If I had a quid for every time a client rated their content efforts based purely on rankings, I would have enough money to no longer need to keep an active company blog.

We’ve all had that moment. The rank tracker updates, your page hits position one, and there’s a fleeting sense of victory.

But then… nothing.

No traffic spike.

No leads.

Maybe not even a single click.

The hard truth is, ranking first for every keyword is no longer the quick win it once was.

Between AI search, featured snippets, zero-click searches, and Google stacking the SERP with its own answers, the top spot isn’t the guarantee it once was.

In fact, chasing it (blindly, relentlessly) can distract you from the real wins. Because getting seen is only part of the job.

Being remembered, trusted, and clicked? That’s the hard bit.

This isn’t a teardown of SEO. It’s a reframe. A look at why "first" might not be the goal, and what actually matters when you're building content with intent.

Short on time? Here are the key takeaways

Ranking first doesn’t guarantee traffic or conversions: Between AI summaries, zero-click searches, and SERP clutter, position one often delivers less value than expected.
Content impact > content position: Focus on relevance, trust signals, and post-click experience, not just where you sit in the rankings.
Smarter metrics reveal real ROI: Measure conversions, engagement depth, assisted impact, and AI visibility to get the full picture of what your content’s actually achieving.

Ranking #1 Isn’t What It Used To Be

Once upon a time, ranking first in Google meant something. You’d publish a decent post, climb to position one, and watch the traffic roll in.

That world’s gone. And it’s time for SEO’s and content marketing consultants to start being honest with their audience about it.

Now, getting to the top of the SERP is more like fighting for third place, behind ads, AI summaries, and whatever other features Google has decided to wedge in this week.

Here’s what’s changed:

Visibility ≠ clicks

On some SERPs, “position one” isn’t even visible without scrolling. If your link’s beneath a block of sponsored results, a snippet, a carousel, and an AI-generated answer… congratulations, you’re technically winning something that most users never see.

AI is doing your job (for free)

Generative Search doesn’t want users clicking out; it wants to answer the question before they leave the page. So if your content is too good (read: clear and direct), it gets paraphrased and used as fuel for the AI summary.

You’ve educated the user. You just haven’t earned the visit.

Zero-click is now the default

Depending on the query type, more than half of the users don’t click anything at all. Google gives them a weather update, a calculator, a map, or a scraped answer.

So you might “rank,” but there’s no next step. No traffic. No engagement. No conversion.

Mobile makes it worse

On mobile, organic links are buried. A user might have to swipe twice before they even see your top-ranking blog post. Good luck competing with that.

While ranking still matters, it’s no longer a reliable indicator of success.

It’s part of the picture, not the whole thing.

If you're treating position one like a finish line, you’re playing the wrong game.

Yeah, rank tracking certainly does still have a place. But if you're using it to measure content success in 2025, you're probably missing the bigger picture.

The Problem With “Ranking First” as a Goal

So if ranking first doesn’t guarantee clicks, traffic, or conversions, why are so many content teams still treating it like the holy grail?

Simple: it’s easy to measure, easy to chase, and easy to misunderstand.

But when “position one” becomes the north star, it warps how content gets planned, created, and evaluated. You end up optimising for optics instead of outcomes.

Here’s why that’s a problem and what it costs you.

Strategic clarity

When “ranking first” is the default goal, strategy gets lazy. You stop asking the hard questions. Who is this for? What do they need? Where does this fit in the buyer journey?

Instead, you start chasing keywords just because they’re winnable.

That means content gets published that doesn’t connect to product, doesn’t support sales, and doesn’t help the business grow.

Content waste

You burn time and budget creating pieces that technically perform on paper, but do nothing in practice. They show up in reports, but not in conversations. And six months later, you’re redoing them because they never earned links, engagement, or trust.

Missed opportunities

While you’re chasing rankings, a competitor is quietly publishing more focused content. Maybe they rank below you. But they’re converting more visitors. Getting shared more. Landing in AI summaries. Building authority where it matters.

Where the Real Value Lies

Okay, so I’ve obviously not covered one major aspect yet.

Because after all, if ranking first isn’t the goal, what is?

It’s not about giving up on visibility, it’s about focusing on the right kind. The kind that leads to trust, action, and long-term impact.

Here’s where I focus instead:

Owning the useful corners of the SERP

Forget the blue link hierarchy. Instead:

Aim for featured snippets (when they make sense).
Show up in “People Also Ask” where your expertise adds value.
Optimise with structured data to surface in FAQs, video carousels, etc.
Watch how AI overviews are evolving, as getting cited in them is increasingly valuable. (Check out my case study on this exact subject.)

You don’t have to be first to be found. You just need to show up in the right places, with the right answer.

Matching real user intent

Relevance beats reach. Every time.

That means:

Writing content that answers the actual question behind the keyword.
Prioritising terms that map to high-value actions, contact, signup, and decision-stage queries, not just broad informational phrases.
Being specific. Because the more generic the keyword, the less likely it is to convert.

Building trust with E-E-A-T

You’re not just trying to rank, you’re trying to be believed.

That’s why I optimise for:

Author bios that show real expertise.
First-hand experience (screenshots, commentary, insights).
Clear, helpful structure that respects the reader’s time.
Originality. Saying something that couldn’t be written by an intern or scraped from the top 10 results.

The more you act like an expert, the more you’re treated like one by both Google and real people.

Post-click experience matters more than position

Getting clicked is step one. Getting read and remembered is what counts.

So I put just as much focus on:

Making intros useful, not fluffy.
Structuring for skimmability.
Giving the reader an obvious next step, whether it’s a CTA, internal link, or lead magnet.

What to Measure Instead of “Ranking #1”

Here’s what I look at when I want to know whether content is actually pulling its weight:

Conversion rate from organic

Are people finding your content and taking action? Form fills, demo requests, downloads, whatever conversion means for your business. Because traffic that doesn’t convert is just noise.

Engagement metrics that actually matter

Not bounce rate. Not time on page in isolation. I’m talking:

Scroll depth (did they get to the good stuff?)
Exit rate (did they bail or take a next step?)
Internal link clicks (are they flowing into related content?)

It’s about understanding how they interact, not just if they showed up.

Assisted conversions

Maybe the blog post didn’t convert directly, but did it play a part in a journey that led to a sale? Look at assisted conversion data in GA or attribution tools. That long-form guide might be doing more than you realise.

Backlink quality

Not quantity, quality. Are real sites referencing your content? Are you getting mentioned in newsletters, roundups, and Slack groups? That’s a good sign that your content is resonating and delivering trust signals.

AI search visibility

If you’re starting to see your content pulled into AI overviews or cited in GenAI answers, that’s worth tracking. It’s an early signal that your content is being seen as a trusted source, even if the clicks aren’t always direct.

Measuring success like this takes a bit more effort, but it paints a far more useful picture. One that ties content back to business value, not just search engine vanity.

Being First Isn’t The Win It Used To Be

Ranking first still has its place, but it’s not the north star any more.

The real wins come from relevance, clarity, and trust. From content that earns attention, not just clicks, from strategies built around people, not just positions.

Because at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re at the top of the SERP if no one’s engaging, converting, or remembering you.

So stop chasing the headline stat. Start building content that earns its keep, whether it lands at position one or not.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ranking #1 in Google

Is ranking first in Google still important?

It can be, but it’s not the guaranteed win it used to be. With AI overviews, featured snippets, and zero-click searches crowding the SERP, position one often delivers less visibility and fewer clicks than expected.

Why am I ranking first but not getting traffic?

You might be “winning” a low-visibility slot. SERP features often push organic results below the fold, especially on mobile. Or, Google’s AI may be answering the query directly, meaning users never click through.

What matters more than rankings in SEO?

Metrics like conversion rate, user engagement, assisted conversions, and backlink quality give a clearer view of content performance. Ranking is part of the picture but real success comes from relevance and trust.

Should I stop tracking keyword rankings?

Not entirely. Rankings are still useful context, but they shouldn’t be your primary KPI. Use them alongside intent-focused planning, behavioural metrics, and business outcomes to assess actual content value.

The Case For Not Ranking at the Top of the SERP: Looking Past Vanity Metrics