Top 7 Ranking Factors For SEO (2019)

Dominating search engine result pages need not be a challenge – basic understanding of the fundamental ranking factors of SEO can make a world of difference on your ranking and help you rank high on SERPs. Search engines use algorithms to predict searches and provide users with relevant search results.

So, the goal is to know what these algorithms are looking for when ranking websites. Pretty easy, right? Not so fast – SEO ranking factors change constantly, and keeping up with the latest trends isn’t always easy.

Regardless of your industry, it’s up to you to research and keep a pulse on what factors influence SEO ranking.

SEO is as broad as they come, without a sense of direction; it’s easy to lose your way – correction, you will definitely lose your way. After all, launching your SEO campaign without a clue about search engine ranking factors is like driving on the freeway without road signs – it would be a total nightmare!

Knowing the crucial ranking factors of SEO helps define a clear path for your SEO strategy hence allowing you to tailor your campaign for success. Here’s a window into the top seven ranking factors for SEO to look out for:

1. Quality Optimized Content

Maybe you’re thinking: “I’m a dentist or in the construction industry, I don’t need fresh or high-quality content.” Well, if you want to rank high on SERPs, then you need Relevant and quality content on your site. With search engines such as Google using intent to help users with their search, it’s high time you do keyword research as well as consider search intent when creating content for your website – and that also includes reviewing voice search when creating content.

2. Domain Security

The other trending ranking factor for SEO is security. How secure is your domain? Can users confidently transact on your site without the fear of leaked personal information? If not, then work on upgrading the security of your site. If you haven’t switched to HTTPS, get to it because it’s how Google – the leading search engine – identifies secure websites.

3. Page Speed

Page speed has always been considered and still is an essential SEO ranking factor. Excellent customer experience is perhaps the main reason why search engines such as Google overemphasize on page speed. Therefore, a slow-loading page correlates to fewer visitor and loss of revenue. Search engines can determine you page-speed pretty accurately, and if you fall below average, you can kiss better rankings goodbye. Your pages should load within three seconds. You can do things like reducing image size and graphics to increase page speed.

4. User Interaction

Here’s another factor that has a significant impact on your SEO ranking – user experience and interaction. How do user’s interact with your site? According to SEO experts, RankBrain (Google’s Artificial Intelligence algorithm) could be used to rank your website by measuring user experience.

5. Mobile Friendly

In 2018, approximately 64% of paid Google search clicks could be traced back to mobile devices, and in the same year, Google started mobile-first indexing. With figures and facts like these, it’s impossible not to recognize the significance of mobile-friendliness as a crucial SEO ranking factor. Your site must be geared towards providing an excellent user experience on mobile devices.

A mobile-friendly website should cover things like easy navigation, quick responsiveness, and of course, readability. So, to stay alive in the highly competitive world of SEO, make sure you have a mobile-friendly site.

6. Social Signals

When users go out of their way to share your content on social media, it’s a clear sign to search engines that your content is not only relevant but valuable to users. Therefore, having a social media presence isn’t enough; you also need to make sure that your content can be shared easily. Also, there should be legitimacy with your social signals.

7. Links

Last and definitely not least, your site needs to have authoritative links. Search engines use the pages you link to determine your content’s relevancy. Authoritative links are the bedrock of a solid SEO campaign, and it would be wise to pursue them.

Site architecture and meta tags are other ranking factors to consider when looking to rank high on SERPs. Remember, you have the power to influence your rankings on SERPs. So, make the most of that power. Forza Digital is an experience internet marketing company helping local business develop a customized en digital campaign.