify paying a hefty monthly fee for a website.

So anyone got any ideas why this test didn't work out?
#local #offliners #question #seo
  • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
    Because most of the self proclaimed SEO gurus don't know jack.

    There is such thing as over optimization. MS isn't going to do the work for you, if you have a new domain going up against those that have been around since 1999, you have competition.

    I have a feeling your site is too spammy. EMD + perfect h1-h3 tags... keyword in bold and italics.. you're in newbie mode, you're trying to do too much. Whats your keyword density? The most important on page issue is the title tag... did you optimize that?

    Are you on a shared server that your neighbors have been identified as in a bad neighborhood? That can be a problem.

    Its strange that you have an EMD not getting results... you either have done something google doesn't like, or you're hosted in a bad place.
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    • Profile picture of the author ryanmckinney
      Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

      Because most of the self proclaimed SEO gurus don't know jack.

      There is such thing as over optimization. MS isn't going to do the work for you, if you have a new domain going up against those that have been around since 1999, you have competition.

      I have a feeling your site is too spammy. EMD + perfect h1-h3 tags... keyword in bold and italics.. you're in newbie mode, you're trying to do too much. Whats your keyword density? The most important on page issue is the title tag... did you optimize that?

      Are you on a shared server that your neighbors have been identified as in a bad neighborhood? That can be a problem.

      Its strange that you have an EMD not getting results... you either have done something google doesn't like, or you're hosted in a bad place.
      IAN -

      Having perfect on-page can be considered spammy? I don't bold and italicize my clients sites, but my testing sites I have.

      I figured the worst thing you could do was "keyword stuff" (one of my first clients had a site from 2000, they literally keyword stuffed and was wondering why they were no where to be found).

      I have been testing out different "seo strategies" because I would still consider my self still learning SEO, as it seems always changing, but in a few different "tests" I have been running I have found that:

      On-page:

      Title
      Description
      At least 1 img and alt tag
      H1
      (if h2 fits, then so be it, don't over do it)
      Keyword shows up in the content (never really count the density, but also don't just put a keyword in every sentence, just some unique natural content)

      Usually just that gets me to about the top of page #2 within a week or two.

      Then a few solid links (testing different link methods out)

      Usually gets me to page 1 (local keywords) in under 3 weeks.

      aforementioned is for brand new domains. Usually after the site is ranking, I come behind with a video, and rank it (so much easier to do), and now I have 2 properties on the first page.


      If I get ahold of a clients site with some age, and change some of the on-page, send a couple of good links they usually are on page#1 in under 10 days, and top 3 within the month.


      I just never thought that "perfect" on-page is considered spammy

      Ryan
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      • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
        Originally Posted by ryanmckinney View Post

        IAN -

        Having perfect on-page can be considered spammy? I don't bold and italicize my clients sites, but my testing sites I have.

        I figured the worst thing you could do was "keyword stuff" (one of my first clients had a site from 2000, they literally keyword stuffed and was wondering why they were no where to be found).

        I have been testing out different "seo strategies" because I would still consider my self still learning SEO, as it seems always changing, but in a few different "tests" I have been running I have found that:

        On-page:

        Title
        Description
        At least 1 img and alt tag
        H1
        (if h2 fits, then so be it, don't over do it)
        Keyword shows up in the content (never really count the density, but also don't just put a keyword in every sentence, just some unique natural content)

        Usually just that gets me to about the top of page #2 within a week or two.

        Then a few solid links (testing different link methods out)

        Usually gets me to page 1 (local keywords) in under 3 weeks.

        aforementioned is for brand new domains. Usually after the site is ranking, I come behind with a video, and rank it (so much easier to do), and now I have 2 properties on the first page.


        If I get ahold of a clients site with some age, and change some of the on-page, send a couple of good links they usually are on page#1 in under 10 days, and top 3 within the month.


        I just never thought that "perfect" on-page is considered spammy

        Ryan
        Ever see those threads wondering why their perfectly set up pages were being outranked by flash sites, sites with no backlinks, and sites with mediocre optimization? That's because what people teach about being so important, often are not as important as it might seem. Meta descriptions... I'd recommend not even having one, allow google to decide what is important and what isn't, to have listed there.

        Usually what I will do, is just optimize the title tags at first. Let google index it, then I'll be doing optimization slowly, and get a few, and i mean only a few strong backlinks, usually on a site I control. The backlink building after that, I build backlinks to those backlinks.

        A lot of what you hear is myth. I have ranked in very competitive niches, with minimal work. Weight loss niche, make money online, medical, you name it. Good onpage optimization doesn't mean perfect optimization. Perfect doesn't look natural, perfect is something done for the search engines and not for user experience, Google knows this. There is definitely such thing as over optimization.
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        • Profile picture of the author ryanmckinney
          Originally Posted by iAmNameLess View Post

          Ever see those threads wondering why their perfectly set up pages were being outranked by flash sites, sites with no backlinks, and sites with mediocre optimization? That's because what people teach about being so important, often are not as important as it might seem. Meta descriptions... I'd recommend not even having one, allow google to decide what is important and what isn't, to have listed there.

          Usually what I will do, is just optimize the title tags at first. Let google index it, then I'll be doing optimization slowly, and get a few, and i mean only a few strong backlinks, usually on a site I control. The backlink building after that, I build backlinks to those backlinks.

          A lot of what you hear is myth. I have ranked in very competitive niches, with minimal work. Weight loss niche, make money online, medical, you name it. Good onpage optimization doesn't mean perfect optimization. Perfect doesn't look natural, perfect is something done for the search engines and not for user experience, Google knows this. There is definitely such thing as over optimization.
          Well, this makes sense.

          Interesting approach on the description, "let google figure it out" -

          As I said, I have been testing lots of different things, looks like I have some more testing to do!

          Ryan
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  • Profile picture of the author payoman
    That's what I figured.

    Look I admit, I hastily threw together a crappy looking page just to see what would happen, and yeah I am not even in the top 100 results.

    What's interesting though, is that the second page of my site, the 'contact' page, ranks higher than the home page that is keyword spammed. The contact page has hardly any keywords on it, it is virtually blank. Could this be a sign of over optimization of the home page?
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  • Profile picture of the author link82
    How old is this site?
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  • Profile picture of the author payoman
    Like 2 days old. This must be my lack of understanding of SEO.

    From what I hear, it's like 60% backlinks 40% onpage. So I figured with the top 10 other sites having bad onpage and very few backlinks, I would at least rank in page 2 or 3 with just good onpage optimization. My website isn't even in the top 100!

    Does anyone have a base strategy for SEO that usually nets them the top 3 pages for any keyword, in terms of site layout? Do you really get penalised for only have 1 or 2 pages on your entire site?
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    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by payoman View Post

      Like 2 days old. This must be my lack of understanding of SEO.

      From what I hear, it's like 60% backlinks 40% onpage. So I figured with the top 10 other sites having bad onpage and very few backlinks, I would at least rank in page 2 or 3 with just good onpage optimization. My website isn't even in the top 100!

      Does anyone have a base strategy for SEO that usually nets them the top 3 pages for any keyword, in terms of site layout? Do you really get penalised for only have 1 or 2 pages on your entire site?
      The sites don't get penalized, they just aren't liked. That's all... people confuse penalties and the mythical sandbox with Google just not liking their website.

      I wish you could PM me your link to the site, I can tell you exactly why you aren't ranking. With an EMD, you should hit first page easy. Perhaps you haven't given it enough time, but shoot me a PM or email with the link.
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  • Profile picture of the author richrowley
    I'd wait a few more days yet. Is your site even indexed if it's just 2 days old? Search for your domain name to see if it's indexed.

    If not you have to wait, it's only 2 days old. Give it at least a week first.
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  • Profile picture of the author payoman
    Nah it is indexed, it's just failing. I don't know, perhaps I need to backlink and wait and see. Still, it's scary because I want to sell SEO and if I can't rank quickly then clients will get agitated
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Owens
    You should definitely give it time for Google to evaluate the site. One thing going against you is domain age compared to the existing sites out there. SEO is a long-term process - look at it in months if not years, not days/weeks.
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  • Profile picture of the author tryinhere
    it shows up in number 2 spot for me

    exact match domain - Google Search
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    • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
      On Google AU he does, but on Google dot com he's nowhere to be found and I suspect the major reason is that he's going up against exactmatchdomain(S).com the plural version of his domain. Its much longer established and way more relevant in regards to content.

      If the OP is trying to rank only in Aussie land he's accomplished his goal already, but somehow I don't think he wants to only rank in Australia.

      I registered a domain a few years ago that was in the exact same situation the OP is in right now. I could not get it ranked for anything before I decided that the return versus the time and effort to rank it and start diverting traffic to the more established site just wasn't worth it.

      I think you'll have to spend a lot of time and effort to get this domain to rank on the first page of google dot com.

      Originally Posted by tryinhere View Post

      it shows up in number 2 spot for me

      exact match domain - Google Search
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