The Importance of Search Engine Optimization Part 2

Have you ever wondered why certain websites rank higher than others? Or why your website doesn’t rank as high as your competitor’s?

A lot of it has to do with Google’s algorithm.  It looks at over 200 ranking factors when determining where to rank a site.

Listed below are some important facors/components of Google’s algorithm, and the relevant tips/action to take in order for you to improve your own rankings.

Domain Level

• Targeted keyword appears in top level of your domain - Eg - contained anywhere in the domain name
• Domains that start with their targeted keywords have an edge over ones that don’t

Page Level

• Keywords in title tag
• Frequently use your targeted keywords but don’t over optimize
• Content length - Longer content is proven to get higher rankings
• Images - optimize your on page images with content relevant keywords

Site Level

• ‘Contact Us’ page - Use an appropriate amount of contact information
• Site Updates - The ‘freshness factor’ is important so regular content updates are needed

Backlinks

• Links from aged domains are more powerful than newer domains
• Embedded links are more powerful than footer or sidebar links

Social Signals

• The amount of tweets a page has will influence its rank in Google
• Facebook shares are similar to a backlink and are stronger than Facebook likes

So, if you want to maximize your search rankings, your best bet is to do what is best for your users as ultimately, they will stay on your site longer, share your content and maybe link back to their site referring your content.

All of which is exactly what Google wants to happen as ‘natural’ SEO.

The Importance of Search Engine Optimization Part 1