Sometimes, apart from Search Engine Optimisation, you may find yourself in dire need of Search Engine De-optimisation. Yes, there are times when a web page of yours might start ranking well. But it’s not the page you want your keyword to rank for. This is precisely where the latter comes into the picture. It’s a necessary step, long but eventually will do your website and business more good in the long run. Here are 5 simple steps you should stick to when an incorrect page starts ranking.

Choose the page you want to rank for a keyword, obviously

This is a no-brainer. Choose the page that you want to show up on the search results when people type in the keyword. The why’s need to be clear in your head before you do anything else. And that’s why you need to perform an extensive SERP analysis, which includes changing the keyword entirely if there is just too much content and monotony to show up for it in the results. We recommend you perform a detailed keyword research and analysis to help your case.

Assign the keyword and its variants to the page

Once you are dead-set on the keyword, the next step is to assign it to the desired page. The important thing here to remember here is never assign the same keyword to more than one page as it can cause canonical issues, which confuses Google which page to consider while determining its SERP position. You also need to remove the keyword from the page you want to de-optimise because naturally, your desired page needs to be the most useful page on the internet for that keyword.

Compare content between the already-ranking pages with your desired page

Now this will take some doing. Check out evaluate, at the very least, the top five pages that rank for the keyword you want to use for your most important page. Hand them over the writers and have them take a closer look at the content and identify what’s working for them. If you feel your page’s content is way behind theirs, you know what to do. Rewrite the whole piece, if need be, in order to get ahead of your competitors. Focus on user intent; that’s the only way you’re doing justice to both your users and search engines in 2023.

Strengthen your desired page’s internal linking structure

Internal linking is a powerful strategy to help content rank higher on the search results. It is also a strategy that is often overlooked by most. Having the right kind of internal links on a page can help search engines understand the page better and whether or not it directs to other important pages on your websites. Doing so is also a great way to go one step ahead in guiding users on your website and make them stay a little longer on your website, thereby decreasing the bounce rate and increasing, of course, the rankings. In due time, we should add.

Evaluate and strengthen your backlink profile

Backlinks are like votes of confidence and appreciation from other websites. And the better these websites’ image, the better it is for your website. You may start with auditing your backlink profile, remove any bad links or dead links, and then compare where your website stands when compared to some of those you wish yours was like. Look to fill the gap as much as possible by earning high-quality backlinks from popular and trusted websites within your niche. If it sounds like too much work, don’t worry. We can help you build you a solid backlink profile.

The last but not the least step is to submit your web page to Google Search Console and let it run its business. Meanwhile, keep a close eye on your page’s performance metrics over an extended period of time.