SEO Ranking Factor

SEO Ranking Factor

Maximize your SEO efforts by focusing on a few specific ranking factors. These top four ranking factors are based on the most recent studies by SearchMetrics, Backlinko,  SEO PowerSuite.

1. Content:

Content is one of the most important Google ranking factors, according to Andrey  Lipattsev, a Search Quality Senior Strategist at Google.

2. Back Links:

Backlinks remain one of the strongest ranking signals in Google’s search algorithm. The more links you have from multiple high-authority domains, the better your chances are to rank well for top keywords. Online marketers should pay close attention to their backlink profiles, especially given recent updates such as “Penguin 4.0”, which cleaned and filtered sites with low-quality backlink profiles.

                                       A. Link score

How does Google turn the abstract concept of “backlinks” into a quantifiable ranking signal? In several patents, Google explains that this is done by calculating a “link score.” The score is made up by every incoming link’s individual quality score (aka PageRank) and the number of links to the site.

So link quantity is an important part of the score. However, remember that you can’t afford to have spammy, low-quality links in 2017. It’s also worth noting that links coming from the same domain carry little weight; Google will typically only count one of them when evaluating your link profile. So in terms of quantity, your primary factor to focus on should be the number of linking domains.

Measuring quality is less straightforward. While we know that PageRank is still one of the key factors in Google’s algorithm, its public version is no longer available. Luckily, there are reliable alternatives that are based on PageRank’s original formula, including SEO PowerSuite’s recently launched InLink Rank.

B. Anchor text relevance (but not too much of it)

Anchor text is another part of the “backlinks” concept that matters for rankings. Much like the content on your pages, your backlinks’ anchors tell Google what your page is about — and what it should rank for. Of course, you’ve got to remember about Penguin and keep your anchors diverse and natural; it’s all about striking the right balance.

Technical SEO

The technical foundation of your site is crucial for SEO (and well beyond). Here are the top two factors that matter for rankings.

3.   Page speed

Google expects pages to load in two seconds or less, and they’ve officially confirmed that speed is a ranking signal. Speed also has a massive impact on UX: slower pages have higher bounce rates and lower conversion rates. The most common culprits for poor speed are uncompressed resources: scripts, images and CSS files.

4.   Mobile-friendliness

If your pages aren’t optimized for smartphones, they won’t rank in mobile search at all. With over half of Google queries coming from mobile devices, that’s not something you can put up with in 2017.

The focus on mobile will likely continue with Google’s commitment to switch to mobile-first indexingsoon.

Encryption: Backlinko still finds a strong correlation between HTTPS websites and first page Google rankings, and SearchMetrics confirms that 45% of the top websites all use HTTPS encryption (up from 12% in 2015). Google confirmed back in 2014 that websites with a strong HTTPS encryption will rank better than their HTTP counterparts, and websites that have not switched to HTTPS are now marked as unsafe in Google Chrome.

H1 and H2 Headings: There are more landing pages with an H1 and H2 in the source code this year. SearchMetrics found a strong correlation between the use of at least one H2 and a higher rank. Anchor text: Exact-match anchor text still has a strong influence on rankings, but you risk a Penguin penalty if your links appear unnatural or spammy. Make sure your backlink anchor text is diverse and organic.

Interstitials: In keeping with Google’s emphasis on mobile-first optimization, they’re cracking down on intrusive interstitial pop-ups. That means any page with an ad or CTA that covers the main content or whisks users to a new page upon clicking might suffer a penalty. Exceptions to this include login dialogs, small banners that are easy to dismiss, and legally-required interstitials (e.g. age verification).