Every year, almost every company brand in this world spends millions of dollars with the goal to rank higher on Google’s search results. In fact, it is the dream for every content marketer to get the no.1 spot for the most preferred, high volume keyword. This may be the ultimate goal for all your SEO efforts, but it does not happen overnight. And while that goal remains a dream for the majority of the businesses, there are only a handful of brands that actually can turn it into a reality.
As you may realize, getting a higher rank on the Google search results requires relentless efforts, a significant amount of time and capital. With growing competition, it may even be more difficult for you to achieve that goal. So, while you spend all your time, energy and money to reach to the no.1 spot, you may be risking your business in the process. Here’s why:
#1. Working towards the #1 spot on Google is an uphill journey
If you think posting keyword-rich blogs on your website will allow you to get to the top of SERP, you need a reality check. In today’s competitive world, where thousands of brands are eyeing for the top spot of Google search, you need more than just well-written blogs. It is for all whether you are offering assignment help services or running your own digital marketing agency.
You need to post regularly and maintain a certain number of blogs every month. They give you more indexed pages and offer more ways to get new visitors to the site. As you may realize, it is easier said than done. When the clients are breathing down your neck, producing 12-15 well-written blogs can be immensely challenging for you.
Also, you need to get backlinks to your post from sites with high domain authority in order to climb higher on the rankings. The more links you can get from high-quality websites, the better are your chances of reaching the top spot.
#2. Top-ranking content costs significant time and money
After reading the previous point, you may already have a hint about the amount of time, effort and money you need to invest to get the top rank for a high-volume keyword. Well, that’s not even the complete picture. You will be competing against the industry giants for the top rank. So, if you run a small business, the odds are certainly not in your favor.
If you have ever run an analysis on the links at the top of any search results, you may have noticed that there are thousands of links to a single post. It may take most websites and an entire lifetime to gather that many links to their posts collectively. There are top ranking websites that have less than 50 backlinks to them, but in most cases, backlinks play a crucial role in reaching the top spot.
Technically speaking, it is nearly impossible for the small-scale businesses to match the efforts made by the big brands. So, if you are trying to get the top spot, you need to be smarter with your approach. Yes, it is going to cost you a significant amount of money, but invest that money in hiring a proficient SEO expert who can develop a better strategy to gain more links. It is for all whether you are offering assignment help services or running your own digital marketing agency (don't forget to pick good SEO tools for agencies).
#3. A top rank does not guarantee higher CTR
You may find it surprising, but over the past few years, the click-through rates of the search results for certain keywords are going down steadily. So if you focus all your SEO efforts on a particular keyword without checking its organic CTR, your efforts may go in vain, even if you make the most of a popular search term.
You may have noticed that other SERP features like the ads, verticals, and snippets cover most of the area of the SERP. Even if you find a way to reach the top spot on the search rankings, you may still appear beneath the links that have paid Google to feature on the SERP.
The long-tail keywords offer a better CTR, but they have started to receive fewer clicks these days. So, if you are willing to recover your investments made with the SEO activities with the aim to leverage better CTR, it may actually be better if you adopt a more practical approach. For instance, paying Google to run your ads can offer better visibility, hence improving your chance of receiving better CTR.
#4. Google keeps on changing the SEO requirements
If you are considering going for the no.1 spot, you should know the fact that Google updates the search engine algorithm around 500 times a year. In fact, they have updated it 2-3 times a day on several occasions.
If you somehow manage to get the rank #1, the next day you may slide down the SERP if your page does not comply with the latest Google algorithm. You can search for the “history of SERP” to see how Google has changed over the years.
Unfortunately, your struggle won’t end if you manage to conquer the top spot in SERP for a particular keyword. You will have to keep up with the algorithm changes even after achieving the goal.
Instead of putting your money on the wrong strategy, it will be better to be familiar with the dynamic nature of the Google algorithm that can help you comply with the changing SEO requirements throughout your journey.
#5. Your business may witness burnout if you are not cautious
As you may have understood by now, the quest for the #1 spot on Google search not only eats up your time but also consumes a significant amount of capital. And if you don’t have a solid strategy for your SEO activities, it will be only a matter of months before you burn out your funds.
Getting the top rank on SERP may earn your small business some recognition, but if you are driving your business down in the process, you are not going to recover from that. If you have an angel investor who keeps on supporting on your venture with monetary support, it will be better for your business as well as the investor, if you plan your expenses carefully on your SEO efforts.
It’s not that small brands cannot reach the top rank on Google SERPs. In fact, there are a number of instances where smaller brands have outranked the industry giants in a certain keyword search. There’s no denying that getting a top rank on Google is next to impossible for small brands, but if you have the right strategy and a group of proficient people to execute the strategy, you may find a way to get to the top.
