Hi Reader,

I've been deep in the trenches of the SEOSpace SEO Academy, which means my brain is spilling over with SEO information that I'm dying to share with you!

Today I want to talk about Ranking Factors.

When Google is deciding what website to display, it uses something called "ranking factors" to decide which websites show up first on the search page.

If you want people to be able to find your website on a Google search, you need to optimize your website based on these ranking factors. Some are more important than others, so I wanted to spend some time breaking down the top 5 most important ones.

Feel free to read more about all of the 2024 Google Algorithm Ranking Factors. Below is a pie chart that displays everything—notice that the website platform you use is not a ranking factor!

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The Top 5 SEO Ranking Factors Explained

Consistent Publication of Engaging Content

Making up 21% of the pie chart, publishing regular content on your website is the biggest ranking factor. The best way to do this is through a blog. Your blog doesn't have to be a "traditional" blog. In fact, it can be anything from company news to help articles to YouTube videos (with added description text and transcripts for keywords/content on the page).

The only "requirement" of your blog is that it be related to your company and expertise. It has to be tied into the same topics your clients or customers are searching for, and tied into the services/products you are advertising.

If you are new to blogging, a great way to start is by making a list of frequently asked questions and then answer those in a blog format.

Keywords in Meta Title Tags

This is the placement of keywords. Keywords are the words and phrases your target audience is searching Google for. Placing these keywords strategically in the H1 (heading text), SEO title, meta description, URL, site title, and more will make all the difference.

If you are on Squaresapce, the free SEOSpace plugin will show you exactly what meta data you are missing and exactly where to place it.

Backlinks

A backlink is when someone else links to your website from their website. Backlinks are like a popularity contest. The more you have, the more Google looks at you as an "authority". The more it trusts you, the higher you will rank.

You can add your website to an online directory, link your website in social media profiles, publish high quality blog content that other people will want to share, and analyze your competition to see where they are getting backlinks from.

Niche Expertise

The more cohesive your online presence can be, the better. Make sure you are "the" go-to person online for your niche. What is the one thing you want to be "known" for?

Whatever that is, make sure you are sticking to that one topic on all platforms—blog, website, social media, YouTube. Etc.

Aka...if you want to be known for selling "custom handmade chairs", don't blog about your favorite banana bread recipes on your business website or share breakfast recipes on your business social media account. 😉

User Engagement

I spoke about user experience in my last email. Google analyzes the overall user experience on your website using Chrome data. This means Google is looking at how long users stay on your website, if they scroll, and if they click to other pages.

How do you make your website user friendly? Here are my quick and dirty UX tips:

• As much as possible, use black text on a white background (especially for paragraph text and content that needs to be read).
• Use high contracting colors. You can use this contract checker to see how your website does.
• Consolidate your navigation. In general I don't recommend "tabs" in your navigation. If people have to "click" and then "back click" and "click" again, etc, they are not going to stay on your site very long. It's better to consolidate heavy content on one page with popups, accordions, tabs, and scrolling navigation. This will keep people on your site for much longer. People will probably only click 2 times before they "convert", so make sure they can get to your email list/sales page, etc in 2 clicks or less!
• Make sure your text is at least 12pts or larger. People will skim over small text, especially on mobile. You may want to optimize your text size different for mobile vs desktop, but either way make sure it's at least 12pts (or .9 rem). Personally, I recommend making paragraph text between 14-15pts.
• Avoid cursive fonts, except for "decoration". Use Sans-Serif fonts for paragraph text.

Did you know Google actually scans and "reads" your website visually? Yep, following some of these best practices for user experience can make a big difference in your SEO and will help you convert more traffic into sales.

☞ Wondering how your website is doing in these areas? Reply to this email for a free SEO/UX audit or reach out for some help!

Until next time,