Top Google SEO Ranking Factors to Increase Traffic

Search Engine Optimization is a continuously evolving field. Google keeps on updating its algorithm to decide where and how to show a specific link, with the mission of providing the relevant information.

Google uses more than 200 ranking factors. But, with changing SEO it is hard to implement all the changes. You must want to know which google ranking factors are most important for your website. These are as follows:

Quality Content SEO

I'm sure you've read in several places that content is king. As far as Google ranking factors go, there's no doubt it's the king.

The more unique, fresh, and helpful your content is, the higher it will rank on Google's search engine results pages (SERPs).

Quality content is important to Google. It doesn't matter how optimized your site is, if you don't have valuable content, you won't rank well.

Google's Definition of Quality Content

According to Google, high-quality content has the following factors:

Original, Unique, and Valuable Content

Google prefers new, unique content. Your posts should be original, provide value, and answer readers' questions.

It could negatively impact your SEO if your content is duplicated or similar to other websites. Google will most likely not index your page.

Google will slow down the crawling rate of your website if you publish duplicate content frequently.

Make sure the content you create stands out from other websites ranking for the same search term.

Up to Date and Fresh Content

Your content quality can also be improved by keeping it fresh and updated. You are sending a positive signal to the search engine by regularly updating your posts.

It is important to keep your content fresh if your topic involves news or trends. Google tends to favour pages with updated information about such topics.

Suppose you are writing about the global health crisis. Your content should contain the latest news and research. Google Trends is an easy way to keep your content fresh by finding out the latest information.

You just need to enter your search term and see the related topics. These are the trending queries that can aid you in adding value to your posts. 

Content Length

We came across an important question several times, is content length a part of Google ranking factor?

The answer to the above question is, yes. 

Studies have shown that the content length has a great impact on the ranking position of the content in search engines. Normally, the analysts say that on average, the content length of 1890 words ranks on the first page. 

It is said that there are no hard and fast rules where you need to stick to the word limit while writing. 

The best way is to create content that gives the details of the topic and covers all the aspects required. This is because Google always ranks the pages that give complete information and answer the user’s question. 

Content Structure and Organization

Organize and structure your blog posts well to ensure quality content. The visitor can then easily find solutions to their problems by reading your posts.

Your articles will be more structured and organized if you use multiple headings and subheadings (H2, H3, H4, etc.).

To further organize your content, you can also use HTML tags for bullets (ol) and number lists (li). The benefit is that Google shows these snippets as featured snippets for various keywords based on these lists.

Also, be sure to consider which section should appear first when you are writing your article.

So, you can increase the readability of your content by improving its structure and organization. In this way, you'll improve your site's user experience, indirectly improving your search engine ranking results.

SEO Backlink

Backlinks are the second most important Google ranking factor after content. The purpose of these factors is to help Google find your website for indexing, and it is a part of their ranking algorithm.

Backlinks and content go hand-in-hand since pages without any backlinks seldom generate organic traffic.

So, how are backlinks important for your site’s SEO?

Inbound links, or backlinks, serve as a vote of confidence for your site. All these votes are added together and Google checks whether your website deserves to rank in the top 10.

Backlinks from high-authority websites can boost your chances of ranking higher. By getting these links, you're sending a signal to Google that your content is trustworthy as it can be verified by several websites.

The Backlinking process can be difficult for a new SEO person as it consumes a lot of time and effort. ETTVI provides a lot of useful tools like Backlink Analysis and Backlink Maker that can help you in the backlinking process.

Search Intent

Another important ranking factor for Google is whether your content matches the search intent. Search intent refers to what a user is seeking.

Google's search queries are different for every keyword and you should understand why they are different for every query.

As an example, if someone searches for the best WordPress themes, you'll find listicles among the top 10 results.

Another example - When you search the keyword, make banana bread, you'll find several recipes and how-to articles as well as videos.

It is important to match the search intent with the content type if you intend to create content on either of those topics.

As a result, search intent could vary depending on the format and style of content. Google, for example, may often show only video and infographic results in the top results. So if you want your site to rank for those keywords, you should create a video or an infographic. 

Additionally, search intent indicates where your visitor is in the buyer's journey.

Would they like a tutorial like a how-to article, or are they in the final stage of the purchase process?

So, writing content for users, not just for search engines, is the ultimate formula for organic success. When you focus on serving the needs and interests of your audience, you naturally align with search intent. This means creating content that answers their questions, solves their problems, or provides valuable information. By doing so, you not only improve your chances of ranking well on Google but also increase the likelihood of driving conversions.

The more relevant and helpful your content is to users, the more likely they are to engage with it positively, whether it's making a purchase, signing up for a service, or taking another desired action. So, prioritize covering search intent by understanding and meeting the needs of your audience to maximize the impact of your content.

Website Loading Speed

In addition to the 200 different ranking factors on Google, you should also concentrate on your page speed. This is because Google made website loading speed a part of its Core Web Vitals.

These factors are considered important by Google for a site's user experience. This will include measuring the speed of the site, its responsiveness, and the speed at which elements like fonts and images load.

It's not to beat a competitor's load time by milliseconds. Your users should also be concerned about how quickly your pages load.

It is important to Google that your website loads quickly and provides a great user experience.

To perform loading speed tests of your website, you can use ETTVI’s Website Speed test tool which will give you a quick speed analysis report.

Mobile Friendliness

Having a mobile-friendly site will help you reach visitors in 2022. Previously, the standard was "mobile-friendliness," however, Google has moved to a mobile-first world, which means that mobile visitors should be your primary target when designing your website. Desktop versions of your website are a thing of the past.

Both mobile and desktop versions of the site should look exactly the same: the layout should be straightforward and the navigation should be mobile-friendly.  

Domain Authority

In the next step, you'll need to improve your website's domain authority (DA). Google page rank is a measure of how well your site ranks on search engines based on its expertise on a specified topic.

A score between 1 and 100 is assigned by Moz to a domain. A higher domain authority means you are more likely to rank on Google.

You can now boost the authority of your site in several ways. Getting backlinks from reputable sites is a good place to start. In some cases, having many backlinks is not enough to ensure higher rankings.

The key here is creating amazing content focused on your industry.

You can consider ETTVI’s DA PA Checker tool to check the domain authority of your website.

Keyword Optimization

The use of keywords on your website is one of the most obvious ranking factors, along with creating content and gaining backlinks.

A keyword is a search term that users use to find information on Google. Therefore, you should ensure that your website includes keywords that your audience is searching for. This will help Google find your website when people search for it.

Here are a few tips to help you optimize your website for keywords:

Title Tags – You should add your targeted keywords at the very start of your post title tags.

Meta Description – Include your focus keyword in your meta descriptions for users to know what your page is about and click on it.

Image Alt Text – Since Google is unable to read images, the image alt text contains the keywords that describe the visual.

Anchor Text - When linking your pages, you can use your keywords as anchor text to tell Google what the page is about.

Include LSI keywords - Along with your primary keyword, other related terms are often searched for and these are referred to as LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords. These help Google understand what the content is about when you include them on your page.

Do not stuff your page with keywords - Optimizing for keywords doesn't mean repeatedly using your primary term. This is called keyword stuffing and it is not considered as a sound SEO practice. Try to include the keyword term a few times and then mix things up with different variations.

Include Keywords in H2 and H3 – You can enhance your SEO by using keywords in H2 or H3 of your post.

Add Keywords in URL – Another effective keyword optimization practice is to add your keyword to the URL of your post.

Website Structure

Keyword optimization is important, but your site's structure should also be considered, especially if you're just starting out.

In terms of crawling and indexing, your website's architecture is important. It makes it easier for Google to locate your site and its pages.

You can also improve the structure of the site by creating a sitemap in WordPress. You can use a sitemap to tell the search engine about all the important pages on your site.

This makes it easier for Google crawlers to find content on your website, and index your pages more easily.

Website Security

In addition to website architecture, Google now considers your site's security when ranking it. Your website needs to be on HTTPS now since it encrypts data exchanged between your website and your users' browsers.

HTTPS has now been confirmed by Google as a ranking signal. Now is the time to update your SSL certificates if your website doesn't have them and isn't on HTTPS.

User Experience

Last but not least, the overall user experience of your website will determine your Google ranking. An excellent user experience is influenced by many factors.

Google measures this, but how?

Artificial intelligence software called RankBrain is used, which incorporates additional ranking factors such as:

CTR (click-through rate) - This is the percentage of people who click on your website link in the search results. When you improve your click-through rate, you can boost your ranking, especially if you're in the top 5.

Bounce Rate - The bounce rate of your website is an imperative factor. In the case of many people hitting the back button without engaging with your site, Google will believe the page is not relevant and won't rank it.

Dwell Time - This is the length of time your visitor spends on your website after finding it through Google. It is better to have a longer dwell time.

Google's RankBrain uses many more ranking signals than these. We recommend sticking to the three factors we discussed above since most of them are speculations at this stage.

Summary

In summary, effective Search Engine Optimization depends on producing high-quality, original content that aligns with user search intent, while also considering factors such as backlinks, website speed, mobile-friendliness, and overall user experience to enhance visibility and ranking on Google. By prioritizing these factors, you can significantly improve your website's chances of achieving higher search engine rankings and driving organic traffic.