For example, if someone searches for the best WordPress plugins, the top results are mostly listicles. The authors and Google believe that these searchers want to compare and likely install a new WordPress plugin. In spite of that average, there’s no way to write the “perfect” number of words. The perfect length for any piece of content is dependent on the reader’s goal and the subject matter. If your content is duplicated or too similar to other web pages, it could negatively impact your SEO. Let me know if you want to continue with more details in a specific section or if there’s another focus you’d prefer.
High-quality content
More people use mobile than desktop to search for services, especially local ones. If your small business relies on local traffic, you can’t afford to ignore mobile optimization. In essence, HTTPS and other aspects of page experience are signals used by Google’s core ranking systems, not standalone ones. “Ranking systems are different than ranking signals (systems typically make use of signals). We had some things listed on that page relating to page experience as ‘systems’ that were actually signals. However, it’s important to use keywords judiciously to avoid keyword stuffing, which can harm your rankings.
For the purposes of brevity, in this section we will just highlight the particularly noteworthy results. Again, please consult the raw performance data if you wish to examine it for additional factors. Readable content enhances user experience, encouraging visitors to stay longer on your site, which reduces bounce rates and signals to Google that your content is valuable. By focusing on what the audience is searching for and providing comprehensive, relevant information, you increase the likelihood that search engines will rank your content higher. Instead of using generic file names like IMG1234.jpg, using descriptive names helps search engines understand and rank the image appropriately. Alt text (alternative text) provides a textual description of images, which is essential for search engines to understand the content and context of the image.
Each version must have the same title tags and meta descriptions, too. Average engagement time reflects how long visitors were actively engaged with the content on your site. Google Business Manager, formerly Google My Business, is how you manage your Google Business Profile. Signing up for it is completely free and is something every local business owner should use. Let’s bring things to a close with a few local SEO tools you may find useful.
- It’s vital to remember that SEO isn’t only about improving rankings – it’s a wider strategy that focuses on attracting the right sort of customer to your business.
- Search engines are like librarians, with search engines curating, organizing, and serving the Internet’s content library to billions of users worldwide.
- Mueller begins his answer by rebutting the rote and outdated SEO practice of mechanically adding keywords to the headings in the belief that heading tags are still a ranking factor.
- That said, some reputable people have documented strong correlations between E-A-T and ranking.
- While social media can be beneficial for brand awareness and traffic, it is not a primary ranking factor.
- Analyze their keyword mix, search volume, difficulty, and rankings to understand their SEO strategies and identify potential gaps or opportunities for your website.
Getting a local business to rank highly on search engines is becoming much more difficult. Local SEO has become increasingly competitive as more and more businesses recognize that they need to optimize for local searches – both for the local pack, and for localized organic rankings. Meeting users in these new places starts with understanding the ranking factors powering these AI experiences. Since 2023, our team has been researching how these platforms and language models generate responses and how to improve an organization’s visibility in these responses.
Recent updates to Google Search documentation have led to speculation about the importance of HTTPS and Page Experience for search rankings. BHS Links To begin our research, we worked with Matt to create a list of of 2,000 random search queries from the 2013 Ranking Factors study. We selected a representative sample of queries, some with as few as one search term (“hdtv”), others as long as five (“oklahoma city outlet mall stores”) and everything in between.
Helpful Content (On-Page SEO)
A strong ROI indicates that your organic strategies translate directly into profit. A month later, the average time doubled and feedback improved noticeably. For one educational blog, the “beginner’s guide” articles initially had an average viewing time of under 30 seconds. In my audits, I use DA as an initial measure to assess ranking potential. Domain Authority, developed by Moz, estimates how likely a site is to rank highly in search results. Although Google does not officially use DA, many SEO professionals find it useful.
Search engines like Google place a high value on original content, rewarding websites that offer unique insights, perspectives, or information not found elsewhere. These models are designed to grasp the nuances of human language, allowing them to evaluate the quality, relevance, and value of content in a way that mimics human judgment. Optimizing for LLMs means your content should be understood by AI language models. HigherVisibility has delivered exemplary results since taking over our SEO/PPC accounts.
By prioritizing page or user experience, you can improve key performance indicators of your website’s SEO. Overall, SEOBoost makes on-page SEO easy, meaning more visibility in search engines for your content. Now, let’s move into the shadows of the grey zone, where tactics, strategies, and ranking factors get mixed up. While plenty of social media pages rank highly in search results, Google representatives deny that social signals impact the rankings of website pages.