Google is the most used search engine in the world with over 92% market share. It is simply immense. But did you know that Google doesn’t stop at basic searches for a few keywords? It is a potent tool, and I will tell you how it can give your SEO a real boost. With the correct commands, you will find an incredible number of link opportunities, and you will even be able to spy on your competition. And the most vital thing in all of this is that it costs you nothing!
1. Find blogs that accept guest articles
You probably know this, but one of the most effective techniques for finding quality links is to post articles on other blogs. Although it is possible to submit your article to any blog, the chances of receiving a positive response will be much higher if the blog in question has a habit of posting guest articles regularly. However, finding these favorite blogs is not easy! Lucky for you, I have the solution. This first request that I propose to you will save you a lot of time!
2. Mention your unrelated site
If you start to be known in your field, more and more blogs will be talking about you. What is a shame is that sometimes people indicate your url address without linking to your site. The ideal would be to find all these mentions to contact their author and ask them if it would be possible to add a link to the source. It is very effective in gaining links quickly. Unfortunately, I haven’t found a perfect query to identify them, but the one I’m suggesting to you today will already allow you to sort it out.
Explanation of the Google query
- “yoursite.com”: searches for all the sites which mention your url address
- inanchor: “your site.com”: excluding all sites that already link to you on your URL address.
- site: “your site.com”: exclusion of all the pages of your site
Even if the results aren’t perfect, it’s still more efficient than just searching your url!
3. Find quotes from your competitors
A quote is simply a mention of your business in the form of “name, address and telephone.” If you want to improve your local SEO, they are essential. It’s a bit like the backlink of a Google My Business page, except that no link is necessary to have a compelling quote.
Also Read: How Can Internal Linking Improve Your SEO?
4. Find keyword suggestions
Google is an excellent source of keywords. You all know that when you start typing your search, Google gives you suggestions. The great thing about these suggestions is that they are often very targeted (long-tail) and convert much better than generic keywords. To use without moderation!
Although very useful, these suggestions are often already known to your competitors. But you will see that there are 2 methods to find others which are much less known.
5. Find directories in your theme
No, directories are not entirely dead. Granted, this is not the most efficient method either, but it is still helpful if you do it intelligently;).
It must be admitted that general directories are more or less doomed to disappear because they have no interest apart from the link present on each file. On the other hand, specialized directories are more legitimate, and they still have a future.
6. Show neutral results
When I talk to potential clients, I often have the right to this remark: “I don’t need SEO because I’m already in the top positions…” The problem is that most time, that’s completely wrong.
It must be said that Google is not lovely; it is confusing the tracks. When you search on your computer or smartphone, the results are personalized.
Google will take into account (among other things) your search history to provide you with “more relevant” results. And of course, as you often consult your site, it is highlighted in the results but only in yours.
To get neutral results, add a parameter in Google search.
- Type your search in google in a classic way
- Once the results are displayed, add & pws = 0 in the url
Also Read: Integrating SEO Into Your Marketing Strategies For Business Success
7. Check the indexed pages in Google
The indexing of your pages by Google is essential. This is one of the first steps in an SEO audit. To find out the pages indexed by Google, there is an effortless command:
This command returns all the pages indexed in Google for the given domain name.
Several scenarios are possible:
- You cannot find any page associated with your site when you use this command. You have a problem solving quickly, or your site is very recent, and there is nothing abnormal in this case.
- Your site is partially indexed. Several factors are possible, too slow pages, a penalty. In short, this requires an investigation!
- The number of indexed pages is greater than the number of actual pages on your site. This is a fairly typical case, probably due to duplicate content. Some of your pages are accessible from more than one address, yet the content is identical. As much to tell you right away, Google does not like it!
8. Find the backlinks of your competitors
This is a quick and easy way to find your competitors’ links. Ok, you won’t find them all this way, but at least it’s completely free!
