Businesses and websites that appear higher on Google in today's hyper-competitive online landscape will undoubtedly get the most attention from potential customers and readers. Google’s ranking algorithm is one of the most important factors in determining a website’s traffic and visibility. It is also one of the most guarded secrets in the world.
Ultimately, everyone is attempting for the coveted number one ranking position.
It's easy to see why after analysing over 5 million Google search results:
When compared to the #10 spot, the #1 search result has a 31.7% click-through rate and is 10 times more likely to earn a click.
The click-through rate for the second search result is 24.71%.
The third result has a click-through rate of 18.66%.
On the second page, only 0.78% of searchers clicked.
The fact that the first three positions on Google receive roughly 75% of total click volume should come as no surprise. Consider the last time you Googled something. It's safe to assume that, unless you were specifically looking for a website, you probably only looked at the first three options and clicked on the first result.
The algorithm relies on more than 200 different signals to determine a website's rank. These include backlinks, content quality, user engagement and popularity, keywords, etc.
Google's primary goal has always been to assist users in finding what they are looking for on the internet.
They achieve this by displaying the most relevant websites first in a ranking system that provides the best possible results for any given query. Before we get into how Google ranks the results, it's important to understand what happens when you search for something on Google.
A common misconception is that the results shown on search engine results pages (SERPs) are live websites that provide results "at the moment." This is not the case. According to Google, its search works in three simple steps:
Crawling: In order for Google to rank websites, the content must be downloaded directly to Google servers. This is accomplished through its Googlebots web crawler system. Googlebots will scan your website and download its contents to its servers. Crawlers can simulate both desktop and mobile searches. These scans take place at random intervals.
Indexing: After Google has indexed all of the content, it analyses the site's content. If the website is deemed safe and relevant, its contents are saved in Google's Index database, ready to be served to users in search results.
Displaying the Results: When someone searches on Google, Google's algorithm takes that search and sifts through the Google Index for all relevant websites that match the query. The sites will then be displayed in order of relevancy and importance as determined by the algorithm.
The results displayed in the Google SERPs are essentially a copy of the website as it appeared at the time of indexing. Sometimes the indexed results do not match the live site. This is why, when you click on a result, you get a 404 error!
Do you want to know more about how Google search works? Watch this 5-minute video straight from the source.
Source: https://youtu.be/0eKVizvYSUQ
If you've ever worked with a digital marketer, you've undoubtedly heard of the Google algorithm. The algorithm is the single most important concept that any digital marketing professional or website owner must comprehend.
When a user enters a search term, the algorithm instantly scans and analyses trillions of websites in their index based on more than 200 different factors. Among these elements are:
Domain factors, Page-level factors, Site-level factors, Backlink factors, User interaction, Off-page factors, etc.
Google will return results that ideally match what the user is looking for after analysing all of its websites against the 200+ different factors. Everything happens in a fraction of a second.
We all know that the SERP results are just clones of websites taken at the time of indexing, but when it comes to how those results are shown to users and how the 200 ranking factors are used, the waters become murky. Because Google is notorious for keeping the exact details of its algorithm hidden, trying to set up a website for success can often feel like a game of cat and mouse.
Despite the fact that Google has kept the fine details of its secret algorithmic formula hidden, it has not kept the top ranking factors that influence how ranking results work hidden.
RELEVANCE OF THE CONTENT
When you type a search query into Google, Google AI analyses it to determine the correct meaning behind your query. While this appears to be a straightforward concept, the science behind it is beyond the scope of this article. All we need to know is that Google can take a search with a few simple words and extrapolate meaning and intent.
CONTENT QUALITY
If we only consider keyword relevance, blank websites that feature "AC Repair in Phoenix" nonstop would rank higher than actual pages with informative content. Google determines the overall quality of the content to avoid this.
There are numerous factors that influence content quality ranking, but the basic idea is that websites that demonstrate expertise, authority, and trustworthiness (EAT) are deemed to have higher content quality than those that do not.
USABILITY OF THE PAGE
Content that is easier to find and interact with often performs better. For example, a website that has not been optimised for mobile devices will struggle to rank higher than a site that has been effectively optimised for phones and tablets.
Page architecture and design are also important considerations. Content that is divided into sections with headers/pictures and an overall organised hierarchy of information will be far more accessible than a page with nonstop text.
Page speed is also an important consideration. Accessibility suffers when a page refuses to load within a certain time frame. According to one study, 53% of people will abandon a mobile page if it takes more than three seconds to load.
CONTEXT
The final way Google ranks a page is based on its overall context.
What you are shown is influenced by information from your search history, settings, and location.
This is critical for local businesses to understand. When a user searches for a plumber, they are more likely to be shown results from their geographic area. If geographic keywords are present in the content or metadata of a website, Google can determine geographic areas.
Rankings Are Not Determined by a Single Factor
The way Google ranks websites is relatively simple to grasp, but there is a lot that goes into it. As previously stated, Google uses over 200 different signals to rank websites, so determining one or two key ranking factors that are a silver bullet is impossible.
It's important to remember that websites that consistently rank in the top three spots for different keywords are constantly working on their content, site technical, and off-page optimizations to achieve those high rankings.
It's a race to the top in this industry, but it's easy to get lost in the weeds with all of the different ranking factors.
At the end of the day, you should be able to consistently achieve your ranking goals by focusing on content relevance and quality, page accessibility, and understanding context.