To rank well you need more time. Do proper white hat SEO with latest techniques. Promote your website well. Keep updating the fresh and interesting content regularly. I am sure your website will appear top in search engines.
1- Fast website ( fast Webhost, CDN, fixing theme issues that show in google speed insight ). 2- Flexible with smart devices. 3- on-site, off-site SEO. 4- social media accounts ( prefer to be in the same name as your domain ). 5- Unique content.
When it move toward your site on the first page of Google, your page rank is an unlimited dial of how well your page is accomplishment. Your page rank is based on a mixture of the quality of your content, your SEO and your links and viewers. Successful improving all of these aspects will lead to an increase in your rank.
PPC is a short run! SEO (building backlinks) in the long run... SEO is MUCH better.. and cheaper if you do the link building yourself!
To rank your website within a sort time, you must select low competitive keywords. Basically it is depend on your niche. If your niche is high competitive then it will take time to rank. If you select low competitive niche, you will come to rank within short time.
Keep updating your blog with quality contents regularly. Set your on-page SEO terms properly. Building the quality backlinks from the top authority websites which are based on your site niche.