Every website owner wants their site to appear in the top three results of a SERP (Search Engine
Results Page). Instinctively, or maybe because we’re all consumers ourselves, we know that
most people don’t look too far beyond the first few search results that pop up. We know what
the web crawlers know: the farther down the list you are, the less relevant the material will be
to what we wanted. Knowing the top ranking factors for major search engines can prevent that.
But is it less relevant? Or do those website creators just not know the facts? Maybe they don’t
realize that 95% of people doing a search will only click on sites that come up on the first page.
Even beyond that, while the first organic page that comes up will get about a 30% CTR (Click-
Through Rate), the CTR on the next page is just about half of that.
Either way, if your site doesn’t come up on the first page of the SERP, you’re doomed to missed
more than 90% of your targeted audience. There has to be a way to avoid that.
Luckily there is.
Knowing what will bump your page up makes a big difference. In order to move up the list, you
need to know what web crawlers want to see on your page to match a search. Here’s some of the top ranking factors for Google that you should include:
High-Quality Content
You’re definitely in better shape when you pay special attention to quality over
quantity. Studies have shown, however, that a page with 2,000 words will peak at about
the number two spot on a SERP, but it will drop in placement significantly with fewer
words. Your page also needs to sound human, though. Spread your keywords out so
they make sense and aren’t jammed in to try for improved SEO. Appropriate backlinks
also factor into a page’s quality.
Keyword Usage
Website crawlers aren’t just counting random keywords; they’re looking for where the
keywords are located. You’ll get bonus points for having keywords in your title and/or
secondary title or in the page description. Keyword density is somewhat important, but
it can actually be detrimental if overused.
Security
Sites that have an https vs. just an http are more secure and will rank higher than those
that are less secure. Google’s got your back.
Mobile Friendliness
Google knows that there are at least as many people browsing on their phones these
days as anywhere else. So again, they’re looking out for what’s easiest for media
consumers.
Speediness
If your page takes too long to load, crawlers know your consumers won’t want to bother
with it, so it won’t rank very high.
Age
In general, it looks good to have a website that has been around for a while. You gain
credibility for lasting as long as you have and reliability for still being around. For more
trendy topics or time sensitive issues, however, consumers are looking for more recent
data. So this is an area that could go either way. Keeping your content fresh is one way
to get the best of both worlds.
Optimized Images
Utilize images to their max effectiveness to raise your position on the SERP. Tag them
with keywords. Place them near relevant content. And make sure they don’t hinder your
page with too much encryption or otherwise slow down the loading speed.
Your webpage was created to be seen. The best way to raise its position in a SERP and get more potential hits is to please the crawlers by knowing what the top ranking factors are. Know what they like and feed them quality data. If you’re not sure how to make that happen, let us do it for you.
