Previously on Cracking the SEO code, we covered the basic groundwork and expectations about SEO. Let’s now delve deeper into search engine ranking factors to watch for. How does Google decide what results matter the most? There are 200+ factors and very often the search algorithm is updated with new factors. What hasn’t changed much throughout the years is the importance of the three SEO pillars: Trust. Authority. Relevance. I would like to add a fourth one: Usability.
Trust – Is your site trustworthy?
Do you have high-quality content and links from reputable sources? Is the information on the whois register the same as the one on your contact page?
Do you have external reputable resources? Did you include a Privacy Policy on your site? Are you using a secure connection like HTTPS?
Authority – Do you know what you are talking about and do people believe you?
If your site has thousands of followers and backlinks while competitors only have a few, your site probably has high-level authority.
Relevance – How relevant is your site content to the search keywords?
“When dealing with search engines, the term ‘relevance‘ describes the extent to which the content of a website corresponds to the search term used.”- Search Metrics. This is a crucial element of SEO as it often enables smaller sites to rank higher than legacy content.
Usability. How good is the User Experience on your site?
With so much information and good sites on the web, user experience has become increasingly a crucial factor in SEO. Structure your site in a way that makes it easy for the user to get to the information they need. Make is also easy to read. If users visit your site and immediately leave, that’s usually a red flag. Making sure your website is mobile also huge for usability. Why? According to Statistica, 52% of global internet traffic comes from mobile devices.
How does Google measure these four SEO pillars? By looking at:
- Overall content relevance and keywords usage
- Number of quality backlinks
- Site visits
- Bouncing rates
- Time on site
- Site speed
- Usability
- Site Structure
- Content quality and diversity
- Click-through rates
- Https certificate installed
- Whois info
- Font size
- Mobile-friendliness
- Total social media activity
Read Next: Arming Yourself With The Right SEO Tools
References:
Search Engine People
Wordstream
Statistica
SEO 2020 by Adam Clarke
