Google ranking factors can make or break your online marketing strategy. Learn the basics and keep an eye out for new updates for the best chance of success.
SEO is a key factor in online business success. It helps your business’ website to stand out from the thousands of websites in your industry. SEO increases brand awareness, strengthens customer relationships, and reflects your credibility. Learning the Google ranking factors that place websites at the top is one of the most important aspects in SEO.
Nearly 95% of Google users never get past the first page. People base their decisions on the first few results that they see. The top Google search engine rankings receive the highest organic traffic. People trust Google, and any sites Google puts at the top indicate that people also trust them.
How do you get to the top, and how can you keep it there? Indeed, search engine ranking factors change constantly, so it is challenging to keep up with them. As a Cleveland SEO specialist pointed out, It is not a single thing as it combines technical, off-page, and online elements that all contribute to your site’s ranking. This is why you need to understand how Google ranking factors work and how you can integrate them into your online marketing strategy.
What is Google Ranking Factors?
Google crawls through a website’s content and indexes the best pages. This information is then displayed to people who search for it. People search for information by typing in keywords relevant to the company providing the service or product, but it isn’t just about stuffing keywords in your content. To index a page’s content based on its search quality ratings, the tech giant uses these ranking factors:
- The purpose of the page
- The content’s trustworthiness, quality, authority, and expertise
- Information and reputation of the website
- Information and reputation of the creator
- Overall user experience (page load speed, bounce rate, and time on page)
SEO can have a significant impact on your business, but only if it’s done right. Google’s search algorithm relies on high-quality content and great user experiences. Let’s get familiar with the basics while keeping an eye out for new updates.
What are the Search Engine Ranking Factors
Are you aware of the number of Google ranking factors? There are more than 100. However, regardless of their number, these factors are not all equally important. While some are essential, others aren’t much different than the old ones.
These are the top Google ranking factors:
1. Page Load Time
Google wants its users to have a pleasant web experience. One aspect that determines website experience is the speed at which a page loads. This can impact how visitors perceive your site. When pages take too long to load, bounce rates increase. Bounce rates can affect customer experience and are a key Google ranking factor.
2. Accessibility to the website
Google must be able to access the URL of the website to view the page and determine its purpose. This will require a properly coded website, robots.txt, and sitemap files.
3. Responsiveness
Google knows that most users use their smartphones more than computers. Google started ranking websites based on their responsiveness to all devices used by site visitors. Websites must be responsive and adaptable to all screen sizes without losing the relevancy of their content.
4. Optimized Content
Keywords heavily influence Google’s search algorithm. When people search for your website, it should provide all the necessary information related to the searched keywords. What can you do to stand out when your content is identical to your competitors? Publishing original content is always the best way to go around this because Google will penalize your website for using copied or plagiarized content.
5. Technical SEO
Keyword terms should be included in your page title, meta description, and picture alt tags – all of which are Google ranking factors. This will allow Google to crawl your page and display the information you’ve put out.
6. User Experience
Because user experience varies across industries and individuals, it’s difficult to quantify its impact. There is a strong correlation between a precise UI/UX design and high placements in the SERP. But make sure your site is functional first.
Google’s ranking factor for user experience should not be overlooked. Google offers a way for you to check the following aspects of your customer service:
- Dwell rate: How long have they been on your page?
- Bounce rate: How fast did they leave your site?
- Click-through rate: How many people visited your site after it was listed in search results?
7. Quality Links
Websites are built on links, both internal and external. Solid links support each other and help to build a solid foundation. Quality links will also help users find your site easily.
8. Local SEO
Local citations are a way for local searches to find your website. Google searches all directories that include your company to learn more.
Final Thoughts
While there’s no guarantee that your content will rank well for the keywords you select, these Google ranking factors can help increase your chances of ranking higher. Start with the most important factors and work your way down. Google is a generous, honest leader who rewards those who put in the work. You may also hire a qualified agency to help you rank higher without having to do much of the work.