Following the recent debut of the first episode of Google’s SEO Myth Busters, Google have provided us with more information on the top three SEO factors to focus on. For many website owners, Google’s ever-changing algorithms and requirements for ranking can be a minefield, leaving many wondering if they’re focusing on the right factors when it comes to earning favour with Google and boosting their visibility on the web. The session was held by Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, Martin Splitt, who cleared up questions that many people have regarding what Google places the most priority on when it comes to determining ranking.
#1. Content:
It’s no secret that content is king, but the type of content that you are publishing on your website is becoming increasingly more important to Google. In short, content that ‘serves a purpose’, according to Google, tends to be the highest-ranking content online. For example, if someone is looking for a certain product, Google tends to rank product pages that are an exact match. Google knows that users are more satisfied when they are provided with pages that are direct matches to what they’re looking for. This is especially true for product pages, which serve the purpose of providing information on the specific product that’s for sale. In addition, search queries regarding topics, rather than products, tend to be ranked a little differently by Google. But again, the main focus is on providing value to the user, rather than keywords. The key here is to use language that your average reader can easily understand.
#2. Meta Data:
It’s been well understood that the meta description itself is not a ranking factor, but Splitt appeared to suggest otherwise when he talked about the second most important SEO factor. Make sure that you have meta tags to describe your content, as this allows you to have a snippet of information in search results that helps searchers determine which of the results will serve their needs best. And, have page titles that are specific to the page that you are serving; titles that change with the content that you are showing were described as ‘fantastic’. This SEO agency Belfast can help you better understand and improve your website’s meta data to boost your ranking in search engine results.
#3. Performance:
Finally, Martin Splitt described performance as being one of the top three SEO factors to focus on for improved rankings. It’s long been a top SEO factor and was most recently described by Google’s John Mueller as a factor which does not override others. For example, whilst loading speed is an important ranking factor, Google can and will overlook a poor performance if not showing the site would harm the user experience. If the user is expecting to see a specific, yet poorly-performing website, then that is what Google will show.
So, the relevance of your content, your website’s meta data, and site performance are the top three SEO factors to consider, according to Google.