Do you want more organic website traffic? The best way to do that is with the right SEO strategy.
And it starts with knowing the top Google ranking factors.
Grab a chair flamigo and read on!
In this post we are continuing our SEO chat with our flamigo and Captiva partner, Brian Loebig. What are the top 3 Google ranking factors?
1. Website On Page User Experience - Is your customer journey on your website self-intuitive? Is your website secure? Your on-page user experience matters. Here's your checklist on how your website is rated:
EAT Quality Content: Meaning Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. If your site is built around a "Your Money or Your Life" (YMYL) topic, then demonstrating EAT is a priority. Additionally, make sure your content is skimmable, readable (written in conversational language at about 8th grade level), keyword rich, and relevant.
User Navigation: Keep your navigation simple, familiar, and intuitive. Nothing too weird or fancy. Also, make sure the menu is easy to navigate on mobile.
Page Loading Speed: How fast your website loads can impact bounce rate and session time on your site, which also affects SEO. Hosting and image size are among the top culprits, as we discussed in this article on website mistakes and how to fix them.
Meta Descriptions: A short summary of what a page is about. Don't use the default text, write your own, and include your top keyword.
H1 Tags: This is the top headline that describes the topic of your page and its content. Make sure to include the top keyword you want to rank for on that page.
Title Tags: The HTML code tag gives a web page a title that appears on the browser title bar. Update the default text so it's more user friendly.
Security Certificate: Ever visit a website where you get a warning that it's not safe? The s in https (as opposed to just plain old http) stands for secure. Don't lose traffic because your website is not secure.
2. Backlinks - A backlink is a link to your page that comes from another website. They help build credibility/authority on your website. A few good sites to target are Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau (allows you to create a listing), industry specific or membership sites, and churches. If you support Nonprofits, get a backlink on their partner pages. Remember: One link from one quality domain is much better than multiple links from several low-authority websites.
3. Set Up Your Google Business Profile - This is the easiest way to rank locally. ICYMI, we showed you how to do this last week. Click here to check it out.