Many factors go into the rankings of a Google search, although most of us have no clue what they are. A lot of people want to know the secret search algorithm that Google uses for its rankings, but the exact formula is still unknown to the public. The algorithm is updated and refined regularly, so it’s hard to figure out. However, research has shown us a little evidence of their exact strategy.
In its ranking factors study, Search Metrics, a top SEO platform provider, examined the difference between top results on Google and those on poorly ranked pages.
First: Content That Is Relevant to the User and Has a Holistic Approach
As a general rule, high-ranking sites have more content—and their content is better in quality and relevance than those that aren’t ranked highly. This includes the use of videos and images, as well as a text length that is, on average, about 821 words. This amount of text produces positive results, such as being included in the top ten search results. The best-ranked pages also tend to have less advertising. Even more important, Google has perfected the search for semantics and understands the details associated with query contexts.
Tips:
- Make sure your content is high-quality, relevant, and useable. Website content should be enhanced with videos and pictures as well, since content features are becoming more and more important when it comes to ranking.
- Make sure your content is germane to a topic, as well as all its related terms. Take into account variations and synonyms, and know which groups of topics should contain which keywords so you can determine the type of content needed.
Second: Social Signals and User Signals
User signals such as click-through rate, bounce rate, and visit time have a lot to do with the ranking position of a website. Pages with higher positions in Google have higher retention and lower bounce rates. In the top ten search results, the average click-through rate is 8%, but the rate differs a little depending upon the user and the site itself.
Sites that rank highly typically have more social signals. Research has shown the highest rankings, by signals, are Facebook, then Google+, followed by Twitter and, finally, Pinterest. Regarding the top ten search engine results, and the sites that appear in that list, the most common sites include Facebook, which has 294 signals; Google+, which has nineteen; and Twitter, with twelve signals.
Tips:
- Make your content easy to understand, easy to read, and relevant to the user. This makes viewing your site a positive experience.
- According to Google, rankings do not include social signals, but clues to the search engine regarding which content is practical and well-written are provided by likes, shares and tweets. Put another way, social media is the most common way to share high-quality articles, and search engines, by their very nature, wish to supply this type of content to viewers.
Third: Link Quality Profiles and Technical Performance
On-page techniques are necessary if you wish to garner a high ranking with Google. This includes vital page information, short loading times, meta tags, and a balanced internal link structure. Backlinks are important in both quantity and quality, and backlinks on highly visible pages in the results from search engines are more inclined to be higher in value than links from low-SEO visibility pages.
Tips:
- For effective SEO rankings, have short loading times and sophisticated page information architecture.
- Good internal linking structures are also important, since viewers need to understand the site easily.
- It is also essential to fill out the standard meta tags, like title and meta description.
Some Final Thoughts
There is no one factor that achieves a good ranking. Instead, high ranking in a web search is a combination of several elements. One of the most important, good content, is now reinforced. You need to use a holistic approach, covering the themes on your website in its entirety so that you take full advantage of all your content.
