All the Factors that Influence Ranking in Google Search

Nowadays, about 200 parameters are considered to be relevant to Google when it comes to site ranking in search results. Since the most important search engine worldwide constantly changes and improves its algorithm in order to provide the users with the most relevant results, there isn’t a clearly defined list of parameters. However, experience has shown that some factors are important for search engine optimization. There is an official confirmation from Google that some of those factors influence site ranking, but many other factors have been discovered by SEO experts.

Here are some of the currently known official and ‘’unofficial’’ parameters considered to be important for site ranking in search results for certain keywords. We have divided them into 40 categories, mentioning over 150 parameters.

How old a domain is

Google said that an older domain has an almost negligible advantage in ranking compared to newer domains, but experience has shown that this factor is still influential. Older domains are still a clear sign that the site is relevant.

Key phrases in the domain name

This is another parameter which is becoming less important, but still exists. Nowadays, it is not crucial to have the keyword in the domain name itself to ensure a good ranking for a site, but there are still some benefits of this. Also, it used to be imperative that the keyword be at the beginning of the domain name and that used to be more effective than inserting the keyword in the middle or at the end. For example, it was better to say carairconditioningddd.com than dddcarairconditioning.com.

For how long has the domain been rented

If the domain has been rented for several years in advance, that is considered to be potentially useful, because Google gets the message - ‘’We are serious and we intend to last’’.

Public information on the WhoIs

If the information about domain name owner are invisible (private), that can be potentially bad, because it indicates that something could be hidden. Also, the person the domain belongs to shouldn’t have a ‘’history’’ with Google, having been characterized as a spammer in the past.

National domain

It is recommended that you choose a national domain (rs, ba, me and so on) if you are interested in a good ranking in your own country. However, when it comes to international projects, it is always better to choose a .com domain.

Tags

Title tags must contain the keyword. Title tags are extremely important for search engine optimization. Ideally, the keyword should be in the beginning of a title tag.

Although some say that the description is not so significant, it is still recommended that you insert the word for which you would like your site to be ranked in description tags. Keywords should be in the H1 tag too for a good SEO.

The concept

Proper site conceptualization, based on keyword occurrence analysis, can be a very important contribution to site ranking. Conceptualization creates the structure of the site and it enables the creation of a higher number of well-organized pages.

Keyword occurrence and text length

Keywords that appear in title tags, descriptions and H1 tags must appear in the page content too. It is necessary to repeat the phrase many times throughout the text to ensure that the robots make a connection and realize that the content is relevant. SEO experts insist on the importance of making the text detailed. Some analyses have shown that pages that are located on the first page of Google Search contain more than 2,000 words on average. It is also important not to exaggerate with keyword occurrence, since this is counterproductive. When it comes to site content, it is important to know that the duplicated content affects SEO negatively. Even if you change the text slightly, it will still be recognized as a duplicate.

The content is the key

Quality site content, created in accordance with SEO principles, is of key importance for ranking.

The key phrase that appears in the title of the page should appear in the beginning of the text. According to some indicators, the keyword should be among the first 100 words of the text. It is also desirable to include the keyword in subheadings, which should be in H2 and H3 tags.

Above all, the site content must be unique, not copied from another site.

Although additions such as exchange lists, calculators and so on don’t fall directly into textual content, according to some SEO experts they can also provide a slight contribution.

Synonyms

The content interspersed with key phrases gains further importance if synonyms of the keyword are also mentioned throughout the text, as well as the related terms. The so-called secondary and tertiary phrases convince the robots that the page content is precisely about the thing mentioned in the title.

These secondary and tertiary keywords should be placed in the title tag and the H1 tag of some other pages of your site.

Site loading speed

Another indicator of the site quality that Google pays attention to is the loading speed, which is also important from the point of view of user experience, because visitors can give up visiting sites that load slowly.

Optimization of the photos

Many people forget about optimization of the photos on the site, but from the point of view of SEO it is also important. They must have alt tags and preferably also descriptions with the keyword.

Photo and video content

If a page contains photo and video content beside the text, it also helps Google position the site.

Content upgrades

Content upgrades are important both for the robot and the site visitor. There is the date of publishing or updating of the text in the search results, so a newer date sends a positive signal that the page is ‘’alive’’, so it is assumed that the content is updated.

Google is also influenced by new content, as well as new categories and so on. Content update frequency is also important. Is the content added and altered on a daily or weekly basis? – This is the question whose response determines the search results ranking of a site.

Outbound links

Many SEO experts agree that an outbound link that leads to a significant website can be a positive sign and confirm what you do. However, outbound links should be an exception, rather than a rule. Too many links to external websites will, in most cases, make your site ranking worse.

Internal linking

The page of a site toward which links from other pages lead will be considered more relevant. Consequently, if pages that already have a certain importance lead to it, that will give better results.

Invalid links

Invalid links send a negative sign and you should ensure that there are as few of them as possible.

Affiliate links

If you exaggerate with affiliate links, you can become suspicious to Google, so it will pay more attention to checking other parameters of your site.

HTML errors

If there is a significant number of these errors, they can worsen the relevance of the site.

Domain relevance

Pages of a strong domain will have an advantage in ranking compared to pages from new or unreliable domains.

Page rank

In most cases, pages with a higher page rank have an advantage in ranking in Google Search, although that is not always the case. Many SEO experts agree that, lately, the importance of this parameter is declining.

URL length and structure

Not only are too long URLs esthetically uninviting, but they can also be a negative sign. Also, URL structure must be ‘’clean’’, that is, it must contain words, rather than meaningless signs. Keywords should appear in the URL and, according to some experts, even the category, which shows where the page is placed (in which category). The category is also important and it indicates relevance. Therefore, the page ‘’PVC windows’’ has an advantage when it is in the ‘’Windows’’ category.

Numbering

It is desirable that the content have numbering and the so-called bullets. This is also good for the readers because it divides the text and makes it easier to read.

Contact information

It is useful if the site has all the necessary data on the ‘’Contact’’ page, including a map with your location, and it is even better if the data match the data of the domain owner.

The structure

A proper site ‘’architecture’’ and content categorization give a positive effect. If that is not the case, it is more difficult for the visitors to browse the site and the number of visitors is high only on one page, which is also an indicator of the site quality.

The number of pages

A high number of pages (with a quality content) makes the site relevant for Google.

Sitemap

It is necessary so that the robot can ‘’read’’ the content of your site more quickly and easily.

Uptime

If the site has frequent ‘’crashes’’, this will jeopardize its rating.

SSL certificates

Google has confirmed that SSL certificates are considered to be one of the ranking factors.

Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

These two pages send Google a sign that the site is reliable and that it has its own rules and that it complies with established standards of Internet conduct.

Breadcrumb

It helps with navigation, so visitors find it easier to browse the site and it is one of the factors that influence a general impression of the site.

Site adaptability to mobile devices

We have written about this in the past few weeks. Briefly, ‘’mobile friendly’’ sites are, and will be, in a much better position in search results than sites that are not ‘’mobile friendly’’.

You Tube

Google owns You Tube and doesn’t mind you putting videos from this site to yours. On the contrary.

Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools

Using these tools is not enough for a better ranking, but with their help Google receives a number of valuable data about your site which helps it determine the rating of the site.

Inbound links

There is no doubt that inbound links are one of the most important factors when it comes to search results.