So… this question of… how should I order my H1, H2, H3, headings and what should the content be, that’s something from my point of view isn’t really that relevant. I think in general, headings are a bit overrated in the sense that it’s very easy to… get pulled into lots of theoretical discussions on what the optimal headings should be. In Darren’s excellent talk on the 2020 Local Search Ranking Factors, he also shared the most important GMB conversion factors that the experts believe are most likely to affect user behavior.
Clicking the Show Intent button beside your keyword reveals its intent instantly. Optimized content begins with understanding and addressing search intent. This means creating content that directly answers the queries and meets the needs of your target audience. Search engines penalize duplicate content because it offers no new value to users. Original content, on the other hand, provides unique perspectives and insights, setting a website apart from its competitors. That’s why we offer a free and Premium version of our WordPress plugin, allowing you to get started with SEO without too much trouble.
Pay attention to Bing Webmaster Tools to assist you with your SEO strategy. Instead, Google wants businesses and SEO professionals to think about HTTPS differently. This led to people questioning whether Google changed its direction regarding secure domains.
Google’s quality raters are instructed to look at a site’s off-site reputation. Make it easy for Google to know WHO wrote a particular piece of content. In fact, Google employs thousands of “Quality Raters” to measure how well the search results satisfy search intent. If you want to rank for a keyword, you need to use that keyword on your page.
If your site takes too long to load or isn’t optimized for mobile devices, users are likely to leave, which results in a higher bounce rate and lower dwell time. Applying these proven techniques can significantly improve your website’s SEO ranking. Understanding and optimizing for key SEO ranking factors is important for enhancing your website’s performance and improving its visibility in search engine results. Here’s a comprehensive look at the major elements that contribute to an effective SEO strategy.
Solutions for Duplicate Content Issues
But the real value is tracking your impressions and clicks over time. If they’re moving on’ up, it’s clear that these SEO best practices are working. If you don’t have the Google Search Console setup, you’re flying blind with your SEO.
#18 – Updated Content
Consumers still see search engines as a go-to resource for information, and marketers still report massive long-term gains in implementing SEO strategies. To avoid this, make sure your NAP matches exactly across your Google Business Profile, website, social media, and all online directories. If your business has ever changed locations, phone numbers, or branding, check for outdated listings and update or remove any incorrect information. I have 25 years hands-on experience in SEO, evolving along with the search engines by keeping up with the latest …
Here’s an analysis by Backlinko that shows that having a keyword in the title tag is proportional to higher SERP rankings. When you use structured data, you can get your pages to appear as BHS Links rich snippets on the Google search results page. You also stand a chance to rank in the featured snippets, which are the first search result for a search query. The more people click on your page in search results, the more Google will consider your content as relevant for a particular search query. For every piece of content that you create, you need to have one primary or target keyword and a few LSI keywords.
- BrightLocal’s study shows that 34% of SEOs think on-page signals are the most important factor for regular organic search.
- Note – while product schema is an important optimization for this ranking factor, we’ve categorized it under a separate ranking factor, structured data.
- Now let’s dig down and see what optimizing content for SEO really means.
- Our ranking systems consider the words in domain names as one of many factors to determine if content is relevant to a search.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Google Rankings
Interestingly, having a Google Business Profile was cited as the #1 ranking factor for small businesses in a recent survey of marketers. Let’s look at these 3 types of links to understand how and why they can affect your rankings. For any given keyword, the articles ranking at the top are deemed the best on the subject. Google rewards websites that load quickly, are easy to navigate, and provide a seamless experience across devices. As search algorithms evolve, the need to create high-quality, relevant content and optimize technical elements persists.