We already know that a search engine first collects the list of pages on the web and then sorts them based on its algorithm, but what does our ranking on Google depend on?
There are more than 200 ranking factors that, as their name suggests, determine whether our website appears in a particular position in Google’s search results. These factors are constantly changing and are divided into two types: internal (on-site) factors and external (off-site) factors.
1. External factors
External factors (off-site SEO) are those we cannot directly control. They signal to search engines the authority of a website, that is, whether it is trustworthy or not. No one knows exactly how a website’s authority is determined, although it is likely that numerous factors define it. User behavior, the quality of external links, and social signals are some of the most important:
- The quality of external links. This works just like in real life: suppose you have that long-awaited dinner tonight and you need to bring a good wine. Where would you go to buy it? To the store recommended by four expert tasters or to the one recommended by 40 people you randomly asked on the street? If you decided on the first option, you’ve made the right choice. Google does exactly the same thing: instead of taking into account the number of external links that point to a website, it gives more importance to the quality of the websites that point to that link.
- User Behavior Depending on a user’s behavior, such as the pages they’ve visited previously and how often, search engines may display different results. The user’s location also influences this. The results displayed for the same search term will vary depending on the location from which the search is conducted. We can optimize listings on Google My Business, but we can’t control where the search is conducted.
- Social Signals In search engines, social media mentions influence a domain’s authority. Both links shared on Twitter and pages shared on Facebook can determine whether a page appears higher or lower in search results.
2. Internal factors
Internal factors (On-site SEO) are those related to a website, that is, those we can directly control. Their main objective is to make life easier for search engines when they access our pages. The quality of the content, web architecture, and HTML code are the most important factors for a website.
- Content The content of our website is the most important factor in ranking on Google. If we offer original and interesting content for the user, appearing in the top positions will be a piece of cake. Google Panda is responsible for determining whether content is original or not. Content must be at least 300 words long. However, it has been observed that texts between 1,000 and 1,200 words are more likely to rank. Before generating content, it is important to conduct keyword research and choose which keyword to focus on, include that keyword (naturally) throughout the text, and provide up-to-date information on that term.
- Structure Once Google bots or spiders access our website, they send all the information they crawl to their servers. That’s why it’s important to make their crawling as easy as possible. Having a good URL structure not only improves this but also enhances usability and improves user navigation. Loading time is also essential. We must keep in mind that loading time not only worsens the user experience but also influences search engines’ ability to index all of your website’s pages.
- HTML Code Bots that access a website primarily read its HTML code, so it’s essential to have it well structured and optimized. Search engines use certain HTML tags to display content information in their search results. We explain some of these tags that influence SEO positioning: Title tag: This tag is only visible in the page’s HTML code. It’s the blue title that Google displays in its results. Search engines use it to more easily identify what the page in question is about. Meta-description tag: Like the title, this tag is only visible in search results. Search engines don’t take it into account when ranking. However, a good meta-description tag can increase or decrease clicks on your page. Header tags: These are the <h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc. tags that hierarchically display the different titles that can be found in a piece of content. It’s recommended that there be a single <h1> tag that defines the main title of the text. Structured data: Structured data is becoming increasingly important in search results. It offers search engines more detailed information about a website’s content and displays additional information not shown in the title or meta description, such as the average star rating or the number of reviews for an article.
In the image:
1. Title.
2. Structured data.
3. Metadescription.
And what about the User Experience?
User experience (UX) plays a very important role in a page’s SEO ranking. Although Google has confirmed that it doesn’t influence search results rankings , at least for desktop searches, it is constantly mentioned in its guide on how to evaluate a website’s quality.
However, mobile is different: since user experience became the foundation of the latest search engine update, results offered on mobile devices do take a page’s user experience into account. This was stated by Gary IIlyes, Webmaster at Google:
On mobile, sure, since UX is the basis of the mobile friendly update. On desktop currently no. (Gary Illyes: Google, May 2015) Tweet this
A design that displays fake content (cloaking) , suspicious links, malicious downloads, massive content generation (posts or comments), or low-quality content will cause Google to consider whether a page’s experience ratio is optimal or not.
Conclusion
Although there are numerous factors that affect the SEO positioning of our website, having well-optimized technical aspects will help search engines identify a result sooner or later.
However, having unique and original content is a key factor for SEO ranking. Ultimately, it’s this content that will determine whether a page appears in certain results.
