5 SEO Ranking Factors

Your search engine ranking is affected by hundreds of different things, but relevance is the most important.

Being more relevant to a search means your page will rank higher, it seems obvious that it doesn’t help. Instead, you should focus on the top 5 search ranking factors.

1. Title of the article/key words

2. Word count

3. Internal links

4. Read length

5. Bounce rate

There are two categories of SEO ranking factors: user behavior and article content.

It’s easy to focus on the second, and often people ignore the first, dismissing it as out of control.

Writing engaging content will make readers stick around longer, which will increase your search rank. But that takes practice and data about your readers. Instead, focus on the content of the article. By using the top 5 ranking factors, you can start making the Google algorithm work for you.

1 Use keywords and titles to rank higher in Google

Think of keywords like what you would type into Google, though remember that they won’t be one word, but rather phrases.

Once you’ve found your topic, research how people search for it on Google. Use these sentences in your title, making sure it is grammatical and interesting. You will see this strategy in the titles of the publications on the web.

2. How long should your blog posts be?

More time is better. A 2000 word article will rank higher than a 500 word article. But that doesn’t mean you should bloat your post with fluff.

A basic structure that will help add length to your post without being fluffy is:

1. Deliver on the article promise from the beginning

2. Explain what led you to the answer

3. Expand the answer; give details

4. Justify your answer

5. Answer any follow-up questions people may have

This will not only make your article longer, but better and more informative.

3. Use internal links

Link between different posts on your blog. If it touches on something you’ve previously written about, link your readers to that page.

Identify your favorite or best publications. Link to them constantly. This tells Google to pay more attention to these.

4. The duration of the reading is important

The above ranking factors were under your control. Not so for this one.

If people stay on your post longer, it tells Google that this is a good answer to their search.

When you post an article, monitor the traffic and see if the read duration makes sense for the length of the post. Edit it if it isn’t.

5. Bounce Rates

The bounce rate measures how many people left your site without going to a new page. If read length shows how interesting a post is, bounce rate measures it for your site.

High bounce rates can be due to posts that don’t deliver on their promise or because there are no other relevant posts on your site.

Correct the keywords and title if you have a high bounce rate due to the former. For the second, see what related topics are being searched for and write a post. As with the length of the read, measure the bounce rate and play around.

6. Load speed

Your site’s loading speed is an important factor in search rank. Use this tool to measure upload speed and identify issues to fix.

How long does it take?

Getting to the first page of Google doesn’t happen overnight. You will have to be consistent and patient, but follow these steps and within six months and dozens of posts you should be flying high.