11 Google Ranking Factors You Need To Know
When it comes to driving traffic to your website, there’s nothing more important than making sure it ranks high on Google’s search engine results pages.
Over 25% of people using Google click on the first result. Besides that, the first five Google results found through organic searches account for 67.6% of all the clicks on the SERP.
The visibility of your website and the success of your business depend upon ranking at the top of the search results. That’s why we’ve created this list of the top 11 Google ranking factors that are essential to online success!
We’ve broken our tips down into 4 key categories – site factors, on-page factors, off-page factors and domain factors. Let’s explore the need-to-know essentials of each…
Table of contents
Site Factors
Mobile Optimisation
Currently, 54.18% of online traffic comes from mobile users. 4.32 billion people access the internet via their mobiles worldwide. This is why websites that are optimised for mobile rank higher.
When creating your website, always check to see how it appears on both desktop and mobile. It’s all about making sure that the user experience on mobile runs smoothly.
You should test your website by using Google’s mobile-friendly test tool. This will let you know if your page or site is mobile friendly. Also, it’s important to choose a reliable web host, design your pop-ups differently for the mobile format, and create content that will be easily shareable via social media.
It’s all about providing an exceptional online experience for every user!
Domain Authority
The websites that Google trusts tend to rank higher. There are many trust factors that Google considers. These include making sure that a site isn’t full of spam and is filled with authentic links. Above all, premium copy and well-researched content build authority and credibility with search engines and users.
On-Page Factors
Your website is made up of many pages, each with different aims and objectives. From targeted Landing Pages to informative About and Product Pages – each area of your site fulfils a specific purpose. A strategic and well-designed page will benefit your search engine optimisation as a whole.
Content Length
As a rule of thumb, your blogs, articles and other written content should be at least 1000 words long – and go up to 2,500 words at most.
Longer content allows for more backlinks and a higher number of social shares. It also drives more organic traffic to your site and creates better social engagement.
It’s important to note that articles of 2,500 words or more should contain statistics, graphs, images and links to keep readers engaged and ensure accuracy.
Creating this kind of content earmarks you as an industry expert with real authority – meaning a big boost for your search engine rankings.
Target Keywords and Metadata
Your keyword research will give you invaluable information to develop your metadata. The keywords you add to your metadata are important because they interface directly with search engines.
These titles and descriptions tell Google exactly what your page is about, helping you connect to users who are actively searching for your products and services.
Headers and Subheadings
Your headers should describe the content that each webpage offers. In addition, they should ensure that your copy is created clearly and coherently.
Your keywords should be included in your H1s and H2s and clearly encapsulate the subject matter of the content. Smart use of headers will boost your search queries whilst reducing dreaded bounce rates.
Duplicate Content
All of your content must be unique. In fact, if you copy and paste copy across different pages within your site, it will negatively affect your rankings.
Never copy word for word from another website. This is one of the worst things you can do to affect your website’s rankings.
Plagiarism is not tolerated by Google and your website will be penalised if you do so. If you’re researching a topic, be sure to develop any material you do use into something unique and useful in its own right.
Google only indexes a piece of content once. So, if you go ahead and copy it, Google won’t register it at all – and all your optimisations efforts will be pointless.
Regular Content
Google’s algorithm looks for content that is informative, fresh and regularly updated.
This particularly applies to pages including facts and statistics which are now outdated. Your audience is searching for up to date information. They’re not going to take notice of content written years ago – and Google is aware of this!
Take the time to update your content to ensure it’s driving engagement and ranking highly. Premium copy and well-researched content are some of the smartest search engine optimisation strategies out there!
Off-Page Factors
In order to determine your rank among the many sites out there, Google checks off-page factors too. Here are the top two.
Link Type Diversity
When building different links to your website, you need to keep in mind to keep them diverse. If they are all the same, Google may read them as spam and it will negatively impact your rankings.
Linking Domains
Having many domains linking to your site will raise your rank on the Google SERP. It shows you’re a trusted and respected online authority and proves your site should be seen by more users.
Domain Factors
The domain you’re using can affect Google’s rankings. Here are two domain factors to keep in mind…
Domain History
You may not be the first person to register a certain domain. If that is the case and the domain has been penalised by Google in the past, it will definitely affect its ranking.
Length of Domain Registration
Google takes note of how long a domain has been registered. It trusts domains that have been registered for over one year more than others that have been registered for a shorter period of time.
Conclusion – Check Ranking Factors For Results Page Wins!
Following Google’s ranking factors will take your SEO efforts to the next level! It’s all about creating a site that is valuable to your audience – generating engagement and driving sales.
Making sure your website ranks as high as possible on the Google SERP could be your ticket to online superstardom!
As a full-service digital marketing company, we’re a passionate team of SEO experts who love to share our search engine skills. To begin your own journey towards outstanding online optimisation, contact our digital marketing specialists today!
