After writing a book about SEO and even publishing my own SEO products and services, I still seem to get the same question over and over again. That question is simply what the secret is to top search engine rankings. Other than applying SEO best practices, there are really only a couple of SEO techniques that stand above all else.

I consider some SEO techniques to be true secrets because they are not generally talked about or shared by others. You might wonder why this is. Simply put, there are a number of reasons why these secrets are not shared and it often has to do with the fear that as more use these secrets the less effective they will be.

Anyone constantly focused on SEO and you are anything like me, you probably want the fastest and quickest way to put your website on top of major search engine rankings. You know the value of having the number one position and want to get there.

For someone makes their income online, I can promise you that being ranked number one for a competitive keywords makes a huge difference in your online performance. The difference between a number one ranking and lower rankings comes down to making a living online or making nothing at all.

Okay, so what are some of these „secrets“? I would be happy to share one at no charge. Let me begin by saying that not every secret is complex or all that unique. Often times, secrets are simply techniques that applies in a unique way, create a significant difference. That is how I view these SEO secrets simply because they probably wont move mountains but can have a dramatic impact on your search engine rankings whether you have a website, blog, or squeeze page that you want to promote.

So here it is. If you want to achieve number 1 Google rankings for any keyword, simply follow the road map of the top ranked website for that keyword or keyword phrase. Does it sound too simple? Yes, it is simple but not easy. In order to duplicate the success of your number one competitor, you need to discover why he has a top ranking.

The best place to start is by analyzing the links into your competitor’s website. These are referred to back links and carry a lot of weight when thinking about SEO. These third party links often contain link text that includes the keywords you want to rank highly for. Contact these websites and attempt to have them link to your website in the same manner.

The obvious challenge here is not only finding who is linking to your competitor, but to actually build links from the same web pages. This if often easier said than done. The good news is that there are a number of software programs that can help you do this. I’ve personally used a number of them and can tell you that they work.

Use this technique to improve your rankings. Simply learn what makes your competitor rank in the number one position. Specifically, find out who is linking to him and how they are linking. By duplicating the linking strategy, you can dramatically improve your website ranking for the specific keywords you choose.