Google is by far the most popular search engine dominating other search engines like Bing and Yahoo. So, it’s not a surprise that you would want to rank higher on Google search results.
Google has over 200 Google ranking factors, and their ranking system has been evolving over the years.
Are you wondering which variables have an effect on the Google ranking of your website? In this article, we’ll look at the 5 critical ranking factors that Google will take into account when ranking.
1. Publish High-Quality Content –
The content quality on your website and blog posts needs to be original, unique, and provide value. Create articles that answer your reader’s queries. Keep your content quality fresh and updated. Next is the content length that is important for Google ranking. According to different studies, posts with an average of 1800 to 2000 words rank better on the search results.
2. Domain Age, and Authority
Google values website’s domain authority that have been around for a long time. It does not mean that the latest one is a lost cause, but it is understood that the age of the website has a significant effect on the position of the site in the search results.
Data from an Ahrefs study suggests that the top10 ranking pages are 2+ years old. And those that rank at position #1 are almost 3 years old (on average). Very few sites less than a year old achieve that ranking.
How do you improve the domain authority? If you’re in it for the long game, there is still hope. Here are a few things you can do to raise your domain authority. The ranking metric will depend on your site’s expertise about a particular topic and its ability to rank on search engines. Build Relationships (Links) and add amazing content to add value. Connect with influencers. This is a great way to get people to engage with your brand and gain backlinks.
3. Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly
Even though Google has said that it does not prefer any particular set of mobile websites (whether responsive, dynamic, or different URLs) when it comes to rankings, a responsive website is their recommended format.
Google has claimed that responsive architecture allows its “algorithms accurately assign indexing properties to the page rather than needing to signal the existence of corresponding desktop/mobile pages.” To stay alive, follow the Google guidelines and make sure that your content fits the same on your desktop and mobile devices.
4. Optimize Your Page Speed
Page speed is one of the leading SEO ranking factors. Google’s mobile-first index is now being rolled out and will be effective March 2021 that will change the game for both search engine optimization (SEO) and lead generation online. Mobile device user experience (UX) is Google’s clear choice. The slower your pages load, the more visitors and sales you’re going to miss. Faster loading of pages contributes to a stronger overall website experience, which is why Google is working towards making it a mobile ranking factor.
5. Improve User Experience
Google has been using artificial intelligence to boost the ranking of web pages for a while now. Called RankBrain, it incorporates other ranking signals like:
Click-Through-Rate (CTR) – It’s the number of clicks that your website link, keyword or ads receive divided by the number of times they are shown. By improving your CTR, you can boost your rankings.
Bounce Rate – If the visitors coming to your site do not stay and hit the back button without interacting with your website, Google crawler will not rank it assuming that the page is not relevant.
Dwell Time – How long does the visitor stay on your site. The higher the dwell time, the better it is. So how do you improve it? Have engaging content, offer more images and bullet points, and have a mobile friendly website.
Conclusion
And that’s it. These are many more ranking signals you can use, but to begin with, we recommend you stick to the 5 factors we’ve discussed above.
If you are looking for a professional SEO agency to plan a long-term SEO strategy for your website, please feel free to contact us. Let our SEO experts be your partner on the journey to success!