5 Things That Factor Into Your Website’s Google Search Ranking

Back in 2013, a study famously found that the number one position in the Google search rankings gets a whopping 33% of search traffic. That’s followed by 18% for second place.

Lower than that, there’s a pretty steep dropoff.

Today, the race to the top of the search engine results pages is as serious as ever. Getting a better Google Search ranking means more traffic—which in turn means more revenue.

But how do you move the needle and raise your Google Search rankings if they’re, let’s say, on the low end of the spectrum? We’ve put together a list of the five factors to keep in mind, in no particular order.

1. Backlinks

Backlinks form the basis of Google’s search algorithm known as Pagerank, which Google Webmaster Gary Illyes confirmed to still be in use as of 2017.

Essentially, backlinks are links between websites. If another website links to your business’s website, you have a backlink from them.

Google considers backlinks as the internet’s way of pointing out relevant information and useful resources. Relevant, authoritative backlinks from high-traffic pages correlate to higher placement in the search rankings.

2. High-Quality Content

When users visit your site and get engaged with your content, Google sits up and takes notice. Visitor engagement (e.g., clicks, visits) is a sign that you’re offering helpful, authoritative content that’s relevant to specific keywords. As a result, boosting user engagement through quality content is of critical importance if you aim to improve your search engine rankings.

3. Optimized Content

It’s not enough to have quality content, though. You also need to optimize your content strategically.

This means picking the right target keywords to drive traffic to your site, and using a single target keyword to optimize each page of your site. These keywords tell Google what the page is about and how to rank it.

4. Mobile-Friendliness

By all estimates, over half of all searches happen on mobile devices.

Because Google is dedicated to providing helpful and accessible information, it tends to reward mobile-friendly sites with higher rankings while penalizing those with outdated sites. In other words, the more mobile-friendly your site, the better.

5. Topical Authority

Again, Google has a preference for showcasing the best information, which means you’ll want to offer accurate and authoritative information. Google’s guidelines specify that sites with good E-A-T scores—expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness—are considered of higher quality.

If your business is an expert in a specific niche, it’s a good idea to do everything you can to showcase this on your pages by building your reputation in that specific area.

How to Improve Your Google Search Ranking

Keeping these factors in mind can go a long way in helping you learn how to improve Google search ranking. However, you can’t just stop there. These are only five of the most important factors, but Google takes a huge range of details into account when analyzing your site.

That’s why it’s a good idea to partner with someone who specializes in digital marketing and SEO services. If you’re ready to take the leap and improve your search rankings, contact us today!

How can I get started with SEO?

The best way to get started, is to find out where you are now.

If you’re ready to find out how you are ranking online, click below to get started with a free SEO Analysis.

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