When businesses think about SEO, it’s easy to focus on rankings. Everyone wants to appear at the top of Google, but rankings alone don’t tell the full story.
Behind every successful page is a combination of strategy, user understanding and technical expertise. The pages that perform best are often the ones that genuinely solve a problem for the person searching.
To explore what makes a page rank well, we sat down with Dylan, our Junior SEO Executive at activ, to discuss a page that recently achieved a number one position on Google for the search term “marketing expert”.
Meet Dylan
Dylan has been part of the activ team for nearly two years, working as SEO Executive.
His day-to-day role focuses on creating blogs and landing pages that help businesses improve their visibility online.
When asked what he enjoys most about SEO, Dylan highlights the structure behind the discipline.
“I like that there’s a process. My brain works best like that.”
For Dylan, successful SEO combines organisation, communication and a clear understanding of what users are looking for when they search online.
The Opportunity Behind the Search Term
The page in question was targeting the keyword “marketing expert”.
According to Dylan, the keyword was worth pursuing because it has strong search volume and the potential to bring valuable traffic to the website.
The people searching for this phrase are often business owners or decision makers looking for expert support to help grow their business through marketing.
“They’re looking for a marketing expert, someone who can help them expand their business through the world of marketing.”
The goal of the page was not simply to rank for a keyword. It was to position our CEO, Katie as the trusted marketing expert that she is, within the UK market while providing useful information to potential customers.
Why Search Intent Matters More Than Many Businesses Realise
One of the most important lessons from this page is the role of search intent.
Many businesses focus heavily on keywords, but Dylan believes understanding the reason behind a search is just as important.
“The importance of search intent is understanding the psychology behind a search. You’re not just creating content for the sake of it. You’re fixing a problem.”
This is where many SEO campaigns succeed or fail.
A business owner searching for a marketing expert isn’t looking for a page stuffed with keywords. They want reassurance, expertise and answers to their questions. The content needs to reflect that.
By understanding the user’s motivation, businesses can create content that feels genuinely helpful rather than purely promotional.
What Helped the Page Perform Well?
SEO success rarely comes down to one factor.
When asked why he felt confident the page could perform well, Dylan pointed to the overall user experience.
“The layout, the website speed, the font and the user experience were all good.”
These factors are often overlooked because they’re less visible than rankings or traffic numbers. However, they play a significant role in how users interact with a page and how search engines evaluate it.
Looking at the page today, Dylan believes one of its biggest strengths is its readability.
“The page gives users what they need in a clear, straightforward way. That’s something both people and search engines value.”
That might sound simple, but it’s a valuable reminder. Content that is easy to read, easy to navigate and easy to understand is far more likely to engage visitors.
Another important factor was the use of internal links, helping users discover relevant information while signalling page relationships to search engines.
The Technical SEO Factor
Technical SEO also played an important role in the page’s success.
Dylan believes many people misunderstand how page structure works.
“H1, H2, H3 and H4 headings aen’t based on text size. They help Google understand the layout of the page.”
Heading structures help search engines understand content hierarchy and relevance. When used correctly, they make it easier for Google to crawl, interpret and trust a page.
While users may not consciously notice these elements, they contribute significantly to how search engines evaluate content quality.
Lessons for Small Businesses
So what can SMEs learn from this success?
According to Dylan, one of the biggest SEO challenges isn’t technical at all.
“It’s the lack of patience. SEO takes a while.”
Many businesses expect immediate results, but sustainable SEO growth is built over time through consistent effort and continuous improvement.
Another key takeaway is the importance of making content useful and easy to consume.
“Search intent is important and consumers always have a problem to solve. Make it easy for them.”
For businesses looking to improve their own websites, Dylan recommends focusing on readability, user experience and ensuring the right keywords are being targeted.
Simple improvements such as clearer page layouts, better content structure and easier navigation can often make a significant difference.
Is SEO Still About Keywords?
There’s a growing perception that keywords no longer matter.
Dylan disagrees.
“It’s still about keywords, but there are other bits developing alongside. SEO is the practice of improving a website.”
Keywords remain an essential part of SEO because they connect businesses with the searches their audience is making. However, successful SEO now requires much more than keyword targeting alone.
User experience, content quality, technical optimisation and search intent all work together to create strong organic performance.
Dylan’s Advice for Business Owners
When asked for one final piece of advice, Dylan kept it simple:
“Make the user experience easy and ensure you’re optimising the website for keywords which have been determined through strategic keyword research.”
It’s a straightforward message, but one that reflects the wider lesson behind this ranking success.
The businesses that perform best in search aren’t necessarily the ones doing the most. They’re often the ones making it easiest for users to find answers, solve problems and take the next step.
That’s what this page achieved, and that’s ultimately why it ranks.
AI SEO Key Thoughts
AI is changing how people interact with search results, especially through zero-click searches where users get answers directly on Google without visiting a website.
For businesses, this means SEO needs to focus on more than just ranking. Content should be clear, helpful and structured in a way that makes it easy for both users and search engines to understand.
As Dylan explains, search intent is still at the centre of good SEO. If a page answers the right question in a simple, useful way, it has a much better chance of being seen, trusted and used, whether that is through a click, a snippet or an AI-generated result.
Want to Improve Your Website’s Visibility?
Ranking well on Google isn’t about chasing shortcuts. It’s about understanding your audience, creating useful content and making it easy for people to find what they need.
If you’d like to understand how your website is performing and where the biggest opportunities lie, speak to the team at activ. We’ll help you identify practical ways to improve your online visibility and attract more of the right visitors to your website.