8 Ways to Qualify and Rank for Keywords in Google Search Results

The opinions expressed by entrepreneurs contributors are their own.

Competition with so much content on the web makes it hard to outrank others in the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) battle, even when you post great content. Without the right, you may not find your content.

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But finding good keywords that will help your content rank well isn't always easy. Content producers often look for high search volume keywords when doing keyword research. But these can be difficult to rank well because they are usually very competitive keywords.

To find better keywords, you need to dig a little deeper when doing keyword research. Here are eight factors to consider when qualifying a keyword:

Related: 7 Best SEO Tools to Help You Rank Higher in Google

1. Search engine results don't match search intent

Google ranks content based on its relevance to search intent. The closer your keyword matches the search intent, the more likely Google is to find it, provided it's not a highly competitive keyword. Remember that low search volume keywords can be just as effective if they match search intent.

When you launch a using your keyword, do the first page results match the keyword? The fewer results that match a user's search intent, the more likely your article (that matches the intent) is to get a higher SERP ranking.

Long-tail keywords tend to perform better because they are more specific. Suppose your keyword is "what is a chatbot and how does it work", and the search results yield articles on "best chatbot software", then you might have found the 'or from the keyword.

Why? Because that means Google doesn't find many articles that match the keyword exactly. Instead, it displays items similar to what users are looking for.

2. The domain authority of the websites on the first page is lower than yours

Google tends to list the most influential and popular websites first (i.e. sites with a higher number of backlinks and authority). It is harder to compete with high authority sites if your site has a low Domain Authority (DA) score.

That's why I suggest checking your site's DA score as well as all the sites on the first page of Google. Domain authority is a key factor to consider when researching the right keywords to target. If other websites on the first page of Google have a lower DA than yours, that's great news. This means you have a good chance of outranking those sites because your website is more popular.

You can see what a site's DA is by adding a website audit tool to your browser. I use a combination of Moz and Ahrefs extension bars for my browser.

3. Forum sites land on the first page of Google

Google tends to list articles first. Suppose your keyword search shows forum sites like , and Groups on the first page. In this case, Google might struggle to find relevant, good-quality articles on the topic. This is a golden opportunity for you to produce an article on the topic that can potentially land a top spot on the front page.

Related: Getting Your Top Rank in Google: Everything You Need to Know

4. Ecommerce sites show up in search results

If you're writing informational content, but your keyword is bringing up e-commerce sites, there are two possible reasons...