Google has more than 100 ranking factors. Web developers are always trying to figure out the way Google’s algorithm looks at these ranking metrics. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a continuous engagement for any website to remain visible and rank highly on search engines. But working on all these metrics is an impossibility. This leaves a web developer to look at the most important SEO ranking factors. Which are these?

Content

They say content is king. Search engines have become smarter in analyzing content for relevance and quality. Unlike before, keywords when a thin site could rank with keyword stuffing, content is the highest ranking factor.

Longer content with naturally placed keywords ranks higher in SERP. A look at the few top results will show that most of the web pages will have the main content longer than 1,200 words. The inclusion of video and infographics makes content rank higher than using text alone. How is content optimized?

Relevant and informative content will get higher ranking on search engines. This is because there is lower bounce rate and higher Click through Rate (CTR). Longer form content with mixed content type is also likely to rank higher.

Backlinks

Backlinks establish a site’s authority. A tech news website getting a link from a high ranked tech site like PC Mag shows an element of authority in the eyes of search engines. But major search engines have learned to recognize bad links and link farms. For a site to have a higher domain authority, the backlinks must be from diverse sources. Social media backlinks show give positive social signals that tell search engines there is high engagement with a wide audience. How can you optimize backlinks?

Content marketing is the best approach to getting quality backlinks. A good trick involves taking quality content from a respected source, improving on it and then promoting it.

Mobile-First user experience

Mobile internet traffic has overtaken desktop traffic. For search engines, this means a site that makes the user experience better for mobile users is better. All major search engines have shifted towards mobile-first indexing.   

Page loading speeds are also a factor in ranking. Mobile speeds should ideally load in less than 2 seconds and desktop websites in less than 3 seconds. How can you optimize for mobile experience?

Using a responsive theme makes a website load automatically on all devices. There are numerous WordPress themes both paid and free, that are responsive. Test for mobile responsive with Google Search Console. Using a Structured Data Testing Tool also shows whether a site will keep its form on both mobile and desktop. Submitting a site to search engines and marking it open for crawling by search engine bots.

Other ranking factors

Search engines also give higher weight to:

•    Website security – Google started ranking sites with HTTPS encryption higher than plain HTTP sites in 2014. Google Chrome marks plain HTTP sites as unsafe.
•    H1 and H2 Headings – Sites with H1 and H2 headings in the source code rank higher than plain format sites
•    Anchor text – Matching anchor text has an impact on rankings when the linking is done in a diverse and organic manner.
•     Interstitials – Google penalizes interstitials because they have a negative experience for mobile users. But login dialogs, small banners and legally-required interstitials (e.g. age verification) do not attract penalties

Working on these main ranking factors ensure that a website remains visible regardless of search engine algorithm updates.