What makes Google's first place?
It's no secret that Google's rank consists of over 200 factors or components. And while the list of factors is very impressive or even can be the most frightening thing.
Luckily for SEO is not about getting the right little thing, it's about getting your site's priorities right. For this reason we set out 8 factors for Google's first rank based on industry studies by SearchMetrics, Backlinko and SEO PowerSuite. Please you can review and find ways to optimize your site.
Backlink
By 2017, backlinks continue to be a strong indication of Google's authority. Let's see things that can improve or even this will destroy your site.1. Link Score
How does Google change the abstract concept of "backlink" to one of the ranking factors? In some ways, Google explains that this is done by calculating "Link Score." The score is created by each individual quality quality incoming link (aka PageRank) and the number of links to the site.
So the quantity of links is an important part of the score. However, remember that you can not have spammy and low-quality links by 2017. It should also be noted that links coming from the same domain will be of little value. Google usually only counts one of them when evaluating your link profile. So in terms of quantity, the main factor you should focus on is the number of domains that link.
While we know that PageRank is still one of the key factors in Google's algorithm, its public version is no longer available. Fortunately, there are reliable alternatives based on the original PageRank formula, including InLink Rank recently launched by SEO PowerSuite.
2. Anchor text relevance (but not too much)
Anchor text is another part of the concept of "backlinks" that are important to increase the ranking on your site. Just like the content on your page, that the function of this backlink will tell Google about your page - and how it ranks. Of course, you should remember about Penguins and keep your website or site diverse and natural. This is all about how everything looks balanced and precise.
But how to balance the right way? Of course this is not the right answer. But here is an anchor text illustration that can be your clue for proper and balanced use and avoid Google penguins.
How to optimize it:
Checking your SEO competitor's links is a good way to understand what kind of link value you oppose in optimization, it will also determine how much work is needed to catch up on your website. To do this you need a tool that allows you to compare multiple sitelink profiles with many criteria. SpyGlass SEO with its domain comparison module is very precise and good. Run this tool and create a project for your site, then proceed to Domain Comparison and add your main competitor domains, one at a time. Like the following example you will see how each aspect of your link profile compares to your competitors.
Content
Content is king. But what does Google search for in quality content? Here are the 3 points your content points in the eyes of Google.
1. Use of keywords
The title / title on your website remains the strongest relevance factor with Google. Using keywords or variations in title tags is still important in 2017. Meta descriptions can also increase relevance, even if the weight is less. And make sure you do not forget to use keywords in the body of the page, given the H1 tag holds a good weight for SEO of all titles.
2. The length
In its search quality guidelines, Google mentions that the amount of page content is important for its overall quality - and therefore that will rank. Obviously, there is no length of ideal content to be sought; As Google says, "the amount of content needed for a page to be satisfactory depends on the topic and purpose of the page."
For a realistic reference of "satisfactory amount of content", see the pages that are already compatible with your keywords, and learn from their strategies.
3. Comprehensive
RankBrain (launched in October 2015) is part of Google's Hummingbird algorithm and, according to Google, is involved in every query. One of the RankBrain functions is to analyze the results with good user satisfaction metrics and identify their common features - features that make them get good search results.
Since most of the online content is text, such features are often certain terms and phrases used on the page. Think about it: if you are looking for "things to see in new york," it is logical that the comprehensive results will mention "times square." "Central park," "empire state building and so on.
But that's not always clear. Did you know all of the top 10 results for "the most famous thing in new york" many say "cream cheese"?
How to optimize it:
WebSite Auditor is a tool that lets you check pages with many on-page factors, including keyword usage and content length. The tool will also analyze the completeness of your page using the TF-IDF algorithm and make recommendations based on your main competitor.
To get started, run WebSite Auditor, create a project, and go to Content Analysis. Specify the page you're optimizing and enter your targeted keywords. Look through the on-page factors for statistics and keyword use recommendations, and check the Competitors tab to see how your main competitors are handling the given page elements.
Next, look at the Word count in the body and check how it compares to competitors.
Finally, switch to the TF-IDF dashboard for a list of keywords used by many of your competitors (remember RankBrain?) And specific usage suggestions for your content. Use these insights as inspiration to make your pages more relevant and comprehensive.
Now, it's time to make changes to your page. Jump to Content Editor and optimize it all! Once done, hit the save button in the top right corner to download optimized HTML to your hard drive ready to upload to your site.
Technical SEO
The technical platform of your site is very important for SEO (and also outside). Here are the top two factors that are important for your site's ranking.
1. Speed page
Google estimates the page will load in two seconds or less from that time, and they officially ensure that speed is one of the important factors for ranking. Speed also has a big impact on UX: slower pages have higher bounce rates and lower conversion rates.
The most common causes for low speed are some uncompressed elements like there are scripts, images and CSS files.
2. Mobile Friendly
If your page is not optimized for smartphones, it will not fit in mobile search at all. This is unfortunate because more than half of Google's quota is coming from a mobile device, so you should not delay it again in 2017.
Focus on mobile is likely to continue soon with Google's commitment to switch to first indexing on mobile.
How to optimize it:
To check whether your website passes Google's mobile and mobile testing, go to Content Analysis> Pages Audit in WebSite Auditor and switch to Technical factors. Check the Usability (Mobile) and Page speed (Desktop) sections, and click on any factor with Error or Warning status for details and suggestions on how to fix.
User Experience
The debate surrounding the use of behavioral factors in rank has been going on for years. However, according to Google's own words, "searching users are often the best relevant judges, so if they choose certain search results, they are likely to be relevant, or at least more relevant than the alternatives presented."
1. Click-through rate
Click through rate (CTR is the ratio of the number of times a search listing is clicked in accordance with the amount of time displayed to the searcher.The SearchMetrics study even found that CTR has the highest correlation with the rank of all the factors studied.
True, correlation is not the same as cause-effect. But it's hard to argue with real-life experiments that show that an increased CTR will soon result in a rating upgrade.
How to optimize it:
The first thing to check is your current CTR SERP. In Google Search Console, open the Search Analytics report and select Clicks, Impressions, CTR and Positions.
While the average CTR varies depending on the type of query, As a rule of thumb for CTR 30% for result # 1, then for 15% for # 2, and 10% for # 3.
If some of your CTR lists are really below this average, you need to refocus something. Think about how you can create a decent click snippet and you can see a list of competitors for inspiration. To edit and preview your Google snippet, go to WebSite Auditor, go to Content Analysis> Content Editor, and switch to Title & Meta tags. Once you create a snippet with it, press the save button to download the HTML file to your hard drive.
Conclusion
SEO is a complex, multidimensional, and ever-expanding science. It's natural if you can not afford to focus on every detail, and you also do not have to do that. If you prioritize your efforts, focus on the above eight factors, and remember to always look closely at competitors, and your business will surely get out of them in the SERPs.
