Google Ranking Factors You Shouldn’t Ignore

Google ranking factors are the big cheese of visibility on the internet. If you can figure out how to speak the language of search engines while offering good user experiences, your online presence is richly rewarded by ranking highly on search engines.

It can be hard, however, to stay on top of Google’s extensive – and often complex! – ranking factors. An SEO agency can be your indispensable general in your battle to rank well on SERPs!

Bonus tip: If you want to check your site’s position in the search engine, you can use the Sitechecker tool. This tool is great for both website owners and SEO agencies, as it has a White Label Rank Checker feature in its arsenal.

Google has a long and almost alarmingly extensive list of ranking factors; we’re going to cut to the chase: here are the most important Google ranking factors you’d do well to keep in mind as you put your SEO strategies in place.

Backlinks, Backlinks All-Around

In an age when social media rules all, you may think backlinks on the internet have become rather obsolete. However, backlinks pave the road for organic traffic to find your site.

Google loves sites that are backlinked, but of course, with some qualifications. Good quality backlinks, backed up by relevance, authority, and reliability are rewarded by Google’s search engine algorithms.

This means scoring backlinks is not as simple as buying up ten shell domains and having them backlink to your site; organic and authentic backlinking, on the other hand, is a sure-fire way to climb the ranks of Google.

Freshness, aka How Recent is Your Content?

Nobody is going to sit down to read last week’s newspaper to catch up with the news, right? We all want to know what’s happening today! If you Google “stock prices news”, you’ll find that you’re presented with the latest news at the top of the results page.

Of course, not all queries are quite as time-sensitive as the day’s news. That said, freshness still plays a role – but a less important one.

It’s generally good practice to ensure that your content is offering the latest in whatever information your target audience is seeking out. This leads to good user experiences, and there are happy endings all around!

Who’s the Boss?

When we click on a result on Google, we want to be sure we’re going to a reliable site. When we want to find the cute extra in a movie, it’s IMDb all the way, and when you’re trying to understand the ending of that mind-bending psychological thriller, you head to Wikipedia for its plot summary.

Google’s search engine algorithms reward something they call EAT: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. If you’re able to establish yourself as a reliable source of information in your niche domain, you’ll be able to rank high on the authority criterion.

What does this mean for you? Keep your content laser-focused on your niche: the more concentrated your expertise, the more authoritative you come across to Google as well as your audience!

Optimize Your Content According to Queries

Search intent is an important ranking factor that is too often and too easily overlooked in search engine strategies.

What does it mean? Simply put, Google doesn’t treat all results equally for all queries. Let us explain.

Say you need a new oven for your kitchen, so you head to Google and type “buy oven online.” Google thinks: ah, a shopper, and gives you online stores that sell ovens.

Now let’s say you’re confused and decide you’d rather do some research first. You head back to Google and type in “best oven in 2022”. Now Google thinks: ah, a researcher, and will likely offer you lists and reviews alongside shopping options.

If you can optimize your content based on the kinds of queries it answers using a few parameters – style, type, format, and angle – you can shoot up Google’s ranking like a meteor!

Conclusion

Google’s ranking factors can be tricky to navigate: it takes a lot of time and constant research to ensure you’re surfing the wild waves. Digital marketing firms can be your perfect surfboard on these waves! Teaming up with a company like AdLift can let you take that load off: they are experienced with Google – and other search engines! – ranking factors and can come up with dynamic and compelling plans to keep you on top of the search engine world!