Ranking on Google top ten is in itself a great achievement, but doing so in 16 days is just mind-blowing. Yet, the hidden secret reveals that over 600,000 people are doing it. Are you inclined to join them or at least try? Then here are the first steps in getting started.
As you might imagine, there must be some sort of audit fit to determine if your website is anywhere close to getting there. Many free SEO tools will show how your website is doing. The best of these is provided by Google Page Speed. That is the one we use, especially since we are optimizing for the Google Search Engine.
I first published this article via my LinkedIn newsletter and decided to add it this week to help users who desire to start the journey here.
Week 1: How to Begin Your 16 Day Journey to Google Top Ten Rankings
The primary goal of this week’s guide is not to convince you that this works. The fact that you are reading this article shows your need to find alternatives to current ranking methods. These old-school methods are just not working anymore.
Here is why:
- AI-Powered Search: A large part of Google is now powered by AI, and all the basic rules of meta tags have changed. For example, the meta description now loads over 300 characters – just look at any Google search results.
- People First Content: Keyword stuffing is dead and has been replaced by keyword questions, as Google provides answers directly from content.
- SEOs depend on SEO platforms like Semrush, Moz, etc., instead of using Google direct tools.
- Quality content owns the throne, the kingdom, and the money. Yet writers and SEOs continue to ignore Google’s recommendations. How will they ever keep you ranked?
Well, enough ranting, let’s get going. Here are the steps you must accomplish this week. Make sure you follow the steps to the letter.
Step 1: Choose a Page or Post
The first step is to choose one post or page. Right, not your entire website. Once you have got this, you can add as many more as you like. But select the best piece you have.
Guidelines and Requirements
- The content should already be indexed in Google. If not, you may need to access your Google Search Console and fix it first. After fixing it, request indexing.
- Run an audit fit using Google Page Speed. Copy and paste your page URL in the Google Page Speed app. If you score over 80% on both desktop and mobile, then this is your page. If your page loads slowly, you should optimize for a 2-second speed.
- Readability Score: Make sure that your content can easily be read by an eighth grader. Use an app or tool to check this. The best-known app is Grammarly.
- Word Count: Your article should ideally be between 1,500 and 3,000 words. However, the higher the word count, the better your chance at ranking.
Step 2: Choose a Primary Keyword
Your page needs a primary keyword for which you will rank in 16 days. This keyword should not be chosen on a whim. Instead, do your do deligence and implement these steps.
By the way, for those of you who are saying, “I already know that”, just answer this question. When was the last time you ranked a page in 45 days?
Guidelines and Requirements
- Run keyword research on your article’s title. For example: How Long Do Dogs Live? Your keyword research tool will return several keywords. Choose one that has high search volume and at least two words. Run a second keyword research using the one you just selected. Select one keyword with high search volume. This is now your primary keyword.
- Optimize your article: Re-optimize your article, making sure that your keyword meets your SEO editing app, such as RankMath, AISEO, etc.
- Double-check these tabs: The keyword appears in your meta title, description, at least one subheading, and your image alternative text.
- Permalink: If your website is not programmed to automatically redirect changes made to your slug, then do ths. Edit your permalink to include your primary keyword. Create a redirect to the new permalink.
- Unique Images: To complete the keyword usage, rename one of your images to your primary keyword. For example, if your keyword was life of dogs, then your image may read life-of-dogs.jpeg.
You have completed the first two steps of day 1 of your 16-day journey to Google Top Ten. Next week, we will dive deeper into tweaking your content. Get ready to be shocked.
Week 2: Google Top 10: Day 2 of 16 – the First Shock?
Welcome to Week 2 and Day 2!
By now, you should have accomplished three key things. If you missed the first edition, you can read it here.
- Selected a post/page that is already indexed on Google (Your Selected Page)
- Researched and implemented your primary keyword
- Optimized your article to 100% using your SEO editing tool
Week 2: Day 2 – Content Quality Assurance
Last week, I mentioned that quality content remains the key dominating factor for top ten rankings. Everyone knows this, but no one seems to take it seriously. A recent report by Brafton shows that nearly 70% of brand-produced content fails to meet basic standards.
Yes, you see what I mean. There is no way these pages will get to Google top ten ranking. Now, according to OnCrawl, and once again, everyone knows this, these are the impacts of publishing poor-quality content.
- Lower rankings across your entire site (not just the problematic pages)
- Reduced visibility in featured snippets and other SERP features
- Diminished site authority
- Higher bounce rates and lower engagement
- Difficulty ranking new content, even if it’s high-quality
How Can You fix this problem before you get blocked?
Yes, that is what point number 5 means. If you have poor-quality content, you could get rejected even if you create new high-quality content. I told you it could be a shocker. The good news is, this can be fixed.
Your website may already contain several of the pages that have very poor content that you should focus on fixing before publishing new content. You will be surprised at how effective this strategy can be, especially with the speed at which pages are recovered and ranked.
Goal: This week, you will practice using two important SEO tools: Google Search Console and your favorite keyword research tool. Your goal this week is to achieve 5 quality content pages and send internal links back to your Selected Page.
Google Search Console
The first step is to discover if your pages are being snubbed by Google. At times, this may only be a temporary delay to indexing and may not translate to a rejection by the search giant.
Let’s do this.
- Log in to your Google Search Console
- Go to the Indexing section
- Select ‘Pages‘
- Scroll down to ‘Why pages aren’t indexed.’
- Select “Crawled- currently not indexed‘
These are the pages that should concern you. If you have none that are older than a week, you are fine. However, if you do, select up to five of these pages and perform high-quality editing.
On the other hand, if your pages have not been indexed for more than a month, then there may be a problem. There are many reasons why your pages could be rejected, but if they were crawled and not indexed, there could be a content quality problem.
1. Start by updating the content with current information to ensure accuracy.
Most SEOs do not like thi this part. And maybe you won’t. afterall, it is hard work. In an article about planets, you may have stated that
There are nine planets in our solar system.
This is outdated information. Make a quotable and certified correction.
There used to be nine planets in our solar system. However, according to NASA, one planet, Pluto, has been downgraded to a dwarf planet status.
You can increase your word count to at least 1,500 and add credible sources to your content. Most ranked pages have at least 1,500, but it is the quality of the content that matters.
2. Incorporate clear headings and better formatting that enhances readability and user experience
- Reduce the number of outgoing links to 1 per 1,000 words, and internal links to three per 2,500 words.
- Break up your article with subheadings, short paragraphs, and list points.
- Convert your headings and subheadings into questions.
This brings us to the final tasks in this week’s guide.
Search Keyword Questions
Using your favorite keyword research tool, I recommend Rankpro, perform a keyword search for your primary keyword. then in your app, select keyword questions. This will provide the most popular questions that have been used for your keyword.
Why are these search keyword questions important? As you may guess, search engines pull them into their people also ask sections, answer engines, and AI overviews, and use them to answer questions.
How to use these keyword questions?
Include these keyword questions throughout your article where they fit naturally. Use 2-3 in articles less than 2,000 and four in articles of 2,500 words.
Tip: Place your answers in the first paragraph.
In addition, add these to your FAQS
Finally – Reindex the Pages
Go to your Google Search Console and request re-indexing for these five pages and your Selected Page. Google will now serve the updated version of your pages.
Best method: Ask your friends or family with similar content to give you a backlink
Link exchange: This is the next best option; however, there are two problems. The first is that you must also grant a link, and this reduces your authority. That is why people use nofollow links. The second problem is that Google may discover your practice.
Buy backlinks; this is the most widely used via paid guest posts. It is easier to hide, but also not recommended by Google.
Free GuestPost: There are still a few websites around that will accept free posts and give you an outbound link.
Natural backlinks: this is the only pure format, but except for the very old websites or the bigger names, no one uses it. It is about writing quality content and hoping someone will refer back to you.
4) Finally, get some traffic to your page, just about 10 per day. You can invite your friends or ask for reviews on social media.
Week 3: How to Transition to Google Page One
Welcome to another edition of Google Top Ten in 16 Days. Your Selected Page is now ranking on Google page 3-4, and you are eager to get it to page two. This may surprise you, but from here it becomes easier but trickier.
That is why our next steps must be executed with care. We should avoid upsetting the already existing state of the content: Re-indexed and ranking
Just before we rush into the next step, Transition to Page One, here is a quick lesson on What Google Actually Rewards.
What Google Actually Rewards
As you begin the final tweaking of your page, you must be very clear about what you will be rewarded for. You can also get access to my full beginner’s guide to ranking on Google in 3 weeks. Just ask.
Google has one job: Deliver the best possible answer to the searcher.
Not the longest answer. Not the most “optimized” answer. Not the answer with the most backlinks. Not the answer from the biggest brand.
The best answer.
Google evaluates “best” using three primary levers:
1. Relevance
Does your page match what the searcher wants? If someone searches “how to fix a leaky faucet,” Google wants a step‑by‑step tutorial — not a product page, not a history of plumbing, not a 3,000‑word essay.
Relevance is the #1 ranking factor for beginners.
2. Quality
Does your content demonstrate clarity, completeness, and usefulness? Google measures this through:
Clear structure
Logical flow
Helpful examples
Direct answers
No fluff
Remember that Quality is not about writing beautifully. It’s about writing usefully.
3. Authority
Does Google trust you on this topic? Authority is built through:
Topical depth
Internal linking
Consistent publishing
Backlinks (later on)
Authority is the slowest lever — but you don’t need much to rank for beginner‑friendly keywords.
How Does Your Article Stand Up? Is it Ready for the First Page?
Here is how you can easily find out. Remember the primary keyword that you chose? Now, do a search on Google for your keyword.
Search for your primary keyword.
Look at the format of the top ten results. Are they:
Lists?
Tutorials?
Reviews?
Comparisons?
Definitions?
If most of the results align with one of the above, you may need to add a section to your article. Match the pattern. If you do not have a listicle, add a similar list to your article and then resubmit.
Dont change your content, just add to it
Keep your keyword and links intact
Add 5 new internal links to your newly added section. Be sure to use your keyword question.
Wait 3 days, then share a summary of your newly added section on your social media and content sites
Well, you are done for this edition and are almost on page one. Just missing 5 days.
Week 4: How to Structure a Page that Google will Love
In the last edition of Google Top Ten in 16 Days, we looked at how to choose keywords where you can be the best answer. We explained how to use search intent to guide your focus. This edition will outline a simple process of giving a structure to your page that Google will easily index.
Content structure is often hyped as a technical process, but it is more easily understood as the flow that we use on our pages. It is the way we arrange our ideas so that it is easy to read by our users and Google.
Here are three very important facts about content structure that you must know::
Content structure is intentional; That’s right. You choose how to organize your ideas, breaking it up the way you like. This should be to your advantage.
COPE Ready: SEOs should unleash the power found in page structures. By separating content from its visual design, this approach enables reusability across devices, improves accessibility, and helps search engines understand content context. COPE means “Create Once, Publish Everywhere.“
It is governed by standards: there are established structural standards that your content must follow, and when you do, both humans and search engines will love your content. So, if you want to do well, you must follow these guidelines.
This week, we will focus on these standards.
Moving to Google Page 1 — How to Structure a Page Google Understands
Many people know how to create convincing content that will get an Eskimo buying ice. However, they often fail get these articles ranked on search engines. They fail at the page layout step.
Google doesn’t “read” like a human. It scans the content structure. Unless your article follows the established standards, you may not even get indexed. It is just a human ready content and search spiders will just fail to follow or understand it.
Your content must be created once and readable for both.
Your page must be:
Clear
Organized
Predictable
Easy to parse
Use this structure:
1. Clear H1
State the topic directly. No stammering, no mysterious idea. For example
How Long Do Dogs Live?
2. Strong introduction
Explain what the reader will learn and why it matters. For example
Dogs play a vital role in most families, often becoming the center of affection and care. Sometimes these furry creatures can become so attached to us that one desires them to be around forever. This article explores how long dogs live and compares which dog breeds have longer life spans.
3. H2 sections that match search intent
Most SEOs know what H2 tags are, but only a few have used them to master search intent. This is key to moving up the search ladder. Here is the best way to use your subheading tags.
Run a search with your primary keyword. If the top 10 results use:
Steps → your H2s should be steps
List items → your H2s should be list items
Questions → your H2s should be questions
Always remember that Google rewards the popular, not the outlier.
4. Short paragraphs
Long paragraphs will turn readers away, and search bots will raise a flag on these. Create paragraphs with short sentences and paragraphs.
18 – 20 words maximum per sentence
2–4 sentences maximum for each paragraph
5. Bullets and numbered lists
Use a list format where it is adequate. This will help readers who love to skim grab concepts they may want to read more about. Google loves structure.
6. Use Examples in your Content
Both readers and bots like to identify examples as they increase relevance and clarity. For example:
Notably, these are only stats that are collected over the years, but the reality may be different. Records have shown that man’s best friends may live even longer! One such example is a Rafero do Alentejo called Bob, who lived for 31 long years.
7. Summary or conclusion
As your discourse comes to its end, it’s time to reinforce the main takeaway. Remind readers what your main idea has been. One writer said: When you write, you should tell them what you are going to talk about, talk about, and remind them what you just talked about,
For example;
Dogs will always be a part of the family action. Whether it’s hunting, snow sledding, or just a good old couch-sitting session. Having a man’s best friend tagging along will make life fun, but it’s worthwhile knowing how long they will be around.
One Last Thing
Writing with the established content structure only guarantees that search bots and humans will be able to read your content. It does not mean landing a page one ranking. However, you will have won 60% of the battle.
You have enough arms to land a page one ranking.
Google Top Ten: Where Should You Begin?
