10 Most Important SEO Ranking Factors

We all know that SEO is a constantly changing field. Google and other search engines release algorithm updates on a regular basis, which result in changes in SEO ranking variables. As a result, keeping up with the latest innovations might be difficult for us digital marketers.

Being unaware of the most recent SEO ranking factors, on the other hand, will not only put you at a disadvantage in terms of getting your site ranked higher. In the worst-case scenario, if there is a rapid change in algorithms that we don’t understand, our site could be even banned.

Despite the fact that Google’s current ranking algorithm includes hundreds of SEO ranking criteria, these are the top ten most essential ones. Before that you can also check HOW TO RANK A WEBSITE IN GOOGLE – STEP BY STEP GUIDE

1. Certificate of Site Security

Google has advised website owners to move from HTTP to HTTPS since roughly 2014.

Both HTTP and HTTPS are basic protocols that allow us to send and receive information in the form of a website, but HTTPS (with the ‘S’ standing for ‘Secure’) was created to add an extra degree of protection by securely transferring data using an SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate.

While switching to HTTPS will not directly improve your site’s SERP rating, remaining on HTTP may result in your site being demoted. In fact, if you’re using Chrome, Google will issue a “Not Secure” warning if you try to access a site that uses HTTP, so it’s a big deal.

Migrating your site from HTTP to HTTPS, if you haven’t previously, is now quite simple:

Obtain an SSL certificate; most prominent hosting firms currently provide free SSL certificates. If not, it is now incredibly reasonable, costing as little as $5 per year.

If you haven’t previously, install the SSL certificate on your hosting account.

Check all inbound and outgoing connections after the conversion; URLs that have not been updated from HTTP to HTTPS may break.

Create 301 redirects to your new HTTPS URLs from your old HTTP URLs. This is to ensure that everyone who has bookmarked your site will be instantly forwarded to the new location, as well as to assist Google in indexing your site.

2. A Site That Is Mobile-Friendly

Since around 2015, Google has favoured mobile-friendly sites in its SERPs. Make sure your site is mobile-friendly or mobile-responsive to improve your SEO rankings.

Fortunately, including this SEO ranking element and creating a mobile-responsive website has never been easier. If you use a visual website builder like Wix or Squarespace to create your site, it will almost probably be mobile-responsive right away. Simply switch to a mobile-responsive theme if you’re using WordPress; many of them are now accessible for free.

3) Page-loading time

Not to be confused with’site speed,’ which is a page speed for just a sample of page views on the entire website, and ‘time to first byte,’ which is the time it takes to receive the first byte of data from the server,’ page speed is the time it takes to fully display all content on a given page.

According to Google, if your page takes longer than 3 seconds to open, 50% of users will leave, and bounce rate is a key ranking element

You can use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to track your page speed and make improvements based on the recommendations.

To know more, you can read a detailed article on ‘A TECHNICAL GUIDE TO GOOGLE’S PAGE SPEED INSIGHTS REPORTS’

4) Technical Factors

This is a composite of various technological on-site parameters, including but not limited to:

Using a target keyword in page names and headings. The usual practise is to include your focus keyword in your title as early as possible. This is where Google begins to index your material in order to identify its context and relevance.

META description that is natural and appealing to human readers while also includes the relevant keywords in a natural way. Keep the META description brief and to the point.

Using header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) helps structure information appropriately, making it easier for Google to index and increase readability.

Using target keywords in image alt tags to inform Google that the images used are appropriate for the content. This can also assist visually challenged users with accessibility.

Implement structured data (schema.org) markup so that Google can correctly detect all of your site’s elements. Your page will also be eligible for rich/featured snippets if you use schema markup.

5) Content quality, length, and optimization

This is a tough topic, but the general rule to remember is that the quality of your content will limit your SEO performance. No amount of SEO will help if your content is low-quality and irrelevant to your target audience. As a result, this SEO ranking aspect is crucial to consider.

So, how does Google determine the quality of content?

Original, one-of-a-kind, and valuable content is regarded as ideal.

This is especially true now that Google has implemented the BERT algorithm, which allows the company to better understand the context of a page. So, how can we tell if a piece of material is of good quality or not?

Whether the information is current and up-to-date

• Whether the content corresponds to the intended audience’s search intent
• Other high-quality sites ‘voted’ in the form of backlinks (more on this later)
• Although social signals are not a direct ranking component, some social engagements (shares, likes, etc.) were received.

The debate over whether or not the length of the material matters has raged on for years. According to many surveys and results, longer content performs better in SEO content marketing strategy, with content above 2,000 words receiving more top 10 spots in the SERP.

6) Factor of User Experience (UX)

Google may now track user experience in real time, another SEO ranking element, and use the data to rank websites using Google Rankbrain, Google’s AI-based algorithm.

Three UX SEO ranking elements are prioritised by Google:

Bounce rate: the percentage of people who click on a SERP result and then exit the page right away. If the number is large, your page is unlikely to be promoted in the SERP because it is unrelated to the search query.

Dwell time is the length of time a visitor spends on your site after clicking on a SERP result and visiting it, similar to bounce rate. It’s best if you have as much time as possible.

The percentage of users who visit your site after clicking on a SERP result is known as the click-through rate. You may be demoted if it is too low.

When people look at the SERP result, they can only view a snippet of your page, and that sample is taken from the page’s META description. As a result, make your META description as enticing as possible to human readers. Also, double-check that it’s relevant to the term you’re aiming for.

As previously stated, a variety of SEO ranking elements influence dwell time and bounce rate. The quality of your content and the performance of your site, however, are the two most important factors.

7) Create a link profile

Backlinks are particularly significant, although internal connecting structure and outgoing (external) linkages are also crucial.

The anchor text for all three sorts of links is frequently the same, and the context between the linked page and the anchor text is also taken into account.

Inbound links/backlinks:

Backlinks are similar to the internet’s “vote system.” When a website connects to your page, it’s implying that you’re a reliable source. Backlinks have always been and continue to be the most important ranking element in SEO.

Links to the outside world:

It’s also crucial to use natural outbound/external links to sites that are related to your content. This can indicate to Google that you are conducting content study.

Internal hyperlinks:

Indexing can be greatly aided by the internal connection structure. It will inform Google about your site’s overall structure and will also transfer some authority between pages. It will also assist your site visitors in locating the information they require, resulting in a better user experience (UX).

8) Structure of a Website

The structure of your website is another SEO ranking issue to consider, especially if you’re just getting started.

The architecture of your website is crucial in terms of crawling and indexing. It allows Google crawlers to easily find your website and its pages.

To improve the structure of your site, you can start by creating a sitemap in WordPress. A sitemap is a list of all the important pages that a search engine should know about.

It facilitates Google’s crawler’s exploration of your website, discovery of fresh content, and indexing of your pages.

9) Business Data that is True

This is especially true in the case of local SEO. Including your company’s details on your website, on the other hand, can boost your site’s credibility and authority.

It’s critical to incorporate and optimise items such as:

NAP stands for “name, address, and telephone number.” Make sure you’re using accurate data.

Social media accounts should be linked.

Your listing on Google My Business (if you are a local business)

Client and consumer testimonials and/or reviews. You may use Yelp and even Google Maps to get reviews.

10) Optimization of the domain’s age, authority, and URL

More than half of the websites on the first page of SERP are three years old or older, with only a few sites that are less than a year old appearing in the top ten. Age of the domain, authority, and URL optimization are all important SEO ranking considerations.

However, you should not be disappointed because, even if your site is spanking new, ranking is not impossible. The fact remains, however, that owning an older site provides you an advantage.

Exact-match domain names (domain names that include the target keyword in the URL) can help you rank if your website is relevant and valuable to the target term.

Conclusion:

Keep in mind that these ten SEO ranking elements aren’t the only ones that will have an impact on your site’s SEO performance in 2021 and beyond. They are, nonetheless, the most important at this time.

Above all, create high-quality, relevant content, work with a B2B SEO professional to develop an SEO strategy, and make sure your site is pleasing to both human users (user experience, site speed, mobile-friendliness) and Google (indexability, keyword optimization, etc. ).