Unable to get into top 20 even when pages are optimized and most crawl issues resolved

[Dynata_panel_marketing]

I have a few keyword phrases I've been trying to rank in the top 20 for (starting place). I have optimized for a few different phrases, ranging in keyword difficulty, but no matter what I do I can't seem to get in. In many cases, the exact same results show up for many different variations of the phrases I'd like to rank for. I've read about how google tries to match user intent and so if it decides those results are more relevant then it will always show them, but does that mean that no matter what I do I will always be behind them?

The main question I have is: how should I proceed? Should I stop optimizing pages and focus on link acquisition? Or go through and make sure there isn't a single crawl issue? Or focus on optimizing for longer tail keyword phrases?

It just feels like I've done so much of what the moz tools have recommended and I'm seeing very little movement over the past couple of months, if anything I see dips in performance after optimization.

Thanks in advance!

[ClaytonJ]

Hi

Without going into a great depth and people will rightly point out everything I have missed there are three keys aspects to ranking.  The first is technical seo - see audit link https://moz.com/blog/technical-site-audit-for-2015

It sounds like you are on top of technical - but maybe a quick check. A key one is page loading speed (tools.pingdom.com)

The second is authoritative backlinks. It does sound like a site authority issue - what is your DA & PA for you home page? https://moz.com/products/api if low ie less than 15. Read https://moz.com/beginners-guide-to-link-building

Then the third you need to consider is content creation. https://moz.com/blog/how-to-build-a-content-marketing-strategy.

So three big issues - where are you with each one? Do a little audit and see where you are at may give you guidance in where to place limited resources.

Hope that assists.

[Dynata_panel_marketing]

Hey John,

Thanks so much for your response.

1. Technical SEO, I have spent a good deal of time working on the technical side of things. We do have remaining issues but our site has a lot of pages, especially on the blog (subdomain) and it would take a very long time to get all of them fixed (issues like long page names and duplicate descriptions). But I have fixed duplicate content, 301 to single url, etc. Speed-wise we're ok (64/100 perf grade & 2.5 Load time on pingdom).

2. Backlinks-wise, we're not in terrible shape. 35 DA and 41 PA (homepage). And while many of our competitors are much stronger than us authority-wise, I've seen some with lower numbers that rank higher for some keyword phrases.

3. Content. I have recently started up an initiative for creating more relevant content on the blog with a focus on creating sharable content to earn us some social links and attempt to build some potential marketing relationships. Although we're still in the very early stages on that front (lots of growing pains).

I have to say I've probably watched and read almost every video in the moz academy and read a ton of articles elsewhere, including most of what Matt Cutts has put out there. It feels like I've followed all the right advice from the pros but I'm not seeing that big jump I've been dying to wake up to! Taking all of this into account, what would you advise?

Thanks,

Roman

Also, if anyone else has any advice I would really appreciate the help!

[ClaytonJ]

Roman

You still have to work on the technical. So do not stop. Also however I would suggest - specific backlink / anchor text targeting of the important keywords you are chasing.  So target articles (backlinks) where the anchor text is reflective of the keyword you are attempting to rank for.  Make sure they have a strong trust flow and see how you go. Need to get the content up to a formidable level.

Hope that assists.

[Dynata_panel_marketing]

John,

Just to make sure I'm understanding you correctly.

1. Are you suggesting that getting crawl issues to 0 should be my main priority?

2. I was under the impression that obvious use of keywords in anchor text is an easy way of getting penalized by google's algorithm. Is that not true?

3. By "target articles" do you mean guest blog posts on other sites or on my own blog.

Thanks again for further input!

Roman

[ClaytonJ]

Roman

More than crawl issues, but in short yes, broken links, site loading speed, mobile optimization etc.  All the basics.  The technical seo audit by Moz is an great checklist to work through.

Yes they will be if they are from bought links, or spam directories, but if they are earn't links then they would be natural and should not incur a penalty.  It is hard work getting one or two.  We use Moz and majestic and do a link analysis.  Have you done that? How many links do you actually have with the keyword anchor text you are targeting on the specific page?

Your own blog, and own socials etc and the posts get re-published because you created such awesome content.

Hope that assists.  Tragically there is nothing short of back breaking work ahead...