10 Essential Google Ranking Factors You Need To Know

What does serving my pages over https actually mean? To answer this simply, HTTPS is the secure version of HTTP, which is the primary protocol used to send data between a web browser and a website.

You might ask again why would this be something I should care about? Here are a few reasons:

• Search Engines Prefer HTTPS pages over HTTP
• User confidence
• General commercial success

HTTPS encrypts the data. Here is what this means for your users and what search engines see. Encryption guards against:

• Tampering
• Eavesdropping
• Data breaches

Lastly, serving your whole website via HTTPS is not that difficult. Most hosting companies already offer this service for dirt cheap, if you’re going solo you simply need to buy an SSL certificate and you’re set to go.

Configurations need to be handled with maximum care if you’re going from HTTP to HTTPS but chances are you’re already on HTTPS!

Another very important ranking factor for Google is pagespeed. To put simply, if your website is super slow users would bounce back to find something that serves the information faster. It’s a habit that us as humans have – getting the information quickly and skipping through all the buzz info.

With that being said pagespeed for both Mobile and Desktop become one of the most important ranking factors. Page load speed is a confirmed ranking factor on both desktop and mobile devices.

In other words:

• Faster loading times, along with other important signals, can contribute to higher rankings.
• Page speed affects your search engine rankings because slow sites negatively impact user experience.

According to Google, the probability of bounce almost triples if your page takes longer than three seconds to load.

However, it’s important to clarify:

“Page speed” is not a single metric; it acts as an umbrella term for various factors that influence how quickly a page loads.

Google has shifted to mobile-first indexing, meaning it prioritizes indexing and ranking information from mobile versions of websites over desktop versions.

This change is driven by the fact that a significant portion of users now access the Internet via mobile devices.

Consequently, websites need to accommodate mobile users adequately to maintain or improve their search rankings and visibility.

Why is this important for SEO:

• Mobile-friendly websites are favored by Google’s mobile-first indexing.
• A responsive design can positively impact search engine rankings.

User Experience (UX) and Engagement

• Mobile-friendly websites work well on all screen sizes.
• They reduce the need for users to pinch, zoom, or scroll excessively.
• Better mobile design means lower bounce rates and longer visits.
• Users are more likely to stay and interact with a mobile-friendly site.

Here is a brownie point for you: If your page doesn’t rank in top 1 position but people just find your page sitting on the 3rd position to have better content and answers the question better, sonner or later Google will reward you with higher ranks.

This topic should be old enough in the SEO community. We’re here to break it down for you. An older domain will most likely rank higher because:

• Aged domains have been serving the answers for Google for longer
• Aged domains have had more user interactions over the years
• Aged domains build content for longer

Here is another myth: just buying an expired domain from the 2000’s a collage student forgot to pay for won’t make the cut.

If this domain has been serving nothing but waiting to be purchased by one of us it will simply be as good as buying a new one.

Here we come to another very important point a lot of you might be tempted to try.  Exact matching domain names!

To give you an example moverinboston.com might be out for sale for a heafty price tag!

Although many marketers consider domain names to be closely tied to ranking for that keyword, Google has made it official that their algorithm considers content, quality and a bunch of other ranking factors that will never make it to the public!

With that being said, direct matching domain names are a thing of the past!

However, it’s important to consider that buying an exact match domain and complying with best practices of SEO will make up for a killer recipe.

Chances are exact match domains are only bought at scale to be sold for a higher price.

Relevant, high-quality content is essential for ranking high in Google.

It is the cornerstone for growing organic traffic, keeping users interested and most importantly serve the best answer to queries.

Optimized content improves visibility and authority by satisfying user questions and giving search engines a simpler path to satisfy users.

When users find helpful content that answers their needs, they are likelier to stay on your website longer and engage more.

It’s this combination of content, website quality, speed and a million other factors that make up a smart algorithm like Google’s search engine.

How do you write high quality content?

Start by pulling a list of questions you would want answered. Try to keep it as natural as possible.

You can further investigate which keywords to use and optimize for. Try to undestand the intent behind keywords.

If someone searches for “flower seeds”, they’re most propably searching for information around the topic.

The intent changes when the search is “buy flower seeds”! Google will now bring up a list of vendors for the given query.

You can use tools like Semrush Keyword Tool or Ahrefs Keyword Explorer to find the intent behind users search.

If you want to avoid paying for any tools, simply search your keywords on Google and see what it brings up. It’s as easy as it sounds.

Lastly, remember to write content that is digesable by your audience. It’s not always about how long the content is, but more about how well on point the content is.

Technical SEO is optimizing your website and server so search engines can easily crawl and index your website.

It concentrates on your site’s architecture, making it accessible and understandable for search engine crawlers.

Content and backlinks are essential components of SEO. 

The entire SEO strategy for your website is built around technical SEO.

A well-optimized technical setup improves user experience, site speed, and mobile friendliness, all of which are significant ranking considerations.

Important Technical Factors

XML sitemaps assist search engines in comprehending the structure of your website by prioritizing the crawling of crucial pages.

They include metadata about each URL on your website, such as the most recent modification date and importance.

Updating and submitting your XML sitemap to search engines regularly guarantees that fresh information is seen and indexed quickly.

A well designed site architecture enhances SEO and user experience.

This includes explicit internal linking, logical navigation, and a shallow click depth from the homepage to more detailed pages.

With this framework in place, users and search engines will find it easier to locate and browse through your material.

You can use Google Search Console to submit your XML sitemap, track your site’s performance in search results, and find indexing problems.

Also, resources like Google PageSpeed Insights can be used to monitor and improve page load speeds.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Technical SEO covers all topics around the technicalities of your website and not only.

It goes as deep as considering your competitors site architecthure, maintaining how links are served and a lot more.

Remember, Google is not perfect so us marketers have to work around Google, not against Google!

User experience (UX) is essential to search engine optimization (SEO) because it affects several metrics that search engines use to evaluate a website’s relevancy and quality. 

User Experience’s Effect on SEO

When users leave your website rapidly after only seeing one page, it indicates to search engines that your material might not be enjoyable or relevant. A high bounce rate indicates this to the engines. Reduced bounce rates indicate readers value your content, which is good for SEO.

Have you ever heard of “dwell time”?

The duration visitors stay on your website following a click from a search engine results page is known as “dwell time.”

Extended dwell periods indicate that readers are finding your content engaging and helpful, which can raise your search engine rating.

Importance of Key UX Factors

Simple navigation makes it easier for users to locate the information they need.

A logically organized website with menus that make sense and internal links encourages users to explore more pages, lowering bounce rates.

Both user engagement and SEO depend on relevant, high-quality material that speaks to the user’s intent.

For consumers to stay on your website longer, your content must be visually appealing, easy to read, and informative.

Strategies for Enhancing User Experience

The first thing we recommend  here at Rotate Digital is ensuring your website is mobile-friendly and fully responsive.

Google prioritizes mobile-friendly websites for indexing and ranking since mobile traffic is now more important than desktop traffic.

Test your website’s usability to get input from actual users about how they navigate it.

Determine areas that require repair and pain points to increase overall usefulness.

It is also essential to have well-designed CTAs.

To direct visitors to desired actions, such as subscribing to a newsletter or completing a purchase, employ concise and eye-catching CTAs throughout your website.

Well-designed CTAs can increase user satisfaction and conversion rates.

Optimize your website’s page layout and style to highlight the most important content and make it simple for visitors to access and read information.

Make good use of white space, logically arrange the material, and ensure the branding is the same on all pages.

An essential component of SEO is backlinks, or links pointing to your website from other websites.

They serve as authority and confidence votes, letting search engines know your material is reliable and worthwhile.

An authoritative site’s backlink profile can significantly improve your website’s position in search engine results pages.

Inversely, internal linking entails linking within your website from one page to another.

It helps create a hierarchy of information for search engines, enhances user navigation, and distributes link equity (ranking power) throughout your website.

Although quantity is significant, the caliber of backlinks is much more crucial.

Search engines prefer links from respectable websites with pertinent material over low-quality or spammy websites.

Although they are more challenging to obtain, high-quality backlinks offer more SEO advantages regarding credibility and authority.

Optimizing Internal Links

If you want to optimize internal linking, here is what you need to know:

• Employ Descriptive Anchor Text: Anchor text should appropriately describe the linked page’s content to aid readers and search engines in understanding the context.
• Establish a Hierarchical Structure: Use internal connections to help people and search engines navigate your website by grouping your information into logical sections and subcategories.
• Link to similar pages: To provide visitors with more context and make it easier for them to access further information on similar issues, link related pages together.

Link Monitoring and Updates: Verify internal links regularly to ensure they are operational and lead to the appropriate pages. Refresh links whenever material is relocated or updated to keep the user experience smooth

Metrics connected to social media activity, like likes, shares, comments, and total interaction with your material, are called social signals.

Although social signals directly impact results, as search engines like Google have acknowledged, they also substantially indirectly impact SEO.

Social signals tell search engines that your material is worthwhile and appealing to readers, which could result in higher ranks.

According to current SEO practices, how do social signals influence search engine rankings?

Keeping up a solid social media presence is essential to SEO.

It increases your brand’s visibility and boosts your industry authority and website traffic.

Active engagement on social media platforms helps create a community around your business by encouraging people to connect with and share your content.

Providing reliable and consistent business information is essential to building trust with search engines and users.

It guarantees that prospective clients will be able to locate and contact your company quickly via search engines, directories, or social media platforms.

Users may need clarification and more support due to inaccurate information, harming your brand’s online reputation and credibility.

Optimizing your online presence to draw in more business from relevant local searches is the primary goal of local SEO.

One of the most essential parts of local SEO is Google Business Profile, which gives you a platform to update your company’s details, communicate with clients, and show up in Google Maps and local search results.

By adding accurate information to your GMB profile, such as your business’s address, phone number, and website URL, you can help Google determine how relevant your company is to local search queries and increase your exposure in the local search results.

If you’re an e-commerce store, Google will go as far as reading your returns policy page and provide results accordingly to users.

Getting your real information out there is super important!