When you develop a website for your business having people visit it is key. But when people Google a key word that relates to your business, how does your site measure up to Google’s ranking factors?
Knowing the ins and outs of search engine optimization will help you determine if your site is living up to Google’s ranking factors. At Portside Marketing, we are experts when it comes to search engine optimization and helping your site go to the head of the class with Google and other search engines.
Google is constantly changing its search algorithm. That’s why it’s especially important to have experts in the field who you can trust to guide you in the right direction. Take a look at the following Google ranking factors to see how your site adds up.
Content is key. It always has been and always will be. Content that focuses on quality and not word count will add value to your site and drive people to it. If you have a longer piece of content be sure that every word adds value and gives the reader information. If not, it’s better to go shorter with higher quality. To see if your content is valuable, be sure to know the keywords surrounding your topic and use them accordingly.
Why do you want to add links to other sites in your content? Because having backlinks to sites that are considered high authority in your field gives your content a higher ranking on Google. This Google ranking factor should be given a lot of attention because positioning low-quality backlinks will hurt you.
Statistics show that more than half of website traffic worldwide is done on a mobile device. That’s why the mobile factor cannot and should not be ignored when you’re talking about Google rankings. In 2016 Google announced what’s called mobile first indexing. This basically means that a website’s mobile compatibility directly affects its search rankings. Mobile website versions need to be a priority when you’re taking Google ranking factors into consideration.
People don’t want to wait forever for a page to load on their phone or their laptop. If your site is slow it will negatively impact your Google ranking factor. Make sure your site is up to speed…literally!
Google wants to make sure all sites it’s directing you to are safe. “Https” encryption helps to make sure this is happening. When you see a site that begins with “https” rather than “http” you know that is now deemed safe. If you are sending any sensitive personal information like phone numbers, social security numbers, or credit card numbers, they will be securely encrypted to avoid getting into the hands of hackers.
Schema Code is a tool that helps search engines get a better idea of things like phone numbers and addresses. This type of tool can help local businesses in particular. Be sure to have the right Schema Code so that Google know where your business is located. Having the wrong Schema Code can create all types of problems. The folks at Portside Marketing can help you better understand this Google ranking factor and how to get it to work in your favor.
If your site gets a lot of traffic from branded searches, it will work in your favor when it comes to Google ranking factors. Signals from social media giants Facebook and the like also seem to play into search rankings and may impact web traffic.
While domains may no longer be a sure bet to boost organic searches, they still should not be ignored. Exact match domains should still receive plenty of attention because they still play a role in Google ranking factors. Also, if you are using a newer domain you may find it has a harder time ranking for key words. Older domains have seniority and it shows when it comes to key word searches. The lesson here is that newer isn’t necessarily better when it comes to domains!
If people can’t navigate your site well chances are they’re going to find one that they can. Give your users a positive experience so that they explore your site in its entirety and visit again.
As Google continues to change its ranking algorithms it’s important to have a team of experts on your side to guide you through all the ups and downs. You can find that team at Portside Marketing. We keep up with the trends so that your site can have the highest ranking possible!