People generally assume that “SEO ranking” refers to a website’s overall position in search engine results pages (SERPs), however there are numerous factors that go into calculating an SEO score and ranking; each search engine protects their proprietary formulas closely for each algorithm used; having an understanding of these components will enable you to make better informed decisions when it comes to creating your SEO strategy moving forward.
SEO ranking factors vary between search engines and countries, since each search engine uses its own algorithm to establish rankings for search pages containing similar keyword sets. As a result, websites or pages using those same keywords could rank highly in some search engines while not in others even when both use identical sets of keywords.
Content is at the core of SEO. This includes everything from what your target audience searches for in search bars to your site structure and mobile optimization. Your title tag and H1 meta tags should contain keywords you wish to rank for, while content must be both high-quality and relevant for their intended users.
Link building is another key aspect of SEO, and the quality of inbound links has a tremendous effect on your rankings. Links should relate to the topic at hand and come from authoritative websites likely to share your target audience. Anchor text selection should also be carefully considered – instead of using “click here,” try using something descriptive like “free business growth tips.”
On-site SEO refers to optimizing your site for search engines, from checking that meta tags are accurate to making sure code is clean and up-to-date. Furthermore, On-page optimizations such as using keywords efficiently and making sure the page loads quickly are also part of this practice.
Off-site SEO refers to optimizing external aspects of your website and social media that have an effect on SEO rankings, such as claiming and optimizing Google My Business listings, managing reviews and ratings and maintaining active social media profiles. This may involve tasks such as claiming and optimizing these listings for Google My Business listings as well as maintaining up-to-date social media profiles.
Emerging verticals in search, including voice search, local searches and image/video searches are becoming more important every day, yet still depend heavily on SEO principles for functioning effectively. Therefore it’s crucial that marketers stay abreast of digital marketing developments so they can optimize their websites and content to achieve optimal outcomes.
Though it can be challenging to determine the impact of any particular SEO strategy on your ranking, reviewing results over time is the most reliable way of measuring its efficacy. Comparing your results against those of competitors allows you to see which tactics are working and identify any areas for improvement.