As an SEO professional with years of experience under my belt, I’ve learned that success in SEO is all about mastering a select few critical ranking factors. If you’re looking to cut through the noise and boost your Google rankings, these are the 11 factors you should be paying close attention to.

Understanding SEO: How to Rank Higher on Google?

People often wonder how Google’s ranking system operates. Before we dive into specific ranking factors, let’s answer some fundamental SEO questions.

What Does “Ranking” Mean in SEO? In SEO, “ranking” denotes the position of your content on search engine results pages (SERPs). A #1 ranking means your page appears first in response to a search query, excluding promoted results and special features like featured snippets and answer boxes.

Securing a spot in the top 3 is beneficial, as click-through rates increase nearer to the top position. Even being on the first page, within the top 10, is advantageous, as a significant majority of users don’t venture beyond the first page.

What Criteria Does Google Use for SEO?

Google’s aim is to organize and present relevant and accessible information worldwide. Here’s a brief overview of how Google’s search process works:

  1. Google’s bots crawl the web.
  2. They add correctly optimized, crawlable pages to Google’s index.
  3. For searches, Google displays the most relevant results based on its algorithms.

These algorithms consider various factors to rank content. Essential factors include the quality of information and the page’s titles and meta descriptions, which influence click-through rates.

How Does Google Rank Content?

Google’s approach to ranking content is multifaceted, with a significant focus on the quality and relevance of information. This process involves analyzing various factors, with a crucial emphasis on the concept of E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

  1. Experience: This new addition to the E-A-T principle emphasizes the value of personal experience in content creation. Google recognizes that firsthand experience and personal narratives can significantly enhance the authenticity and relevance of content, especially in subjects where formal expertise is not strictly necessary.
  2. Expertise: The expertise of the content creator plays a critical role. Google looks for content created by individuals with demonstrable knowledge or skills in a particular field, especially in topics that require professional or specialized knowledge.
  3. Authoritativeness: This factor assesses the credibility of the website and the content creator. It involves determining the authority of both the author and the content within the context of the subject matter. Websites and authors recognized as authorities or go-to sources in their field tend to rank higher.
  4. Trustworthiness: Trustworthiness relates to the accuracy, transparency, and legitimacy of the website and its content. Google evaluates whether a site provides reliable information and whether it’s a trustworthy source for users.

Incorporating E-E-A-T into your SEO strategy involves producing content that reflects direct experience when relevant, demonstrating expertise, establishing authority in your field, and ensuring that your site and content are trustworthy and accurate.

This approach is particularly important for websites that fall under the “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) categories, such as healthcare, finance, and legal advice, where accurate and reliable information is critical.

Backlinks from authoritative sites are like a vote of confidence in your content. Google takes note of this trust and rewards your site accordingly. But remember, the quality of backlinks matters far more than quantity. It’s about getting links from trusted, relevant sources. Think of it as a recommendation: you’d trust one from an industry leader over a stranger, right?

Example: Let’s say you run a health and fitness blog. Acquiring a backlink from a high-authority site like Healthline would do wonders for your rankings.

2. Search Intent: Delivering What Users Want

Understanding and meeting user search intent is an absolute game-changer. Google’s aim is to provide users with the most relevant results for their queries, and if your content aligns with the user’s intent, you’re golden. Are they looking to make a purchase, seeking information, or trying to reach a particular site? These are the questions you need to ask and answer with your content.

Take, for instance, the keyword “best running shoes.” If you’re writing an article targeting this keyword, ensure it’s a comprehensive buying guide rather than a blog about the history of running shoes. Why? Because the search intent behind “best running shoes” is likely commercial. Users are looking to compare and buy, not to learn about shoe history.

3. Content Depth: Authority through Comprehensive Coverage

Long-form, in-depth content not only satisfies search intent but also positions you as an authority in your field. It’s about creating rich, valuable content that delves deep into the topic at hand. Remember, your content is the backbone of your SEO strategy.

If you’re writing about “How to do yoga at home,” don’t just provide a list of exercises. Go deeper. Explain the benefits of each pose, the correct form, common mistakes, the best time to practice, and more. Such comprehensive content makes for a better user experience and gives Google more context for understanding (and ranking) your page.

4. Site Speed: Because Time is of the Essence

The digital age has left us with short attention spans. If your site takes too long to load, users will bounce, and Google will notice. So, optimize your site’s speed to enhance user experience and win favor with Google.

You might need to compress images, minify code, or leverage browser caching. Every second counts. When I reduced the load time of my website from seven seconds to three, I saw a significant decrease in bounce rate and an improvement in SERP rankings.

5. Page Experience: More Than Just Looks

A pleasant page experience goes a long way in reducing bounce rates and ensuring users stick around. This involves site speed, mobile-friendliness, secure browsing (HTTPS), and preventing intrusive interstitials (pop-ups that block content).

For example, if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, users will have a hard time navigating your content, leading to increased bounce rates. In turn, Google will lower your ranking. So, ensure your site is accessible and user-friendly on all devices.

6. Mobile Site Experience: Because Phones are Everywhere

The majority of online traffic now comes from mobile devices. If your site isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re missing out on a huge chunk of potential traffic. More importantly, Google has moved to mobile-first indexing, meaning it primarily uses the mobile version of your content for indexing and ranking. Ensure your site’s design is responsive, and that text, images, and buttons are properly sized for mobile viewing.

7. Content Structure and Relevance: Organize for Success

Google loves structured, relevant content. By organizing your content into sections with headers and subheaders (H1, H2, H3 tags), you make it easier for Google to understand your content. Also, the incorporation of structured data, such as schema markup, can help you achieve rich results, enhancing your visibility on the SERPs.

8. Dwell Time: Keep Them Hooked

The longer a user stays on your site, the more value they’re likely deriving from it. Higher dwell time signals to Google that your site provides value, and is therefore worth ranking higher.

Interactive elements, such as videos, quizzes, or surveys, can help increase dwell time. For example, on my site, I often include relevant YouTube videos or create custom infographics to keep my visitors engaged and interested.

9. Domain Authority: Your Site’s Reputation

Think of Domain Authority (DA) as your site’s reputation score. Sites with a higher DA tend to rank better on SERPs. You can improve your DA by creating quality content, earning high-quality backlinks, and maintaining an active social media presence.

10. Crawlability: Let Google Understand You

Google can’t rank what it can’t see. If search engine bots can’t crawl your site, they can’t understand or index your content. Improve your site’s crawlability by implementing a robust internal linking structure, using a well-formatted XML sitemap, and fixing broken or dead links.

11. HTTPS: Secure Browsing

Secure websites rank higher on Google. Not only does it make your website more trustworthy to your visitors, but Google has also marked HTTPS as a ranking signal. This means that if your website is not secure, you’re likely to be outranked by secure websites.

Remember, SEO is a long-term game. Don’t expect immediate results. Patience, along with adherence to these 11 principles, will see your site climb the ranks.