Ever since the first website was created, search engine optimization, or SEO, has been an integral part of marketing. It is now a vital component for small business success. Even larger companies are making it their strategy to rank higher on Google, Yahoo!, and Bing by making their company website more visible to potential customers who might be searching through those sites with keywords related to their products or services.

SEO is a great way to increase traffic and visibility. It has become a valuable tool for businesses to have their sites be more visible, thus creating higher traffic to their site. This means having a better chance of catching the eye of potential customers. But SEO is not something you should do in haste or without any research since many factors can affect your page rank.

SEO is no longer just about keyword density or meta tags; there are many other factors that can affect your ranking in the SERPs (search engine result pages). Content, social media marketing, link building, and website design all play a crucial role in achieving top rankings. In this blog, we will talk through these factors and how they affect your performance and ranking in the SERPs.

Content is the key

The first thing that Google considers when it ranks a web page is the quality of its content. The algorithm used by the search engine to rank web pages takes into consideration factors like content freshness, relevancy, and popularity. The content of your web page has to be compelling enough to engage potential customers and win over them to take action (whether it is to make a purchase or fill out their details in your lead capture form).

The content on your web page has to be long enough to provide customers with the information they need or convince them about why they need what you are offering. It should contain not only keywords but also include information that can help solve problems or answer questions. Just make sure that it is not full of fluff and filler words. Keep it clean, simple, and to the point.

Keywords 

Keywords are the centerpiece of SEO. They are an important element to be included in your web page content because this is what helps Google know what your site is all about and how it relates to the search term being used by potential customers searching for your product or service. Without the right keywords, your web page might not be able to rank well in the SERPs.

Keywords are also pivotal for your meta tags and meta descriptions. Just make sure that your keyword density will not jeopardize the user experience. Create content for your target market, not for your keywords.

The best way to find out which keyword you should use is through keyword research. Once you have determined which keywords are related to your business, include them in your content. It would be best to use your targeted keywords or keyword phrases several times on the web pages you want to rank high. 

Note: Consider using Google’s keyword tool to determine which keywords you should use and how often to include them in your content. 

Page structure and website design

The manner you structure the pages on your site is an important ranking factor as well. Structuring your pages in a user-friendly and SEO-friendly way is essential to achieving top rankings and improving user experience (UX). Your navigation menus should provide an avenue for users to find the content of interest. You need your site to be easy to navigate so that it will not frustrate potential customers.

Another essential factor that affects SEO is website design. While it doesn’t directly affect your rankings in any way, good design is necessary if you want to achieve top rankings and build customer confidence. Make sure that when potential customers land on your site, they will find it appealing and easy to navigate.

Backlinks from other websites 

Backlinks are important, but you need to be careful not to spam sites with irrelevant links that don’t provide any value for the reader. It’s a good idea to get links from other websites that are related to your niche, which will provide value for the reader. The more backlinks your site has, the higher it will rank in search engines.

Google needs to find out if quality sites link back to you and what value that link holds. If other websites keep on linking back to you, then you have a good chance of ranking high in search results. One way to earn good backlinks is through guest blogging on another blog site in your niche.

Social media presence

Not only does social media help you establish credibility and authority, but it can also help you connect with customers and potential clients. Social media platforms can help you be more visible and relevant in the eyes of search engines. You can use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Pinterest to make announcements about your site or business. They are also the perfect avenue to provide updates about what you are offering.

Having a social media presence can increase customer engagement, brand awareness, and website traffic. In other words, social signals from likes, shares, and tweets can affect your rankings.

Mobile optimization

If you’re going after mobile users, then you should have a responsive design so that every visitor has an optimal experience on their device of choice. You need to make sure that your site is optimized for all devices so that you will not lose any potential customer who is searching on their phone, tablet, or desktop computer.  

Google rewards mobile-friendly web pages with higher rankings. If you have a non-responsive design, Google might drop your ranking. According to Statista, 80.76% of the world’s population owns a smartphone. You don’t want to fail to benefit from the traffic that mobile devices can provide.

Site speed

A fast-loading website ranks better than a slow-loading one, and Google takes the page load time of your web pages into consideration when ranking them. If you want your site to rank high, then consider the speed of your web pages. 

Time is valuable. If your website takes time to load, you might lose potential customers who are looking for an alternative website to fulfill their needs. Slow loading times will discourage people from visiting again, so make sure everything loads quickly.

Note: You can implement Google’s PageSpeed Insights tools to find out where there are optimizations that need to be done on your web pages.

To get the most out of your SEO, you need to have a firm grasp of these factors and how they can help or hurt your website. Yes, many other factors can affect your ranking, but making these seven factors the foundation of your SEO, you can be confident that your website will get the page rank you deserve. Whether you’re a newbie or an expert, we hope this blog post has been helpful.

Which factor from this article do you think has been most influential in affecting your SERP ranking? Let us know by commenting below!