A web publisher asked Google’s John Mueller for feedback about the top 3 SEO factors Martin Splitt discussed in the first SEO Mythbusters video.
Ranking Factors Vary by Query
The reasons Google ranks a page is in my opinion particular to the search query and the intent behind it. Some phrases have multiple meanings, which results in search engine results pages (SERPs) with very different web pages.
Some queries are highly specific and are satisfied with a more narrow range of web pages. That’s why for some queries the top five to ten results feature similar types of web pages.
This isn’t because Google is randomly mixing up the SERPs. The pages Google ranks match up to what users expect to see. The pages that match the most popular answer users expect to see are featured at the top.
Here is how Google’s John Mueller answered:
“I think it’s tricky when you have something like top three ranking factors. Because things change so quickly and they vary from query to query and… time.”
SEO Advice By Developers for Developers
Mueller appeared to clarify the advice given in the first SEO Mythbusters show by saying that the advice given in that show was most relevant for web developers who were unaware of the importance of a descriptive title tag.
He is Mueller’s response:
“…I’m not sure how Martin framed it in his video. But… some of these things are more relevant for some kinds of developers than others in the sense that a lot of times web developers when we talk to them they’re not aware of things like meta descriptions, meta titles and things like that being that critical.
And they don’t make sure that they’re visible for example… if they’re using a JavaScript framework, those kinds of things.”
SEO Mythbusters Video #1 Relevant Only to Developers?
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that every website only needs to focus on those factors and then everything will be perfect.
It’s rather more that these are things that we’ve commonly seen being missed by people who are making websites like
…Which is why we’re explicitly calling these factors out in these videos when we’re talking specifically for an audience of developers like that.”
Google’s John Mueller appears to be saying that the first SEO Mythbuster’s video was aimed at developers. Furthermore, Mueller says that the information in that video is not meant to help all sites rank better, since “things change so quickly and they vary from query to query…”
Takeaway
Google’s John Mueller did a good job clarifying that it’s difficult to define an across the board top 3 SEO factors. Mueller cited the fact that the SERPs tend to vary from query to query, that no one formula is appropriate for all SERPs.
He also noted that it was important for developers to understand how to create web experiences that provide the basic information that Google needs to rank those pages.
Watch the Google hangout here.
Images by Shutterstock, Modified by Author