The top position takes most of the clicks, which is why it is the natural target. It is worth understanding what it demands — and also when it is not worth having.
What the top spot demands
In short: being the best answer to that search, and being able to prove it.
- Relevance — the exact term in the title, in the address and in the opening lines;
- Resolution — whoever arrives finds what they came for without scrolling far;
- Reputation — other sites on the same subject point at you.
The first two depend only on you. The third depends on time, or on structure.
When first place is not worth it
Being first for a generic search brings plenty of visits and few sales. “Shoes” brings browsers; “men’s leather oxford shoes size 11” brings someone with the card already out.
Second place on a specific search is usually worth more than first place on a broad one. Measure what converts, not what fills the report.
What the top result has that the others do not
Almost always, time. Sites that have been first for years have accumulated links and history. Competing with that head-on is expensive. Competing for a more specific variation is doable — and it is how practically every new site gets in.
The route with no shortcut
Choose the right search, write the best page that exists on that subject, and get relevant sites to point at it. There is no fourth step, and nobody has found a way around the third.
