Have you ever searched something on Google and noticed that many websites pop up at the top of Google searches while others don’t appear until page ten? But have you wondered who decides what should be the order of enlisting or who decides this pop-up order? No, it’s not luck—it’s a strategy Google uses specific ranking factors to decide who gets top billing. The answer to this question is the Google Ranking System where Google uses certain factors that determine the order of these websites. In this blog, we will uncover those Google page ranking factors so it gets easier for you to understand about the page ranking and make your webpage more likely to show up at the top.
What is Google Page Rank?
Before we begin with the Google page ranking factors let’s first understand the Google’s Page Ranking System. It is a system that Google originally used to decide how important a webpage was. The more websites that link to a page, the higher Google would rank it. Imagine each link to a page as a “vote” for that page. However, Google’s ranking system today is much more complex and includes many other factors beyond just backlinks (links from other websites). If you want master this, work with these rules to make your site as visible as possible. Using all this knowledge at your hands, you can easily work on improving the ranking of your website.
Let’s break all of this down without any fluff and just with the bare essentials that you ought to know.
Google Page Ranking Factors
Enlisting the essential factors that influence a webpage ranking among the top Google searches. Stay till the end to uncover the factors in depth.
1. Content is King. Context is Queen.
The task of Google is to give all people the best answers to their questions. Meaning, your website fails to answer a question better than some others, then sorry, no high ranking for you, either. Well, no, it’s not a matter of just pawning some words on your page.
Relevance Significance: Google wants to be relevant to the intent of the search. For instance, if someone has searched for “how to make a chocolate cake,” then this is not relevant to a history blog about cakes. He is searching for information in a very direct step-by-step way. So very important that content remains relevant to the specific searches made by the users.
Depth is Important: Thin and shallow content is not good enough. Google likes should be well-researched & in-depth articles because quality matters. It requires covering the subject matter to the fullest. So, if more value is presented, the chances of going top increase.
Freshness Helps: Google likes fresh content. Not that you have to write new content every day, but do make sure you post regularly. Even old subject matter (such as how to bake a cake) likes a little refreshing to help keep it fresh in minds.
Tip: Break your content up using subheadings, bullet points and lists. It is far easier to read for human readers and for Google as well.
2. Keywords
Some believe keywords have nothing to do with the optimization of a page. This is far from correct; they are just as necessary for ranking well as they used to be. But it works differently now.
Use More Natural Language: Google’s gotten smarter. It not only looks for the literal words used, but synonyms, and even meaning; that means instead of using a page for one keyword, one will use related words and phrases. Long-tail keywords are those that often tend to be longer and more specific, for example “how to bake a gluten-free chocolate cake” instead of the general term “chocolate cake.” Usually, these keywords tend to have lower search volumes; however, they tend to have a better ranking opportunity among the Google page ranking factors since the people doing such searches tend to display a clearer intent.
Do not keyword spam: Use a few good keyword examples in a super effective way, such as a title tag, headings and the URL. Google hates keyword stuffing hence, use natural writing.
With the help of tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest, one can even get an idea about what people are looking for.
3. Backlinks
Backlinks are votes. Every time other sites mention your page, Google assumes that your content is worth your visitor’s time. But here’s the thing: not all backlinks are created equal.
Quality Over Quantity: One link from a respected site (like a well-known blog or media outlet) is worth more than 100 links from low-quality sites. It’s about who’s linking to you, not how many.
Natural Links Are the Best: Google has a feeling of cheating by its algorithm. Do not buy links or have manipulative link-building attempts in any way. Think more on developing good-quality content which evokes the organic formation of backlink.
Importance of Interlinking: Besides that, interlinking to other pages in a web site is equally important. This will aid crawling toward your website by Google but also increase user participation into the web site.
Content Recommendation: Create content that other people would like to link to. That can range from a tutorial, infographic, or even original research.
4. The Real Demand For Site Speed
Nobody likes to have slow sites, and neither does Google. Slow website may be the nightmare for users, which may jeopardize the ranks.
Optimize Images: Image loads are usually a problem when large. Ensure your images are compressed before uploading. Use newer file types like Web which are much smaller in size and upload much faster.
Select a Qualifying Hosting Provider: The host where your website resides will determine the speed at which your site loads. Most dirt-cheap hosting solutions yield sites with slow loading speeds. Your choice of a suitable hosting provider will go a long way in influencing how quickly your site loads.
Implement Caching: This is where a part of your site loads on a visitor’s computers so you don’t need to download everything on every visit. So, it helps speed it up for revisit visitors.
Recommendation: You have many tools through which you can score your website with Google’s Page Speed Insights or GTmetrix; they also show recommendations.
5. Compatibility with mobile is a MUST.
If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re already behind. More than half of all internet traffic now comes from mobile devices. Google knows this and ranks mobile-friendly sites higher.
Responsive Design: Your website should automatically adjust to fit any screen size. If your site doesn’t look good on mobile, it’s time for a redesign.
Keep it Simple: Mobile navigation is as minimal as possible with small screen sizes. Big buttons, clear fonts, and simple menus work the best. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to test the mobile-friendliness of your website.
6. Importance of User Experience (UX)
Google tracks activity on your website. When visitors leave quickly or don’t engage with your content, this impacts your rankings.
Dwell Time: This is the amount of time users spend on your page. More is always better. Your content must be interesting and engaging.
Easy Navigation: Don’t make your website too complicated. Keep it simple to help users find what they want. Good menus, clean design, and clear calls-to-action will keep users on your page.
Limit Pop-Ups: Pop-ups that intrude on content are annoying. Google hates them. Too many pop-ups can be annoying to visitors and kill your rank.
Tip: Always keep in mind the user. If it is annoying to you, it is probably annoying to them.
7. Make Your Website Secure
Google loves secure websites. If your website isn’t HTTPS (the little padlock in the address bar), it’s time to upgrade.
SSL Certificates: Encrypts data between your site and visitors. So everything is totally secure. Most hosting companies offer free SSL certificates.
Tip: HTTPS is great for SEO, but it will also increase the trust to your visitors. People prefer to engage and trust in a site that is safe.
8. Schema Mark-up: Speak Google’s Language
Schema mark-up can be described as a small code that will help Google to understand your content. Then, this information will show up more often and more visibly in search results for enriched snippets, such as star ratings, product prices, recipe ingredients, and other similar items. Schema mark-up could be added to articles, FAQs, and events. This Google page ranking factors will help Google understand the content of your page better. This means search results may be more attractive and could even bring more clicks.
Resource: Adding schema is not difficult at all, especially with Schema.org or WordPress plugins like Rank Math for non-technical users as well.
9. Local SEO for a Local Business
A good rank for a local business owner is very important in local search results. Google has its criteria for local search, therefore, it’s very much important to know about all the criteria
Claim Your Google Business Profile: Fill it with your business name, address, phone number, business hours, and customer reviews.
Encouragement of Reviews: Positive reviews boost your local search rankings. Encourage happy customers to give a review and interact with those reviews as often as possible.
Important Recommendation: It is very important that the NAP of your business (Name, Address, Phone number) is uniformly depicted everywhere online, on your website and social media as well.
10. E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness
While it is not a direct ranking factor, however, Google cares a lot about E-E-A-T, Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It’s important for websites in sensitive areas like health or finance.
Show Your Credentials: If you’re an expert in your field, make sure that shows on your website. Highlight your qualifications or credentials.
Build Trust: Use testimonials, case studies, and other trust signals to show you’re reliable.
Conclusion
Communicate who you are, why a user should trust your website, and what the big mission is. Ranking on the first page of Google isn’t a trick or shortcut. It requires producing good content and optimizing the website so that it engages the user; it takes time for mutual trust between the user and the search engine. It mainly includes speed, mobile optimization, good content, and good user experience. The basis for positive results is consistency. This is not overnight, but if you make constant improvements in your website, Google is sure to notice this and give you a higher rank. Success is not overnight, but if you are strictly adhering to these Google page ranking factors, you are most likely to be placed among the best-ranked websites.
