Rank higher on Google, starting with the searches you almost win
Orbit reads every search that shows your site on Google, finds the pages one push from page one, writes what’s missing for your approval, and measures what each change earned.
Definition
What is organic search optimization?
Organic search optimization, usually just called SEO, is the work of earning a higher place in Google’s unpaid results: pages that answer what people search for, a site Google can read, and links that point to the pages that matter. Unlike an ad, a place you earn keeps bringing visitors after the work is done.
What Search showsA list of tips, or your site’s own next step
Every guide to ranking higher gives the same list. What moves a site is knowing which of its searches sit one push from page one, and which change moves them.
Generic advice
The same checklist for every site
- Write more, build links, speed up the site
- No way to tell which page to work on first
- Rankings checked by hand, results guessed at
With Orbit
The work your site needs next
- Every search that shows your site, with where it ranks
- The pages closest to page one, ranked by what they’re worth
- Each change measured against where it started
How Orbit moves a site up Google
Know where it stands, see what to fix first, do the work, and prove it paid.
1. Measure
Know where you stand on every search.
Orbit reads every search that shows your site on Google: where each page ranks, how many people see it and click, and which way it’s moving. Your history stays after Google deletes it, so this year compares with the last.
- Every search
- Every plan
2. Find
See the searches you almost win.
Searches just below page one, searches people see but rarely click, and searches two of your pages split. Small changes on these pages often bring the quickest gains.
- Near page one
- Every plan
3. The work
What to fix first, on one board, then done.
Each finding becomes a card with its page, its searches and a plan: answer what the pages above it answer, link to it from the right articles, or write the page that’s missing. Orbit writes it for your approval, and nothing goes live until someone presses Publish.
- Signals
- Zenith
4. Proof
Prove each change paid.
Once a card is done, Orbit keeps measuring its pages and searches against the day it was found: position, clicks, visitors and the leads that followed.
- Before and after
- Zenith
Find the searches you almost win
In Google Search Console, open Performance and sort by position. Searches at 8 to 20 that people see often are the closest to more clicks.
Read what ranks above you
Search each one and open the top three results. Note what they answer that your page doesn’t: a price, a timeline, a comparison, the steps.
Improve the page that ranks
Add what’s missing to the page Google already shows, keep its address, and make its title say plainly what the page gives. If two of your pages chase the search, fold one into the other.
Point your own links at it
Link to it from your related pages, with words that say what it’s about. Internal links are the one ranking lever fully in your hands.
Measure, then do the next one
Note the position and clicks before you change anything, and compare two to four weeks later. Keep what worked and move to the next search.
Questions about ranking higher on Google
Start with the searches where your site already sits just below page one. Give the page what the results above it answer, make its title say plainly what it offers, and link to it from your related pages. Then compare its position and clicks a few weeks later.
A page already close to page one often moves within weeks of a good change; a new page for a hard search can take months. Orbit measures each change from the day it was found, so you see the week it starts to move.
Page one is the top ten results. Start with the searches where you rank 8 to 20, since they’re closest, answer them better than the pages above you, and make sure Google can read the page. Orbit lists those searches for every site you run.
Usually Google hasn’t indexed the pages yet, something keeps it from reading them, such as a noindex tag or a robots.txt rule, or the pages rank too low to be seen. Orbit’s Pages and Health checks show which pages Google has indexed and what stops the rest.
No. Ads can appear above the results, but nobody can buy a higher place in Google’s unpaid results. Those places go to the page that answers the search best.
No. Orbit finds the work, plans it and writes what’s missing, but nothing goes live until someone on your team presses Publish.
Every plan shows every search your site appears for and the searches you almost win, and lets you ask Orbit for keyword research, content gaps and internal links. Ascend adds the site health check and which pages Google has indexed. Zenith adds the Signals board, writing and the before and after of every finished card.
See where your site stands on Google
Scan a site now, free and without an account, and see how many of its buyers’ searches find it on Google’s first page. Or book a demo to see how Orbit fits the way you work and where it can help.