It is hardly surprising that many website owners who do their own SEO often feel like their head is spinning trying to keep up with Google’s ranking factors. Truth be told, many seasoned SEO experts often feel the same way.
Hopefully, we will not make you feel too dizzy as we highlight Google’s top 10 ranking factors for 2020.
#1 Content still rules as Google continues to reward websites that publish quality content over those that produce sub-standard content.
#2 Mobile over desktop is how the world has moved in terms of consuming online content and that is why Google now indexes mobile sites first. That means if your website is not mobile optimised its ranking is going to continually drop.
#3 Page load speed has become more important due to mobile indexing and it means that websites that load quickly have a distinct advantage over clunky websites that take ages to load.
#4 Freshness is a ranking factor that many are blissfully unaware of, so their old, stagnant content does nothing for their ranking. If, instead, they updated it, and even included the present year, Google will look upon it a lot more favourably.
#5 Branding and social signals give Google an indication of a business’s online presence and this is factored into its algorithm. Lots of traffic from the likes of Facebook and Pinterest can also have a positive impact on a website’s SEO.
#6 Schema may not be the most glamorous SEO ranking factor, but it is still regarded as important by Google, especially with respect to local SEO, so ensure yours is accurate.
#7: Domains still play a role in assessing a website’s ranking, and thus exact match domains or domains which have relevant keyword are still desirable.
#8: Backlinks remain a major factor in how Google assessing the importance and thus the ranking of a website. As with content, it is the quality of the links that Google focus on, rather than simply the quantity.
#9 User experience is at the forefront of Google’s mission to make their search results the best they can be, so websites that provide a positive experience can expect to see their rankings improve, and vice versa.
#10 HTTPS is a relatively new ranking factor, but in these days of increasing online data leaks and breaches, Google prefers websites that have SSL certificates and https encryption in place.
