Thread: High Google ranking without backlinks?

No, it's not. It's only possible to get high rankings without any backlinks if you are working with keywords that are not very competitive and your on page SEO is air tight.

In fact it is impossible to get to the first page without any links. I have tried to do the same and I failed in fact. You need to build links for sure if you want to get to the first page of Google.

Originally Posted by clinebell

Google ranks sites based upon four basic criteria: content, relevance, authority, and the longevity of your site.

etc etc

I am sorry but I don't see how this attempts to answer the questions I posed, neither do I see the relevance of the link that was included.

Originally Posted by clinebell

Google ranks sites based upon four basic criteria: content, relevance, authority, and the longevity of your site.

This is a bunch of nonsense and you are here promoting yourself as someone who can help us get found on the internet? I have put numerous brand new sites on the top half of the first page doing none of the things you recommend.

Content is not king. Never has been and never will be until they can design a computer that can read and comprehend the written word. This is called artificial intelligence and is a long ways off.

Those looking to get found on the web need to stop believing all the hype. You can post fresh content everyday and I will blow you away with minimal old stale relevant content, relevant metas, and relevant anchor text back links from relevant sites.

When you see a so called seo expert posting their links on a non relevant site you should know right away that they don't know what they are doing.

Originally Posted by clinebell

The direct answer to your question, “Is it possible to achieve a position on the first page of Google for a competitive keyword without
having a good portfolio of back links?”


Yes, you can if meet other criteria I described.

and yet in your original posting, one of the four basic criteria you listed was authority, and this is part of what you said about it:

Originally Posted by clinebell

Authority: The more high quality back links the better. .

So you are saying that although Google looks at the four basic things you describe, you can completely ignore one of them and still rank well?


You qualify this by saying:

Originally Posted by clinebell

I have an example of a website that ranks on the first page on a search that returned over 2 billion pages making the search term very competitive. It had no back links.

Now here is an instance where a link would have been relevant. To quote from my original question:

Originally Posted by Altinkum Homes

Personally I don't believe it is possible but would like to hear other opinions (that are supported by evidence).

Please support your opinion with a link to the site you are using as an example. I am more than ready to listen to different viewpoints provided they are backed by evidence.

Originally Posted by clinebell

My response was an attempt to describe what Google typically looks for when ranking a page.

With respect I wasn't asking about how Google ranks a page, my question was very specific.

Originally Posted by clinebell

Content is what turns a visitor into a prospect. If visitors aren’t interested in your content and leave your site right away (bounce), first page placement is of little value.

Again this is nothing to do with the topic. This is a forum about search engine ranking and my question was only about ranking, not about the visitor experience.


I could go on with a line by line breakdown of the rest of your response, but in short it isn't relevant to this particular topic.To be honest the only thing that is relevant is the site you mention, so please post a link to it and give the keyword(s) it is ranking for.

No, you have to have backlinks and authority. If google believes you are the authority in this field then you will rank higher. Getting links from sites with high PR is really important.

Originally Posted by raypolk1

Google has gotten smarter and smarter - all the backlink tricks no longer work.

That's funny, they still seem to work fine for me! Can you provide evidence to support your opinion please? Would the site in your signature be an example of a quality site ranking on page 1 of Google for competitive keywords?

You are of course right about Wikipedia, but I am not sure whether it is a good example.
It is an information site and is not run for profit, so in the first instance I don't think it can be compared to a real estate site. It is recognized as an authority, and that is something that isn't easy to achieve when the purpose of your site is to sell something. Its content is contributed by other people, so that it has a flow of new information that it doesn't have to work for.
Also it has the advantage that all its external links are nofollow, so that link juice flows in but not out.

Its not possible without getting backlinks to achieve Google serp's