Search engines use extremely sophisticated algorithms to determine which pages should be listed on the SERPs for each search term. They collect hundreds of variables for their complex algorithms. These variables are called “ranking factors.”
Search engine algorithms are closely guarded secrets, so we can only guess at which ranking factors hold the most weight. Yet, these are far from random guesses. They are educated hypotheses based on careful observation (positive and negative) and the little information the search engines have given us.
Our knowledge of ranking factors and their level of perceived importance is essential. It is that knowledge which leads us to effective search engine optimization. For example, everyone in the business knows the keyword meta tag has no effect, so we spend no time optimizing that area. Yet the title tag is hugely important, so we make sure that is right 100% of the time.
The Most Important Ranking Factors
There are over 200 ranking factors, but not all of them carry significant weight. We will only concentrate on the most important ones in this article. The most important ranking factors can be split into four categories: on-site, off-site, social and behavioral.
On Site Ranking Factors
On site elements are the elements contained on your web site or web page. The great thing about on site elements is that you usually have full control over them and can therefore maximize their optimization.
URLs – Include the search term you are targeting in the URL.
Title tags - Include the search term you are targeting in the page title.
Headings – Include the search term or variations in the your <H1>, <H2> and <h3> tags.
Age – Search engines tend to favour older sites. This is no different than people trusting older businesses more than new ones.
Off Site Ranking Factors
Off site factors currently appear to carry the most weight. Sometimes you will have control over these elements, most of the time you won’t, which is why the search engines place so much trust in these metrics.
Number of Linking Domains – The number of incoming links from unique domains.
Authority of Linking Domains – The authority of the domains linking to you is more important than the number of domains linking. When it comes to SEO, quality will always trump quantity.
Anchor Text of Inbound Links – Search engines use anchor text as an indicator of which search terms your pages will rank for.
Link Diversity – A strong link profile is natural, meaning all links won’t have the perfect anchor text or come from the biggest sites. If there is no diversity in your links, search engines will question whether you are buying links (which is against their guidelines).
Behavioural Ranking Factors
Behavioural ranking factors are becoming more prevalent. Simply put, search engines are looking to promote those websites people find most useful. They do this using the analytical data they have available, including:
Time on Site - When visitors are engaged, they stay on the page longer.
Bounce Rate – Bounce rate is the number of visitors who landed on your website and left without visiting a second page. This usually indicates they didn’t enjoy your site, or weren’t compelled enough to stick around.
Click Through Rate (CTR) - The CTR on the SERPs is an excellent indication of how relevant your website is for it’s search term. If your website is showing up but no one is clicking, search engines will question whether it is truly relevant.
Social Ranking Factors
Social is becoming increasingly important to search, as search engines learn to evaluate the data better, they will start to use it in an ever increasing amount. With the introduction of Google+, Google now has direct access to much more social data and will be using itaccordingly.
Social Recommendations – So far the only factor that seems to have any impact is how many social recommendations a page has. These social metrics include tweets, likes and +1′s.
