For everyone who operates a website, has an online shop or writes a blog, one question is important: What are the current Google ranking factors? They ultimately decide how visible a page is in the search engines and how much traffic gets to a website via Google.
There is a lot of information circulating on the Internet about this question, some of it is outdated, some of it is even wrong. As a result, the various SEO measures often remain unsuccessful.
Google works with over 200 ranking factors
Experts can only guess at the actual number of ranking factors. However, they agree that there should be at least 200 that Google weighs when evaluating a website. That's quite a lot. Smaller companies in particular cannot respond to every eventuality. It makes sense for them to know the most important ones and focus on them.
Ranking factors are important characteristics of a website or domain that affect its rank in Google search result lists. The search engines, above all the most important one: Google, work with machine algorithms that evaluate websites according to their relevance and quality. They are constantly updated and adjusted.
quality is one important ranking factor, says John Müller, Senior Search Analyst at Google. The content must be understandable, offer added value and meet the search intent.
With backlinks, it is important that the link texts, also known as anchor texts, make sense. Many website operators are overwhelmed with this topic. The difficulty for many is finding suitable partners for backlinks and providing appropriate content. Here a professional Link building agency help.
Another important factor is user-friendliness or user experience. In order for visitors to feel comfortable on a page, clear navigation, a logical and flawless page structure and a contemporary design are required.
Furthermore, a website that is valuable for Google is optimized for mobile devices. Google has been expecting websites to be displayed properly on mobile devices for several years. The keyword is “mobile first”.
Important keywords must appear on the page, but at least in the headings and in the first section of text.
References from other, trustworthy websites that link to another site are still of great importance. Google evaluates the so-called backlinks as a recommendation, which is very positive.
In general, it is important that links always work. So-called “broken links” that lead nowhere are very negative. Therefore, it makes sense to check the links from time to time to ensure that they work and that the content is still available.
Regular content updates are also necessary so that the content is up to date.
Google finds quickly created run-of-the-mill websites boring. Multimedia content such as infographics, unique photos or videos are a ranking booster.
Last but not least, data security also plays an important role. Websites that want a good ranking must be accessed via HTTPS. The associated SSL encryption is much more secure and creates trust with Google and also with users.
One of the most important Google ranking factors: backlinks
In Germany there are literally round 63 million internet users, almost half is online every day. The potential for website operators to meet their own target group in virtual space is correspondingly large. Websites that achieve a good position in the Google ranking receive regular traffic from the search engines. The first places in the result lists of the search engines are very coveted. That is why there are so many algorithms to classify the websites. One of the most important criteria are backlinks. They help to increase the visibility of a website.
What exactly is a backlink?
Backlinks, also called backlinks, are links that lead to your own website. Internet users consider these backlinks as a reference to the source. The site to which the backlink leads is considered trustworthy and relevant. The positive effect is that users follow the link and end up on their own website. On top of that, Google rates a strong backlink profile as very positive. It is an important indicator of a website's ranking.
However, building a good backlink profile is a lot of work and a lengthy process that is difficult to speed up. Because as soon as Google suspects that backlink building is going too fast, the website warns it. A good SEO agency makes sure that the links are of high quality and that they deliver results quickly and efficiently.
What makes a good backlink?
Backlinks fall into two categories: internal and external links. Internal links point from one subpage to another within the same domain. External links establish a connection between two separate websites. However, not every external link is a good backlink that helps to promote a page to the top Google ranks. Good backlinks can be identified using the following criteria:
- Good backlinks are relevant to the topic. If a fashion and beauty site links to a fishing site, the link is not relevant to the topic.
- The linked page must have authority, i.e. it must have been online for a long time and provide high-quality references.
- Natural link building is important. It is important to choose the anchor text in such a way that it appears completely natural in the text flow.
- The more traffic a page has, the higher the link power of the backlink.
- The placement of the link also plays an important role. The link is best placed at the beginning of a relevant article.
- The content in which the backlink is embedded offers users added value. The more information an article with a backlink contains, the better it is for the Google ranking.
12/22/2022