Three Factors Google Considers When Ranking Pages

If you want to run a successful SEO campaign, you’re going to need to know what Google’s rubric looks like. You need to know the logic it uses when deciding which website should rank higher than another. How else would you be able to convince Google’s algorithm that your site should rank the highest?

The trouble is that Google keeps its ranking formula a secret. Despite the best efforts of SEO services providers, no one can really say for sure just how Google decides a page should be ranked first rather than ranked 100th.

But they’ve gotten close. Here are just a few of the things that Google looks at when ranking sites.

• Mobile Optimization
  One of the most important SEO factors nowadays is mobile optimization. More than half (50%) of smartphone owners use their devices as their primary Internet source. In other words, they use their mobile devices more than their laptops or desktops to go online. Google knows this, and in order to provide their users with better results, they rank sites that have been optimized for mobile device users more than other sites. It’s also worth noting that you should mobile optimize your site even if you weren’t worried about ranking higher, as 67% of shoppers are more likely to buy from a site that’s compatible with mobile devices.
• On-Site Content
  One of the first things Google looks at when ranking sites is their content. How else would it know to list McDonald’s and not a paint store when people search for fast food? The key is to make sure the content has specific, relevant keywords laced throughout it. However, it’s also important to make sure the content is high quality, and delivers something of use to the readers. Otherwise, fewer people will bother visiting those pages. Don’t believe it? Consider the fact that 70% of people looked at lists with bullet points, while only 55% looked at lists without bullet points.
• Links
  Links are another important SEO ranking factor for a couple reasons. First of all, they’re how people get to a page. Without them, no one would be able to visit. The more links there are, the more people can visit. Second, links have value. If Google sees that an authoritative source like the New York Times links to a page, Google is going to think that that source is also authoritative. If it weren’t, a respected publication like the NYT wouldn’t have linked to it. Consequently, Google will bump up the site’s ranking.

These are just a few of the various SEO ranking factors that you need to worry about. If you have any questions about SEO, or have any other SEO tips to offer, feel free to share in the comments.