6 Key Factors To Be Aware Of To Rank Well On Google SERPs

As you are reading this, you might already be aware of Google’s use of more than 200 factors in their ranking algorithms. Because of their elaborate and extensive ranking algorithms, many online users trust Google’s recommendations, making them the most popular search engine, dominating other search engines, such as Yahoo and Bing, with over 5.14 billion searches every single day.

However, with its ever-evolving algorithm, it can be hard to keep track of the changes in SEO ranking factors.

Hence, in this article, we will take a closer look at six key ranking factors that many digital marketing agencies take note of when providing SEO services. By focusing on these few essential factors, you will be able to rank better on Google’s SERPs.

1. Users’ Relevance & Experience

Google, in the past few months, updated their algorithms towards a more user-centric direction, such as the page experience update and product review update. These updates allow Google to understand what its users are searching for.

So, if you want to rank well in Google SERPs, then you, too, need to be aware of it. For a start, targetting high-traffic keywords should make the most sense.

Additionally, you would also want to consider your webpage’s users’ experience. Google uses an AI program called RankBrain which crawls through your click-through rate, bounce rate, and dwell time. Essentially, you would want to ensure that your webpage’s content attracts users to click your site, interact with it, and stay on your site for a long time, leading to better user engagement which RankBrain will deem your content as relevant.

2. Backlinks

Backlinks are known as links that come from an external source and points back to your website. They are a crucial factor of Google’s ranking algorithm, and it is how RankBrain discovers your content for indexing.

In other words, backlinks are Google’s indication of a vote for confidence in your content. The more generated backlinks your content has, the higher your ranking will be.

However, it is not solely about having more backlinks. Getting backlinks from high-domain authority pages can boost your SERP ranking significantly. In order to get more quality backlinks, you have to ensure that your content is of the highest standard.

3. High-Quality Content

Every digital marketing agency in Singapore would agree that content is king. In order to rank well on SERPs, you need to curate content that is fresh, unique, and beneficial. It does not matter if you follow good SEO copywriting strategies, but the content is not beneficial.

You need to ensure that the content is:

• Original, beneficial, and unique
• Kept up-to-date and fresh
• Of appropriate content length
• Has good content organisation and structure

Besides working on new content, it is also equally as important to look back and optimise existing content that you think is beneficial to the users.

4. Website Security

Apart from your website’s structure, ensuring that your website is safe is a crucial ranking factor. This is where you must ensure your page is currently on HTTPS, as that means that the information between the user’s browser and your webpage is encrypted and safe.

So, if your website does not have SSL certificates and is not on HTTPS, you might want to update it in order for Google to assess it and share it with its users.

5. Mobile Friendliness

More than half of internet searches are done by mobile users. Especially since Google went mobile-first in 2019, the key to ranking well on SERPs is to ensure that your webpage is mobile-friendly.

6. Webpage Loading Speed

In May 2021, Google made page speed an essential SEO factor. Google research found that 53 per cent of users will leave a page if it does not load within three seconds. When it comes to SEO, Google only demotes sites that load slowly. However, optimising for page speed is still just as crucial; it pays to keep a close eye on how fast your page loads for your users.

Using the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools, you can then crawl your site using Site Audit. In general, you want to see more greens in your performance report. One way to improve your webpage loading speed is to use a content delivery network (CDN) which makes sure your site loads without any delay. You may refer to our guide on how to optimise your loading speed if you are experiencing a low mobile page speed.

Conclusion

Once again, while there may be many factors that affect your SERP ranking, these are six key factors that Google has confirmed will bring you the lead generation your brand is looking for and are ones that we, as an SEO marketing agency, believe in. At the end of the day, it is not just about using as many SEO-optimised methods but creating user-centric content that adds value.