SEO ranking refers to boosting your position in search engine results organically. It increases the chances of converting those users who are stumbling across your offerings when they look up terms related to your business.
SEO is an efficient and powerful way to meet potential customers where they are and it’s cheaper as compared to the other forms of marketing. However, climbing the SEO ladder is a difficult and time-consuming process as it relies on various factors that change over time.
However, if you want your business to get ranked, this blog is for you. In this blog, you will get to explore what Search engine optimization (SEO) is and What affects SEO ranking.
So, let’s get into it!
Search Engine Ranking Factors
Before getting into the details of each ranking factor, let’s take a quick look at the basic concept of search engine optimization ranking.
What is SEO Ranking?
SEO or search engine optimization ranking, refers to a webpage’s or website’s position on search engine results pages (SERPs) in response to a specific search query. The higher the web page’s link appears in the search results, the more chances it will have to be seen, leading to increased visibility, traffic, leads, and ultimately sales.
There are several factors including website content, keyword relevance, and backlinks that determine SEO ranking. Your ultimate goal should be to optimize these factors and improve your site’s overall ranking by driving more organic traffic.
1. Accessible and Secure Website
Having the right kind of URL is the foremost requirement to rank high on Google. Your URL should be easy to reach and crawl by Google’s crawlers.
In other words, you must make your site easy to navigate and understand by the bots, however, you’ll need the following for this:
- A robots.txt file that tells Google where to look for your website’s information
- A well-coded website created with an authentic website builder
- A sitemap showing all your web pages
If you have a WordPress site, you can use All in One SEO to set up a sitemap, If not, you can use an online sitemap generator.
2. Page Speed (Desktop & Mobile Page Speed)
Page speed has been one of the leading SEO ranking factors for years. Fast-loading web pages improve users’ web experience, and Google counts this as a ranking factor.
Therefore, ensuring that your site loads within an eye blink on both desktop and mobile devices is crucial. It will also help reduce customer churn rate.
3. Mobile Friendliness
Mobile-friendliness is another major SEO ranking factor because most people use mobile devices rather than desktops to access the web, therefore it is crucial to make your site mobile-friendly.
4. User Experience
The time a user spends on your website as a result of their search query and whether they stay or hit the back button in their browser impacts your SERP ranking.
For instance, if a user is going back to the SERP it indicates to the search engine that the searcher didn’t find what they were looking for on your website and it ultimately reduces your ranking.
A positive user experience includes fast loading speeds, responsive design, and straightforward navigation. Make sure to include all these factors in your site so it’s easy for the users to read and engage whether using a laptop or smartphone.
5. Content Quality
The quality of content on your website plays a crucial part in your SERP ranking. Google considers that the content on your website is relevant, authentic, 100% original, and provides enough value to the users.
Remember, no amount of SEO optimizations can help if your content is low quality and not relevant or valuable for your target audience.
7. Links (Outbound, Backlinks, and Internal)
Links are a crucial SEO ranking factor. However, three kinds of SEO links are significant for ranking factors including;
Inbound Links
Outbound links are crucial in determining your content’s relevance and authority. The key is to get relevant links from an authoritative site. For instance, if another site has the same information on their site as yours but you have a backlink to your content, that’ll be perceived better by the Google search engine, making it easier for you to secure a high ranking.
However, the quality of the link matters more than the quantity. In other words, it’s better to have fewer links but with higher quality. For this, be sure to look for reliable sources with high domain authority. It will guide both search engines and users to trust your site’s information.
Outbound Links
Outbound links are links that take you to an alternative webpage or website. There are two kinds of outbound links including nofollow and do-follow links. The do-follow link is a normal link that passes on your webpage to a targeted webpage.
A nofollow link is an abnormal link that does not pass on your site to another targeted link or web page but only blocks off the Google PageRank flow. It tells the Google crawler ‘not to follow’ the link.
Internal Links
As the name refers internal linking means linking your website’s content together depending on the relevancy. It helps make your content more valuable. Having an authoritative page with a link to another page on your website, helps your visitors pass on some authority and find the other page.
Conclusion
In conclusion, SEO ranking depends on several factors. However, it is crucial to stay updated and follow Google search engine updates keenly to secure a high position. It is more like a full-time job there you will require an SEO Expert o keep you updated while ensuring your site is fully optimized.
So, if you want to hire SEO expert, Hireadev an help! We have a skilled team of SEO professionals who will ensure to take care of your site’s SEO health to help you gain the top positions in the SERP.
Don’t wait, reach out to us for more information and get ready to win traffic and visibility for your business.