What Gives????

[kicksetc]

I am looking at two different sites.  Blueskyscrubs.com and ScrubsandBeyond.com.  out of the two sites scrubsandbeyond is performing so much better, probably six times better.  I am just curious if there is anything that sticks out as to why.  Blueskyscrubs has a lot more and seemingly higher quality links.  There are nearly 2000 domains linking into them while scrubsandbeyond only has around 500.  The links they do have don't seem to be that great either.  I don't see a huge difference in their on-page SEO either.  So if anybody has any ideas or sees something obvious I am not seeing I would love to hear from you.

[RyanKent]

scrubsandbeyond is performing so much better, probably six times better

Can you offer specific examples of how this site is performing better?

[kicksetc]

scrubs and beyond has 2463 terms ranking in the top 50 while the other site only has 725 terms that rank in the top 50.  And they rank a lot higher for highly searched terms.  They also rank number 6 for the term "cherokee scrubs" with no backlinks with that term.

[RyanKent]

scrubs and beyond has 2463 terms ranking in the top 50 while the other site only has 725 terms that rank in the top 50.

It sounds like you are pulling that data from a particular SEO analytics tool. This data in and of itself offers no means for investigation and is not helpful. There are many possible explanations.

They also rank number 6 for the term "cherokee scrubs" with no backlinks with that term.

This is the one piece of information you shared which gives me something to work with.

The following URL is ranked #6 for a Google.com search of "cherokee scrubs": http://www.scrubsandbeyond.com/Brands-Cherokee-Medical-Scrubs.html

The page is very well optimized for the search term. The page title is an exact match which is an extremely important ranking factor. The URL contains the keywords, the page header is "FREE SHIPPING - Cherokee Scrubs", the keywords are used in alt text and the content. The page has a PA of 35 with 16 linking domains. This page has clearly earned a spot on the first page of Google results. The web page appears professional. If this site added additional SEO practices such as managing their internal linking better and earning backlinks with the proper anchor text, this page could appear in the top 3 results.

The Blueskyscrubs.com site does not have a competitive page for "cherokee scrubs". Take a look at the site: search for blueskyscrubs.com. The top result is a page without the term "Cherokee" used at all. When I perform a site search on the site, they do not show the term "cherokee scrubs" used on the site at all.

The search results appear perfectly valid in every regard. I am happy to help in any way I can, but you sound like a competitor who is upset you are being outranked on some terms. There are many aspects of SEO. I work full time on just SEO and I learn things every day. You might consider hiring an SEO to help you improve your site results, or digging in deeper on the SEO analysis. Tools which offer high level overviews of how many keywords a site rank for are not going to help you achieve you end goal which should be to maximize your site's traffic and convert visitors into buyers.

[kicksetc]

I don't sell scrubs.  I am in the jewelry industry.  If you look at the link profile of these two sites you will see that the site that is not performing as well has a lot more links.  Scrubsandbeyond.com might have one backlink with the words "cherokee scrubs"  I didn't look at the other site.  I am wondering how to get on the first page of a competitive term without getting a back link using an exact anchor text.  I can send you a list of all the terms the sites rank for.

[RyanKent]

I would be happy to help in any way I can. If you are willing to share your URL, perhaps you can gain some direct, actionable feedback from mozzers which will help your site even more.

As for the example you shared, links are important, but they are only part of the equation. There are over 200 factors used to ultimately determine ranking of a site for a particular term. You can rank very well for a keyword or phrase even without any backlinks at all. It all depends on how well you perform on the other factors, and how well your competition performs.

I am wondering how to get on the first page of a competitive term without getting a back link using an exact anchor text.

Every term is different. SEO is a 100% pure competition. If you make up a new term such as "Moztekan Jewelry" then you can rank #1 with no backlinks at all. You mentioned a competitive term so it depends on exactly how each of the other 10 results on the first page perform with respect to their SEO metrics.

The Cherokee example shows a solid (not perfect) site which is well presented, authentic, has good content directly related to an exact search, and offers numerous on page SEO mechanics to support the ranking.

Previously I misunderstood your statement "with no backlinks with that term." I thought you meant the term was not used in backlinks. I looked at the page's links and the anchor text is mostly "cherokee medical scrubs" or "cherokee scrub pants". While not a perfect match, it is close enough to have a positive effect on search results.

My recommendation for you is to offer the best web page you can. Pick a search term that you feel will drive traffic to your site that would convert well. Perform a search and thoroughly examine the top 5 or more results. When you create your page, make it world class. Have it blow the doors off the other pages. The page should be linked from your site's home page. You can use a "latest news", "popular stories" or varies methods. See how well it ranks. If it is not on the first page of Google, share the URL and we can review the page and offer tips.