Ever feel like your website is small fish in a vast ocean of competition? You pour your heart and soul into creating unique, relevant content, but it just does not seem to gain any traction. This is where an understanding of Google ranking signals could help.
What Exactly are Google Ranking Signals?
Google ranking signals are the many factors Google to figure out what a page is about and how helpful it will be to searchers. This in turn, helps Google, via their algorithms, to determine where a web page should appear within their SERPs.
What are Algorithms?
Algorithms are complex formulas Google uses to check and score their ranking signals. These algorithms are updated on an ongoing basis, so it is a good idea to keep on top of announced changes to their algorithm.
Types of Ranking Signals
On-page SEO Signals
These signals focus on the content of individual web pages which include factors such as:
Content Quality, Relevance and Freshness: Google loves it when its searchers’ find web page content in their SERPs to be relevant, helpful, easy to understand and fresh.
Keyword Optimization: Using the right keywords helps Google understand what your web page is about. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Page Experience: A good web page experience is essential. Is your website mobile friendly? Does it load quickly? Can website visitors easily access the information they are looking for, within your web page(s)?
Off-page SEO Signals
These signals relate to a website’s reputation and authority, often through links from other websites. Thus, off-page SEO is about building your website’s reputation, which include factors such as:
Backlink Quality and Quantity: Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. The more quality backlinks you have, the better.
PageRank: This is a method used by Google to determine a web page’s importance based on the quantity and quality of backlinks. The more backlinks from quality websites, the better.
Technical SEO Signals
These signals involve the website’s structure, speed and mobile friendliness. For example, an efficiently coded website that also uses minification and image compression, loads faster, particularly on mobile devices, is better for SEO.
Social Signals
Mentions and shares on social media can give your website rankings a small boost. Social media helps you reach a broader audience.
Ready to boost your website’s ranking?
Here are some tips you can use.
Optimize Content
Create high-quality, relevant content. Use keywords naturally and answer user questions thoroughly. Keep information fresh.
Get High-Quality Backlinks
Earn backlinks from reputable websites. Focus on quality over quantity. Guest blogging can be a good way to get backlinks.
Improve User Experience
To improve user experience, make sure your website is easy to use. Improve page speed, reduce bounce rate and make your site visually appealing. Users reward you when they spend time on the site.
Why Ranking Signals Matter for SEO
Since Google’s ranking signals have a direct impact on how well your website ranks, having a better understanding of what impacts ranking signals gives you a competitive edge. By optimizing for these factors, you may be able to outrank your competitors. And that can help you attract more customers to boost your bottom line.
If you would like to learn more about Google ranking signals and why they are important, contact our web design and SEO team at Prominent Web Design.
EMAIL US