Google has become the go-to search engine for most people who are surfing the web. It’s easy to see why because Google is free, and it provides more accurate results than other paid search engines that exist on the market today.
To keep up with their competitors, Google updates their ranking factors time after time in an effort to provide users with better quality content. Nowadays, there are so many different things that can affect your ranking on Google – from keyword density to social media engagement.
This post will list 30 of the most important ranking factors you should know if you want to rank higher on Google!
On-Page factors:
The most important impact on a page’s rankings is how it has been optimized. The following are the possible elements of optimization that can influence a search engine’s visibility:
1) Keyword in the title tag
The title meta tag is one of the most powerful relevance signals available to a search engine. The purpose of the tag is to provide an accurate description of each page’s content. Search engines use it to display the main title of a search result.
Putting a keyword in it indicates what they should rank the page for to the engines. Keywords in the title tag also help search engines determine if a page is about that topic and can indicate to them which topics on your site are popular.
2) Keyword in meta description tag.
The meta description tag is frequently discussed in SEO circles. It is, nevertheless, still a relevant signal. It’s also important for websites to get user clicks from search results pages. The keyword inserted into it makes it more relevant to a search engine and a searcher.
3) Keyword in the H1 tag.
The H1 tag is a content description for the page. Despite ongoing debate about its relevance, it’s still a good idea to utilize your keyword in a distinct H1 tag on each page.
4) Using keywords in the page’s copy.
Sticking keywords all over your page were used to be a guaranteed method to boost search rankings for a specific term. This isn’t the case any longer. The use of the keyword in the text still conveys a sense of relevance about what the material is discussing. However, how you arrange, it has changed dramatically.
5) The length of the content.
These days, searchers want more than basic information and won’t settle for it. As a result, Google is on the lookout for authoritative and informative content to position first. It’s also common sense that the longer your content is, the better you’ll be able to cover numerous aspects of your subject. Don’t be afraid to produce lengthy yet content-rich articles.
6) Duplicate content.
There are certain things that can have a negative impact on your rankings. Similar content shared across several pages of your site may actually harm your rankings. Duplicate material and create a unique text for each page to prevent this from happening.
7) Canonical tag.
Sometimes, though, having two URLs with similar information is unavoidable. Using a canonical tag on your site to avoid this becoming a duplicate content problem is one of the methods. This tag performs just one function: it informs Google that two URLs are equivalent, making it clear that despite the fact that they contain the same information, they are nevertheless separate.
8) Image Optimization.
On a website, not only text may be optimized; other media can also be. Images, for example, can send search engine relevancy signals via their alt text, caption, and description.
9) Content Updates.
The Google algorithm favors fresh material. It does not imply that you must constantly modify your pages. I believe that, for commercial sites such as product descriptions, Google understands the fact that they are not as time-sensitive as blog posts covering current events. However, it is a good idea to have a strategy in place for updating particular sorts of content on an ongoing basis.
However, when you do update your content, be sure to utilize a 301 redirect for the old URL so that any inbound links pointing at it are preserved and passed on to the new page.
10) Outbound links.
By linking to reputable sites, you are sending trust signals to the search engine. Consider it this way: the only reason you’d send someone to another site is if you wanted them to learn more about a topic. This can be a significant source of Google’s confidence. Too many outbound links, on the other hand, can severely harm your page’s ranking.
11) Internal links.
There are two ways to use internal links. You can link within your site, pointing out important pages that you’d like Google to crawl and index. Or, you may even utilize them in such a way as to add more value for the user by linking their article with related material on other pages of your website or blog posts published previously.
Interlinking pages on your site can help them strengthen each other.
12) Keyword in URL.
Having a keyword in the URL can help you rank for that term. It’s no guarantee, but it will give your page a slight advantage over others if they do happen to match the phrase or word(s) targeted by your content. Furthermore, using keywords in URLs is also another source of authority and relevance signals. Your URL contains words that people are likely to search for, so including them can be helpful.
Site factors:
There are a number of site-wide variables that may have an impact on your site’s search traffic:
13) Sitemap.
A sitemap helps search engines to index all of your site’s pages. It’s the most straightforward and efficient approach to communicating with Google about your website’s contents.
14) Domain trust.
It’s crucial to have a good reputation, and it’s difficult not to believe that websites that Google believes in should rank higher. But how can you create trust? By having good content, quality links, and a positive relationship with the search engine.
15) Server location.
Some SEOs think that a server’s location helps to improve rankings in a specific country or region. I have never tested this, and as of now, there is no evidence to support it. However, if you are targeting a certain location with your website, using a server in that region couldn’t hurt.
16) Mobile optimized site.
Only a year ago, mobile was being used by just 46% of searchers to do their research, and I suspect this proportion has risen greatly in the last year. It would follow that having a mobile-optimized Website has some effect on rankings.
17) Google Search Console integration.
Finally, being verified by Google Webmasters Tools is said to help your site get indexed. Even if that isn’t the case, the tool offers valuable information that you may use to improve your website.
Off-Page factors:
Google considers factors outside of your website while ranking them. Here are a few examples:
18) The number of linking domains.
One of the essential ranking variables is the number of domains that link to you. This metric is known as Domain Authority (DA). The more high-quality links you have, the higher your DA will be, and the easier it will be for you to rank.
19) The number of linking pages.
There may be some links between your site and a domain; their quantity is also a ranking factor. However, it is preferable to have more links from distinct domains rather than from a single one.
20) Domain Authority of linking page.
The authority of a page is not the same for everyone. The links to pages with greater domain authority will be larger than those on low-domain-authority domains. As a result, you should aim to create links from high-domain-authority web pages.
21) Link relevancy.
Some SEOs feel that links from pages connected to your subject are more relevant for search engines.
22) Authority of linking domain.
A domain’s authority may also be a consideration. As a result, a link from a low-authority site on a high-authority one will be more valuable than one from a higher domain authority source.
23) Links from a homepage.
Furthermore, some SEOs think that links from a linking domain’s home page have more weight than those on one of its pages.
24) A number of do-follow vs. no-follow links.
According to Google, no-follow links are not counted (the rel=nofollow attribute is attached). As a result, the number of your do-follow links should have an influence on your rankings.
25) The diversity of link types.
There are also some elements to consider when picking the right link-building technique. One or more links of a single sort might be a spam indicator and negatively influence your ranks.
26) Contextual links.
It’s been shown that internal links on a page are worth more than sidebar links, for example.
27) Link anchor.
A strong ranking element used to be the anchor text of a link. It may now serve as a web spam indicator, which will harm your rankings.
Domain factors:
Finally, the quality of your domain can have an impact on your rankings. Some of the domain signals are not as powerful as they once were, but there are a few things to be aware of:
28) Domain registration length.
Because of their experience and expertise, domains registered for more than a year are seen as more trustworthy by the search engine.
29) Domain history.
You could be the first registrant of the domain. If your domain has previously been penalized, its history may have an impact on its current rankings.
30) Country TLD extension.
It’s important to choose a domain that includes the country’s top-level domain, or TLD. For example, having a domain with a country-specific TLD such as .pl, .co, .uk, or .ie might help you rank higher in that region.
Conclusion:
These 30 most important ranking factors can help get a beginner started on their SEO journey and give them an idea of what they should keep top of mind as they optimize their website or blog content.
