How to Get to the Top of Google Search Results (10 Tips)

Appearing prominently at the top of Google’s search results can increase visibility, website traffic, and sales. 

Google crawls (finds), indexes (stores in a database), and ranks (determines what shows and where) webpages using complex processes. But there are plenty of straightforward ways to rank in traditional search results and AI Overviews—even if your site is new or small.

And there are more opportunities to appear in AI Overviews than you might think. Here’s a look at how frequently AI Overviews appear in the top 20 results across a variety of industries, according to Semrush Sensor data from September 10, 2025:

By the end of this guide, you'll know specific steps to improve your site’s visibility in Google.

Let’s begin.

How to Get to the Top of Google Search: 10 Methods

Here are 10 ways to get your pages to the top of Google Search:

1. Target the Right Keywords

Targeting keywords that are relevant to your business and that you can feasibly rank for gives you the best chance of reaching the top of Google’s results. 

Use Semrush’s Keyword Magic Tool to identify the right keywords. Simply launch the tool, enter a seed keyword (a broad term related to your business), select your target country, enter your domain (to get personalized metrics), and click “Search.”

Next, you’ll see potentially thousands of keywords related to your seed keyword. 

And metrics like:

• Volume: The estimated number of times a keyword is searched for per month. You want to select terms that get at least a reasonable number of searches. 
• Personal Keyword Difficulty (PKD %): A score that indicates how hard it would be for your specific website to rank in Google’s top 10 results for a term. A lower score means a greater chance of ranking.
• Potential Traffic: The amount of traffic you could attract if you obtain your maximum predicted ranking
• Intent: What searchers are hoping to achieve when using a specific keyword. The main intent types are informational (I), transactional (T), navigational (N), and commercial (C).

One particularly good way to find great opportunities is to filter for terms with low Personal Keyword Difficulty scores. Especially if your site is new or on the small side.

Choose the “Personal KD %” drop-down, set a custom range from 0 to 29, and select “Apply.” Which will then show you only keywords that you stand a good chance of ranking for. 

Study the narrowed list to find terms most relevant to your business. Use them to inform your content.

Then, use the “Advanced filters” drop-down, select the “Any” drop-down under “SERP features,” check the box next to “AI Overview,” and click “Apply.” You’ll then only see terms that trigger AI Overviews.

Here’s an example of an informational term CeraVe targets that’s highly relevant to them. And you can see they’re ranking in the first spot in the AI Overview and in the first organic spot.

2. Create Quality Content

Creating high-quality content that’s genuinely useful and aligned with what searchers are looking for gives you a good chance of showing in AI Overviews and organic rankings because that’s the type of content Google wants to show.

First, study search intent beyond identifying the basic type (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional). You can do that by searching the term to see what type of results you get.

For example, the term “face wash for acne” primarily shows a popular products carousel and product pages. Which means you should create something similar. 

Then, consider Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines—the handbook that quality raters (people who work for Google) use to measure the quality of search results. Those guidelines discuss Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).

Here’s what each part of E-E-A-T means:

• Experience: The author’s first-hand experience working with the topic
• Expertise: The author’s knowledge on the topic they’re writing about
• Authoritativeness: The publication’s reputation in the industry
• Trustworthiness: The degree to which the content is accurate and cites trustworthy sources (among other factors)

Google has shared some additional tips on how websites can show up in their AI features, including AI Overviews. One of the factors they emphasize is creating unique and helpful content—and they recommend following advice previously shared within the helpful content update.

Based on Google’s recommendations, content should include:

• Original information, reporting, or research
• A comprehensive overview of a topic
• Substantial value in comparison to other search results
• Correct grammar and spelling

Additionally, consider how you can structure your content with direct and concise answers that are more likely to be displayed in AI Overviews. 

CeraVe achieves this by providing a bulleted list of benefits. The AI Overview very clearly mirrors that list :

3. Optimize for On-Page SEO

On-page SEO involves making webpage adjustments that help Google understand your content and match it to user queries.

Here are some on-page SEO elements to optimize:

Title Tags

A title tag is HTML that specifies your page title for search engines and may show in search results, meaning it can be the first thing about your page that searchers see. 

A clear and compelling title tag can improve your search engine rankings and click-through rates. Like this one:

Here are some best practices for writing title tags:

• Use a unique title tag for each page
• Include your target keyword naturally
• Keep it to 60 characters or fewer
• Avoid generic titles like “Home”
• Make it compelling without using clickbait language that misleads searchers

Meta Descriptions

A meta description is HTML that provides a brief summary of your page and can show in search results.

Meta descriptions aren’t used for rankings, but they can influence clicks when displayed in search results. Especially when they’re genuinely compelling like the one below.

To optimize your meta descriptions:

• Write a unique description for each page
• Use keyword variations naturally
• Keep it to 105 characters or fewer
• Entice users with click-worthy details (e.g., “Free template,” “Free shipping,” etc.)

Heading Tags

Headings give structure to your content, making it easier to scan and helping Google understand the key topics covered on your page.

Here are some best practices for heading tags:

• Use only one H1 per page
• Add keyword variations in H1-H3 tags
• Keep a clear hierarchy (H2s under H1, H3s under H2s, and so on)
• Match headings with what the section is about

Let’s take a look at one article from CeraVe to see how they structure their content:

By following heading best practices, they’re ensuring their page is easy for both their audience and search engines to understand.

Multimedia

Images and videos make your page more engaging and can lead to more rankings—if they’re optimized for SEO. 

Here’s how:

• Add descriptive alt text to all images. This brief description ensures images are accessible to all users (like those who rely on screen readers) and that search engines can understand.
• Compress images for faster loading times. Google prefers faster loading times. And your users might not stick around if your site takes too long to load.
• Choose file names for your images that include valuable information relevant to the image’s content. This can help search engines understand and index your visuals effectively.

We used the Image Alt Text Viewer to see alt text on CeraVe’s site. 

And we found that the majority of images on their site have descriptive alt text. Like here, where each product image has the name of the product clearly mentioned in the alt text:

Internal Links

Internal links point from one page on your site to another to help users navigate your site, enable Google to find your pages and understand how they’re related, and distribute ranking authority. 

So, review your blog articles, product pages, and other important content to see where you have opportunities to link to related content on your site.

Then, make sure you link to contextually relevant pages. It’s also a good idea to prioritize pages with valuable information that need a traffic boost. 

Use Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker to find internal linking opportunities. 

Follow the prompts to configure your project.

Once you’re on the “Overview” tab, click the blue number to the right of “Technical SEO Ideas.”

Go through the list of pages by clicking the “# ideas” button next to each.

Scroll down to the “Technical Issues” section. And see whether the message “Add internal links that point to this page” appears. 

If so, work to link to that page from other relevant pages. 

Now, let’s have a look at how CeraVe adds contextual links to other articles on their site, using relevant anchor text (text on the clickable part of the link):

4. Set Up Your Google Business Profile 

If you’re a local business, setting up a Google Business Profile (GBP)—a free tool that lets you manage how your business appears in Google Search and Google Maps—allows you to optimize your listing to increase local visibility. 

For example, you can appear in Google’s local pack. Which displays top local businesses in Google search results alongside a map.

Follow these tips to optimize your Google Business Profile:

• Complete your profile. Fill out all important details, including your business name, address, phone number, website, hours, and category.
• Add high-quality photos and videos. Upload clear images and videos of your storefront, team, etc., to build trust with potential customers.
• Post updates regularly. Share news, promotions, and events to keep your profile active.
• Use the Q&A section. Answer common questions so potential customers can more quickly get the information they need. 
• Keep your business hours updated. If your hours change for holidays or special events, update them to ensure customers always have the correct information

5. Get Other Citations

For local businesses, getting other citations allows you to reach more customers and helps Google verify information about your business, which can potentially lead to greater search visibility.

Plus, different search engines pull local search results directly from other citations.

For instance, Bing uses listings from sites like Facebook and Tripadvisor.

Ensure consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) information across all listings to avoid confusing prospective customers. And to help search engines verify that what you say about yourself is true. 

You can get and manage citations manually, but Semrush’s Listing Management tool lets you automatically distribute your business details across key directories. 

6. Get and Respond to Customer Reviews

If you have a local business, getting and responding to customer reviews matters for how your business appears to potential customers and can help you get more visibility in local search results.

When searching for highly competitive local terms, you’ll notice that the majority of the businesses ranking in search results often have many reviews, like the ones below:

You can make getting more reviews easy by including links to your Google review page in confirmation emails, QR codes at your physical location, etc.

Google also encourages businesses to reply to customer reviews, whether they’re good or bad. Because it:

• Shows customers that you value their feedback
• Builds trust and credibility with prospects

So, make it a habit to respond to every review on your GBP.

To easily manage reviews across multiple directories, use Semrush’s Review Management tool. 

You can also respond to Google reviews directly within the tool.

Here are a few tips to respond to customer reviews:

• Say thank you. Always start with gratitude. A simple "Thank you!" goes a long way.
• Be polite. Even if the review is negative, stay respectful and professional.
• Acknowledge any issues. If the customer has a problem, address it. Show that you care.
• Keep it short. Brief replies are best. If you’re dealing with a substantial issue, provide a way for the customer to contact you directly.
• Invite the customer back. Encourage happy customers to return for another positive experience. Also encourage return visits to those who’ve left negative reviews and offer to rectify bad experiences.

7. Build High-Quality Backlinks

Building backlinks (links on other websites that point to your site) from trustworthy websites signals to search engines that your website is credible and worth showing prominently in search.

Essentially, Google sees reputable sites linking to your content as a trust signal. And may view your content as valuable and worth showing to users.

Creating high-quality content is a great way to attract backlinks naturally. Particularly, content like research reports, infographics, free tools, and in-depth guides. 

Here are some other link building tactics:

• Create guest posts. Write articles for other trusted websites in your industry to possibly earn backlinks in return.
• Do broken link building. Find broken external links on target websites and suggest your relevant content as a replacement.
• Find unlinked brand mentions. Discover mentions of your brand online that don’t include a link and ask for one.

We explored CeraVe’s backlink profile using Semrush’s Backlink Analytics tool. And found they’ve accumulated backlinks from high-authority sources like CNN, Healthline, The New York Times, and more.

We can’t say for certain how CeraVe is getting these backlinks, but it’s probably a mix of digital PR techniques like pitching stories to publications, serving as expert sources for journalists, and running creative campaigns.

For an easier way to step up your link building efforts, use Semrush’s Link Building Tool.

To get started, enter your domain and click “Start Link Building.”

Follow the prompts to set up your project. Which involves adding your keywords and competitors.

The tool will take a minute or so to collect and analyze the data. Once it’s done, go to the “Prospects” tab to view a list of websites you can reach out to for backlinks.

From here, click “To In Progress” next to any website you want to contact. You can then craft and send a personalized email directly within the tool. 

For more guidance on choosing the right strategy for your website, we recommend reading our full guide on link building. 

8. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Google prioritizes the mobile version of your website when indexing and ranking pages, which means it’s critical that your site be optimized for mobile devices. Plus, a mobile-friendly design ensures a better user experience.

To check if your site is mobile-friendly, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool. 

Follow the prompts to configure your crawl—you can even leave the default settings in place.

Once the audit is complete, go to the “Issues” report and search “mobile.” This will highlight mobile-specific issues. Like viewport meta tag errors.

Click “Why and how to fix it” next to any issue to learn more and how to resolve it. Then, work through addressing every error and warning. 

We ran a Site Audit for CeraVe to check if their site has any mobile-related issues, and it seems they’re doing an excellent job:

Having a mobile-friendly website is another piece of the puzzle that likely helps CeraVe rank highly in search results.

9. Improve Page Speed

Improving page speed may help with visibility because Google uses page speed as a ranking factor—and it’s better for the user experience. 

To check how fast any page on your site loads, use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool.

Just enter a URL. The tool will provide a full report with performance scores and a list of issues to address.

For a more holistic look at how your site performs, use Semrush’s Site Audit tool and select “View details” under “Site Performance.”

You’ll find your average page load speed in seconds. Here, we can see that CeraVe’s average speed is 0.3 seconds, which is excellent. And could have a small impact on their search visibility.

10. Fix Other Technical SEO Issues

Fixing technical SEO issues related to crawling and indexing can improve your site’s performance in search results.

Think of it this way: If Google can find and understand content, your pages are more likely to show in search results.

Google has even highlighted the importance of meeting technical requirements to ensure your website can show up in AI search experiences like AI Overviews. 

To identify technical SEO problems (in addition to mobile- and speed-related issues), run your website through Semrush’s Site Audit tool. 

We checked CeraVe’s site for technical issues. Their overall Site Health is pretty good (especially compared to other websites in the “Beauty & Fitness” category. 

CeraVe’s AI Search Health is also pretty good, but we can see that they’re blocking 157 pages from Googlebot, which could be a problem if they’re not intending to keep those pages out of organic results and AI Overviews. 

CeraVe also has room for improvement in “International SEO.”

When we view issues related to international SEO, we can see some issues that CeraVe could address to further improve performance.

Track Your SEO Performance

Now that you’ve learned how to get to the top of Google, take action.

That might mean implementing a few of these tips. Or all of them.

Either way, you’ll need the right tools. And Semrush provides a wide range of options for everything from keyword research to technical audits.

Sign up for a free trial to explore what’s possible.