How to rank higher on Google

Last updated 12 October 2026 · By the XKey team

How do I find the pages closest to page one?

Open Google Search Console → Performance, tick "Average position", and sort the queries by position. Searches where you sit around positions 8 to 20 with a fair number of impressions are your best opportunities: people are searching, Google is showing you, just not high enough. Click each query to see which page ranks for it.

Not on Google at all? That's a different problem – start with why isn't my website on Google?

Does the page actually match what the searcher wants?

Search the phrase yourself and look at what ranks on page one. If they're all price lists and yours is a story about your company, or they're step-by-step guides and yours is a sales page, Google has decided searchers want something different. Reshape your page to give that answer, better than the pages above you.

Does the page say clearly what it's about?

• Put the search phrase, or close wording, in the title, the main heading and the first paragraph.
• Cover the questions the top pages answer, plus ones they miss. Our guide to writing SEO content covers how.
• Run the free SEO check on the page to catch missing titles, thin content or a slow load.

Do other pages on my site point to it?

Add links to the page from your home page, from related services and from any blog posts on the topic, using descriptive link text. It's the one ranking signal you control completely – see internal linking.

Is my site trusted as much as the sites above me?

Compare yourself with the pages that outrank you. The SEO comparison tool puts your page side by side with a competitor's, and the backlink checker shows which websites link to them but not to you. Local businesses should also compare reviews and Business Profiles – see the local SEO checklist.

How long until I see a difference?

Small on-page changes are usually picked up within days to a few weeks once Google recrawls the page. Changes that rely on new links and reviews take longer. Change one thing at a time on your most important pages, note the date, and compare the position in Search Console a few weeks later.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my site rank differently when I search on my own phone?

Results are personalised by location, device and search history. Use Search Console's average position instead of checking by hand.

Will updating the date on a page help it rank?

Not on its own. Google looks at whether the content genuinely changed. Update the page properly, then update the date.

Can I pay Google to rank higher in the normal results?

No. Google Ads buys sponsored places only; the ordinary results can't be bought. See our guide to SEO vs Google Ads.