Best way to boost ranking for most important keyword?

[dealblogger]

Hello! I have a blog that is doing really well. Low bounce rate, search queries going up pretty fast, more organic traffic than my first blog. I shot up to spot 5 for my main keyword which was a thrill. But I have dropped back down. According to Google Webmasters I was at spot 11, then 12, and today 13. I worked on doing a lot of internal linking to the page that was ranking at # 5. It is a category page although I'd like my homepage to rank high for that same keyword one day. My site is less than 2 months old and I know it takes time but I am seeing so many signs of great potential. I am looking for ANY advice on how to boost my rankings for this one particular keyword. Thanks!

[dealblogger]

Thank you. I do work hard at getting quality backlinks which helps. I just started a google plus page for my blog so hopefully that improves my rankings as well. I have read about google author but I just don't feel comfortable putting my real name and picture out there....yet. I just ran a report card for the category page that I want to boost and that gave me a few ideas.

[toddmumford]

Hi Dealblogger.

I think the best overall way to improve on your situation is to develop more authority and trust.

On a well-balanced website that is increasing in traffic with low bounce rate and improving overall metrics, building more inbound authority links can significantly move all core keywords forward.

I would be sure to setup authorship at the blog, connected to your G+ profile, fill out the profile 100%, and then search for influencers in your immediate and related niches that would consider publishing your content. The next step would be to develop content for your audience that you can also pitch to other thought leaders in your immediate and connected industries.

Hope this helps,
Todd