Introduction
Google is the most popular search engine in the world, and as a business owner, it’s important to understand how it works and how you can optimize your website for better visibility. In this guide, we’ll cover everything from the basics of SEO to more advanced techniques that will help your website rank higher on the search engine results pages (SERPs) using Google Ranking Algorithms.
At the end of this guide, you should have a better understanding of how Google ranks websites and what you can do to improve your own website’s visibility.
What Is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a website in the search engines, typically through increased organic search traffic. There are two main types of SEO: on-page SEO and off-page SEO.
On-page SEO
On-page SEO is the process of optimizing a website’s content and structure to improve its ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). One of the most important factors in on-page SEO is the presence of keywords – words and phrases that potential customers are likely to search for when looking for products or services like those offered by your business.
Google’s search algorithm takes into account a variety of factors when determining which websites to rank for a given keyword. One of the most important of these factors is the presence of keywords on the website itself. For your website to rank highly for a particular keyword, it must contain that keyword (or a close variant thereof) in its content.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should stuff your website full of keywords in an attempt to game the system. Google’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to detect when a website is engaging in keyword stuffing and will penalize it accordingly. Instead, focus on creating high-quality, keyword-rich content that will be valuable to your potential customers.
In addition to the presence of keywords, Google also looks at the overall structure of your website when determining its ranking. That we will discuss in the sections further.
Off-page SEO
Off-page SEO refers to the things you can do outside of your website to improve your visibility, such as building backlinks from high-quality websites.
Google looks at a variety of factors when determining the ranking of a website. One of these factors is the number and quality of backlinks pointing to the website.
A backlink is simply a link from one website to another. When a website links to your site, it’s effectively giving your site a vote of confidence. The more votes you have, the higher you will rank in the search engines.
For a backlink to be high quality, it must come from a website that is itself high quality. This means that the website should be popular, have relevant and keyword-rich content, and be well-linked.
One way to get high-quality backlinks is to guest post on popular blogs or websites in your industry. This involves writing an article for another website and including a link back to your site.
Another way to get high-quality backlinks is to create informative and shareable content on your websites, such as infographics or blog posts. When other people find this content valuable and share it on their websites, they will effectively be giving your website a vote of confidence.
As we mentioned before, SEO is the process of improving the visibility of a website in search engines. And looking into the step-by-step process of how google executes this will benefit you twofold. Not only will it give you a better understanding of how SEO works, but also help you troubleshoot any problems you might be having with your own website’s ranking.
How Does Google Ranking Work On Websites?
Google uses a complex algorithm to rank websites on the search engine results pages (SERPs). This algorithm takes into account over 200 different ranking factors, including things like the quality of your website’s content, the number of backlinks you have, and your website’s loading speed.
However, there is the main process that Google uses to determine where your website should appear on the SERPs. This process can be broken down into three steps: To fully understand how Google ranks websites, we need to take a look at the bigger picture.
The Crawling Process
The first step in Google’s ranking process is crawling. Crawling is when Google sends out its web crawlers (also called “spiders”) to discover new websites and understand what they’re about.
Google’s crawlers will visit your website, look at your website’s code, read your website’s content, and follow any links on your website to other websites. Once the crawlers have discovered and indexed your website, Google will begin to rank it.
The Indexing Process
After crawling your website, Google will index your pages in its database. Indexing is when Google stores information about your website’s pages in its system so that it can later be retrieved by users who are searching for your website.
Google uses a complex algorithm to decide which pages from the millions of websites it has crawled should be indexed and displayed in the search results. This process is known as “ranking.”
Ranking Your Website
Google’s ranking algorithm is made up of over 200 different factors, including things like the quality of your website’s content, the number of backlinks you have, and your website’s loading speed. However, there are a few key ranking factors that are more important than others.
Some of the most important ranking factors include:
The quality of your website’s content:
Google wants to show users the best possible results, so it will prioritize websites with high-quality, well-written content. Make sure your website’s content is clear, concise, and informative to give yourself the best chance of ranking high in the search results.
The number of backlinks you have:
As mentioned above, backlinks are an important part of SEO. Google will give more weight to websites with a large number of high-quality backlinks. So, if you want to improve your website’s ranking, focus on getting more backlinks from other websites.
Your website’s loading speed:
Google knows that users don’t like to wait, so it will prioritize websites that load quickly. Make sure your website is optimized for speed to improve your chances of ranking high in the search results.
Title tags and meta descriptions:
These are the short pieces of text that appear in the search results underneath your website’s title. They need to be well-written and accurate to help improve your click-through rate (the number of people who click on your website’s listing in the search results).
Search intent:
This is what a user is looking for when they perform a search. Google will try to match the user’s search query with the best possible result, so it’s important to make sure your website is relevant to the user’s searches.
Keywords:
These are the words and phrases that users type into the search bar. Google uses these to match a user’s search query with the most relevant websites. Make sure to include relevant keywords on your website to improve your chances of ranking high in the search results.
Domain authority:
This is a measure of how popular and trustworthy your website is. Google will give higher rankings to websites with strong domain authority.
Website security:
Google wants its users to be safe, so it will prioritize websites that have SSL certificates and are HTTPS compliant.
Mobile-friendliness:
Google knows that more and more people are using their mobile devices to search the web, so it will give higher rankings to mobile-friendly websites.
The above are just some of the many factors that Google takes into account when ranking a website. While it’s impossible to cover all 200+ ranking factors in one article, by understanding the most important ones, you can give your website the best chance of ranking high in the search results.
That being said, we cannot predict what formula google follows next, we do know that they are constantly tweaking and updating their algorithm. As a result, SEO is an ever-changing field, and it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices.
What Can You Do To Improve Your Website’s Visibility?
There are several things you can do to improve your website’s visibility, including:
1. Optimize your website for the search engines: Make sure your website is optimized for the search engines by doing things like using relevant keywords, improving your website’s loading speed, and making sure your site is mobile-friendly.
2. Improve your website’s content: As we mentioned above, the quality of your website’s content is one of the most important ranking factors. Make sure your content is well-written and informative to give yourself the best chance of ranking high in the search results.
3. Get more backlinks: You can do this by guest blogging, creating infographics, and other link-building strategies.
However, do not go overboard. There are several types of linking methods that one should use wisely as some of them could result in being banned from Google. These are the methods you should avoid:
- Buying links: This is a big no-no. Google will penalize your website if it finds out you’re buying links, so it’s not worth the risk.
- Reciprocal linking: This is when two websites agree to link to each other. Google frowns upon this practice, so it’s best to avoid it.
- Link farms: These are websites that exist solely to provide links to other websites. Google considers these to be spammy and will penalize your website if it finds out you’re linked to one.
To know more about the link-building practices, stay in the loop with our articles. We have a whole article dedicated to it.
4. Monitor your website’s performance: Use Google Analytics or another web analytics tool to track your website’s traffic and see how well it’s performing in the search results. This will help you to identify any areas that need improvement.
5. Stay up-to-date on the latest SEO trends: As we mentioned above, SEO is an ever-changing field. Keep up with the latest trends and best practices to ensure that your website is always ranking as high as possible.
By following the above tips, you can improve your website’s visibility and organic search traffic, giving you a better chance of being found by potential customers. And to stay updated with the latest trends, don’t forget to keep an eye on our blog!
Conclusion
By now you must have realized that there’s a lot to SEO than just optimizing your website for the search engines. It’s an ever-changing field, which is why it’s important to stay up-to-date on the latest trends and best practices. However, by following the tips in this guide, you can give your website the best chance of ranking high in the search results.
An agency can help you with an SEO strategy customized according to your business type and needs. And when you’re ready to take your SEO game up a notch, contact us at 12 channels and our subject matter experts will be more than happy to help!
