7th Jan 2019

The 10 Most Important Google SEO Ranking Factors

Calgary SEO shouldn’t be neglected especially by brands with an online presence. The number of leads and conversion will be alarmingly low when you don’t prioritize your Calgary SEO. This means fewer people will find your website. Calgary SEO ranking factors can greatly affect the outcome of your business depending on your ranking. They determine your position on the search engine. One problem, the ranking factors are continually changing. So, what are the important factors you need to pay heed to in your quest to optimize your website to get high Google rankings?

     1. Optimized Content

This is very important as it forms part of Google’s top three ranking factors. It involves the use of a keyword in your content and in topics of your content. Searchers use keywords when looking for content online and these will generally match up with the content of your webpage when identical. This is because the Google algorithm is designed to rely on keywords. Therefore,  should not neglect using keywords in your online content. You should be wary of duplicating keywords as Google favours original and fresh content. Consider creating content based on key phrases and words that are relevant to your website. Furthermore, ensure your titles reflect the content. Use Google’s ranking factors to your benefit to gain more traffic!

      2. Backlinks

These are essential as they offer Google a good indication of your website’s quality and relevance. When you produce content that is high-quality, informative and relevant to your audience, you have a good chance of getting backlinks. Also, consistent promotion of your content will generate good backlink that will increase your ranking. It is necessary to point out the importance of getting authority sites to link to your web content as this can be priceless in terms of ranking.

      3. Mobile First

Positive mobile user experience is given more priority by Google. So, if you plan ranking high on search engines then you will hold mobile user experience in high regards. With its RankBrain algorithm, Google made its stance on mobile user experience known. Also, Google’s indexing prioritized mobile versions over desktop versions. This means that if you optimize your web pages for mobile devices while offering a great user experience, you will rank high.

      4. URL (Page Age, Crawlable sites)

Having the right URL kind affects your Calgary SEO ranking too. How so? Google’s bots find the right kind of URL easy to reach and crawl. To make your URL easily reachable and readable by the bots, you need a sitemap that lists all the pages on your website. You also need a robots.txt file which will inform Google on where your site information is. Research shows that the age of a webpage also affects its ranking as sixty percent of sites ranking in Google’s top ten have a page age of three years and above. This means that you have an added advantage if your website has been up for some time.

      5. Schema Code

These assist search engines understand certain data such as phone numbers, addresses, emails, recipes etc. better. Most applicable for local businesses, it involves giving Google certain information about the business such as location. When a correct Schema code is implemented, Google ranks such businesses higher.

      6. Social Signals

It has been observed that the rate at which your content is shared increases its engagement with people which eventually increases your rank. Although effective, the official word from Google is that social shares are not part of the list of ranking factors. So, you might be less keen on trying this approach based on the official word another perspective to look at it is that it gives your site a great social media presence which will be great in driving traffic and eventually result in a higher ranking.

      7. Page Speed

The time spent in loading your website also plays a role in your ranking. Sites that take longer time turns visitors off and reduces the dwell time spent on the site. Google takes such information into consideration and ranks such sites low since they have fewer engagements with users.

      8. Click through Rate (CTR)

Calculated by using the number of your web views to divide the number of your website’s clicks in a search result, this metric can be used to gain insight on how well your website is performing. A lower CTR value describes a poor performance while a higher value shows how enticing your search results are. This simply means you have a higher traffic drive with great conversion rate. This will definitely increase your ranking on Google.

      9. Headings

The presence of headings and subheadings in your content gives an appealing look which increases engagements with your site’s visitors rather than turns them off. This increases the dwell time spent on your site and boosts your Google ranking. Headings are an easy and effective way to improve your SEO ranking.

      10. HTTPS

HTTPS Encryption simply refers to the secure connection between your site and a user’s browser. This is denoted by a lock sign found on the address bar, if found open, it signals an unsecured network. A website’s with such encryption rank higher than those without it.

Conclusion:

Provided you consistently adhere to these guidelines concerning Google ranking factors, ensure optimized content production, make your site mobile and user-friendly, appeal and engage your audience, then your Calgary SEO ranking will continue to soar.

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