When it comes to SEO and digital marketing, Google are still the dominating force in the search world. As of May 2023 a mind-blowing 93.12% of all internet searches were carried out via Google, so when we work with clients to bring in more business via SEO – we mainly pay attention to how Google ranks things, as its safe to assume that other platforms will focus on the same metrics as they do.
But what are the top 5 ranking factors used by Google?
It’s a question that we get asked a lot, and although there are over 200 overall ranking factors used by Google, there are 5 that we always ensure are looked at first as they are not only the most important in the eyes of Google, but they are also the ranking factors that impact the user experience the most – so better for your website visitors too.
Website Page Speed – this is hugely important to Google as they dont want to send people to a slow website. It also creates frustration for your potential customers too as no one wants to wait a minute for a page to load (1 minute in internet time is like a million years) a slow loading website can also screw up your Analytical data too, as it can increase bounce rates and other variables. This can impact the reporting of any digital marketing campaigns, so ensuring you host with a fast reliable provider and you have a website that is built well and speed optimised is a must.
Mobile Compatibility – this kinda goes without saying in 2023, if your website isn’t properly mobile compatible, you are going to struggle. Google indexes “mobile first” and has done for a number of years now, so they check your website on a mobile viewport first and then check the desktop version. If you are not mobile compatible at all then you will PLUMMET in the Search Results, and if your website isn’t properly compatible then not only will Google rank you poorly, your potential customers will also get frustrated and probably go back to Google and choose one of your competitors instead.
Good Quality Content – the next major factor is content. The saying “Content is King” has been used by digital marketing professionals for many years now and it is as true now as it always has been. If your website has no content, poor content or stolen content – you wont rank high and be successful. You should ensure any and all website content is well written, original, and factually correct. Just getting ChatGPT to write it all is a bad idea too, as Google can pick up on AI generated content. Be careful!
Links, Links, Links – one of the oldest and (still) most important ranking factors, is your backlink profile. If website A links to website B, then in the eyes of Google, A is recommending B and vouching for it. In an organic sense, if something new and exciting comes along then lots of people link to it to let their readers/customers know about it. In the SEO world we simulate this by manually getting links pointing to your website, and then Google picks these up and will increase your own visibility in the search pages. Its quality over quantity too, so 1000 bad links may not be as effective overall as 10 really good links.
Domain Authority – another important factor is your overall domain authority. This is something yo earn over time, and its essentially how much of an “authority” your website is seen as being, in your particular industry/country – in the eyes of Google. This is why buying old domain names instead of using brand new ones can be a benefit to new businesses. There are a bunch of factors that help to make your domain name climbs the ranks of authority – but that’s another blog post entirely.
And there you have it, the top 5 Google Ranking factors in 2023. There are many many more, and we focus on more of them when we carry out SEO for our clients. If you would like to know how your well your website ranks and how things can be improved, then reach out to us today for your free website SEO review.
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