Yes, You Can Get Your Website on the First Page of Google Without Backlinks

Here’s how

Christopher Kokoski
The Startup

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Cartoon Cat on a laptop — Yes, You Can Get Your Website On the First Page of Google Without Backlinks
Image by the Author using Jasper Art and Canva

A lot of bloggers think that the only way to get on the first page of Google is to get backlinks from other websites. But that’s not necessarily true.

I use three specific methods to rank high on Google without any backlinks.

Here’s how I do it.

3 Ways To Get On The First Page of Google Without Backlinks

When it comes down to it, there are three main ways to get it done.

You can:

  1. Use strategic SEO practices. This means using keywords throughout your website, including in your titles, descriptions, and content. It also means making your site as fast and user-friendly as possible.
  2. Go after zero-backlink keywords. These are keywords that not many people are targeting. So if you can rank for them, you’ll have a better chance of getting on the first page — even with zero backlinks.
  3. Write helpful content. Helpful content is direct, accurate, informative, engaging, and extremely useful to the reader. It’s not full of fluff, vague suggestions, or half-answered questions.

That’s the summary of the three strategies. There is a bit more to it.

So, let’s take a deeper dive into how each of these three methods can get you on the first page of Google.

How Good SEO Can Help Get Your Blog on the First Page of Google Without Backlinks

One of the most common questions I get asked is how to get on the first page of Google without any backlinks.

The answer is simple: by writing great content and optimizing it for SEO.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is making your website look better to Google. The goal is to rank your blog as one of the first few search results, which will bring in more visitors.

There are a number of factors that go into SEO, but some of the most important ones are:

  • SEO Keywords: When people look something up online, they type words, phrases, or sentences into a search bar (such as Google Search). These typed words are called keywords. If you want your website to show up when people search for certain keywords, you need to include those keywords in your titles and content.
  • SEO Title Tags: Title tags (aka titles) are the text that appears in SERPs when your website comes up in a search. They’re an important part of SEO because they give people an idea of what your website is about and why they should click on it.
  • SEO Header Tags: Header tags are HTML tags that are used to structure the content on your website. They range from H1 (the largest) to H6 (the smallest). Using header tags correctly can help improve both the usability and SEO of your site.
  • SEO Content: Content is king when it comes to SEO. The better your content is, the more likely people are to find it useful and share it with others.

There’s no use writing good content on topics nobody wants to read. That’s why we’ll talk about zero-backlink keywords next.

How Zero Backlink Keywords Can Help Get Your Blog on the First Page of Google Without Backlinks

When it comes to SEO, most people focus on high-competition keywords.

But what if I told you that going after low-competition keywords could be the key to getting your blog on the first page of Google?

It’s true.

If you can rank for low-competition keywords, you’ll have a much better chance of getting on the first page of Google than if you try to rank for high-competition keywords.

The reason is simple: there are fewer websites competing for low-competition keywords, so it’s easier to get pushed to the top.

That’s why these keywords are also called Zero Backlink Keywords.

Since there is no other content competing with you, Google has little choice but to rank you high (and probably first) for your keyword. Backlinks are more helpful if you’re competing with other websites for the top spot.

You can find low-competition keywords by using:

  • Google Autosuggest. Type niche-related words into the Google search bar and see what Google suggests.
  • Free Keyword Tools. I personally like Deap Market, AnswerThePublic, SearchResponse.io, AnswerSocrates, and the keyword tool from H-Supertools.
  • Paid Keyword Tools. My favorites are Ahrefs, RankIQ, SEMRush, Keysearch, Keyword Chef, and LowFruits.io

How Good Content Can Help Get Your Blog o the First Page of Google Without Backlinks

One of the best ways to get your blog on the first page of Google without backlinks is to write good content.

What is good content?

Good content is well-written, informative, and engaging. It’s the kind of content that people want to read and share.

Qualities of good content:

  • Matches the searcher’s intent (looking for information, comparing products, buying something, etc)
  • Direct and concise
  • Seems like it’s written by a person to a person
  • Provides specifics and details (not general answers)
  • Covers every angle of the topic
  • Answers all the questions related to the topic
  • Scannable (short paragraphs, bullets, charts, quotes, and lots of subheadings)

If you can produce this kind of content on a regular basis, you’ll be well on your way to getting your blog onto the first page of Google.

Of course, writing good content is easier said than done. It takes time, effort, and practice to produce quality work. But it’s worth it.

If you’re serious about getting your blog onto the first page of Google, start by writing the best content you can.

Do Backlinks Even Matter Then??

Yes, backlinks still matter.

One of the most important factors in SEO is backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites to your website.

Google uses backlinks as a way to determine the quality and relevance of your website. The more backlinks you have, the higher your website will rank on Google.

However, it’s important to remember that not all backlinks are created equal. The quality of the website that is linking to you matters just as much as the quantity.

A link from a high-quality website will carry more weight than a link from 20 low-quality websites.

In addition to backlinks, Google also looks at other factors when determining where to rank your website.

These include things like:

  • The quality of your content
  • The relevance of your content to the user’s search query
  • The loading speed of your website
  • The mobile-friendliness of your website

While backlinks are still an important part of SEO, they are not the be-all and end-all. It’s possible to rank highly in Google without any backlinks at all.

Final Thoughts

In short, backlinks are not bad but they are not always necessary.

I rarely focus on backlinks at all across my portfolio of websites — yet, I still rank for many topics and get 120,000 pageviews per month.

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Christopher Kokoski
The Startup

Endlessly curious| proud word nerd| Don’t miss my next article — sign up to my Medium email list: https://bit.ly/3yy18Bc