Stuck in rankings - need some new momentum!

[mooperlee]

I have two main sites that I run, both quality (I like to think - they're definitely about my 'passion', hundreds of hours of work went into both) and they both do quite well in Google, but they're both stuck. For their main keywords I'm stuck at about 4/5 position for one site and 14/15 for the other.

I got a nice increase in links for one site at least six months ago and it doesn't seem to have done much. I don't do anything spammy.

Is it harder to rank these days when you're competing against the huge sites like the dreaded wikipedia that ranks number one for almost anything? Can I as the little guy make it to number one?

The only ideas I have at the moment are:

1) Move one site onto a different server with different IP address (they are both on the same server and similar topics, can't think why this would hurt but worth a try)

2) I have some old reciprocal links from way back when, look at all these and maybe remove some? No idea whether this would hurt or help

3) I know, I know, keep adding quality content, I do this I promise.

Beyond that, I'm stumped! I would love to get one site to number one...any ideas or similar experiences out there? Can anyone commiserate with my tale of woe?!

[StoutFiles]

1) Neh.

2) Some reciprocal links from high ranking sites is always nice.

3) Good.

Sometimes the little guy can't get to #1 with certain niches. Just do your best and hope for the same.

[tedster]

Think beyond reciprocal links - social media mentions, quality directories, articles, and the kind of quality that people naturally want to link to. Think more about "getting the word out." Survey your market niche with a visitor's eye and see what needs are poorly met - then meet them.

There are certainly many things your can do on-site and on-page that can help rankings, too. A smart information architecture is a big one, and a technically sound site is another. Check out the infomation in the Hot Topics [webmasterworld.com], which is always pinned to the top of this forum's index page. In my experience, it's a very rare site that has all that nailed down.

[Hissingsid]

Hi Tedster,

Is it still worth paying to be in "quality directories"?

I found a list of "paid directories worth the money" which lists their PageRank but when I visit them their PR is 2 notches lower. If Google is devaluing their PR is it also taking steps to make sure that a site doesn't benefit from being listed?

I'm very interested in this because I'm seriously considering splashing some cash in this direction.

Many thanks

Sid

[tedster]

From what I can see, quality directories still help backlink profiles. By quality, I mean the kind of directory that really has an editorial review process and turns down junk sites.