5 Things That Google Uses to Rank Your Website

Have you ever wondered what the secret is to good SEO? Why do some websites manage to rank higher than others consistently?

It’s not because they have any “secret” SEO formula that helps them beat the competition. It’s also not because of preferential treatment from Google. After all, Google’s algorithms are machine programs!

So, how does Google rank some websites over others? What SEO factors will get you more consistent results in the long run?

This article will give you an oversight of the top SEO factors that affect your website’s ranking. Whether you’re doing your own SEO, or you have the no. 1 SEO company in the UK handling your SEO for you, you must know which SEO factors to target for more success.

What is Google’s Algorithm?

You may have heard that changes to "Google's algorithms" have affected how SEO is done. Or you may have received advice to optimize your website for this algorithm.

But what is the algorithm, and how does it work?

Google's new ranking algorithm is a software program or coding system that runs on artificial intelligence. The program is designed to match the user's search queries accurately with the most relevant search results.

These search results may be in the form of videos, web pages, blog articles, and other web content. The program is designed to adjust the results based on user preferences. It can detect which websites are more popular or relevant. These websites ultimately get a higher ranking.

This is why it's so crucial to optimizing your website based on Google's algorithm. The no. 1 SEO company in the UK will help you keep your website up to date with the latest changes in Google's algorithm, giving you a higher ranking and ultimately more website visitors.

What Factors Does Google Use to Rank Websites?

Now that it’s clear that without optimizing your website in line with Google’s requirements, you won’t improve your SEO, what factors should you focus on when ranking your website?

Here are the top 5 SEO factors that will improve your website’s ranking:

1. Whether Your Website is Optimized for Mobile or Not

Since most websites are opened on mobile, Google requires that your website be mobile-friendly. Even if your site looks great on a computer, it's not going to be indexed by Google if it's not mobile-friendly.

If you have a top SEO company that provides web development services, then have them redesign your website to be mobile-friendly. If you're using WordPress, you can always install a responsive tool that adjusts your website according to the viewing medium.

The no. 1 SEO company in the UK will also help you create mobile-friendly content, remove unnecessary or heavy files and improve your site's responsiveness.

2. Whether Your Content is Relevant or Not

A good SEO strategy is based on optimized and relevant content. Google's ranking algorithm will give preference to content more relevant to the user's search intent. Check out our guide to optimizing your SEO strategy according to user search intent.

Suppose you have the no.1 SEO company in the UK managing your SEO. In that case, they will likely update your website or blog with relevant content. Relevant content can be divided into two groups:

Evergreen Content: This isn't restricted to any period. For example, if you are writing a blog on "the best vitamins and minerals to include in your diet," then the content will be as relevant after five years as it is now.
Time-Specific Content: The second type of content is restricted to a specific period, trend, or other temporary factors. For example, a post on "top foods to eat in 2022" will only be relevant for 2022. If you want it to stay relevant in 2023 and beyond, you may have to update it.

The no. 1 SEO company in the UK will constantly update your content to ensure that it's relevant and informative, giving it a higher ranking on Google.

3. How Fast Your Site Loads

Website loading speed has become a significant ranking factor when determining your website's SEO performance. Google will consistently rank faster websites over slower ones. While your website design may affect the loading speed, in most cases, it's your website hosting that determines how fast your site performs.

Always choose the best web hosting plans that suit your website’s requirements for better performance. If hosting doesn’t make your website faster, then you’ll have to look at whether there’s heavy code or something else wrong on the development end.

4. Whether Your Meta Descriptions are Optimized or Not

Before you publish any content on your website, you'll have to add a meta description. The meta description is the text you see when surfing Google under the webpage title. A good meta description will draw the viewer to click on your website by giving them a brief overview of what the content is about.

Keep your meta descriptions between 120-150 characters and avoid keyword stuffing or repetition. Try to create short yet informative meta descriptions and avoid "sales" language.

5. Title and Header Structure

Have you ever noticed that the top results on a search engine are also the easiest to read? Since most users have the habit of skimming through content, it's only natural that content should be skim-able. This is where the title and header tags play an essential role.

Here are some tips to optimize your content structure for Google:

Write list-form articles: These are the most popular (and common) article types.
Write a question-form article: These articles rank much higher because they match user intent.
Write long-form technical articles: If a visitor is looking for detailed information, these articles will rank better.

The no.1 SEO company in the UK will help you create unique content that matches your target audience's requirements. However, you'll need a complete digital marketing agency to handle your SEO, web development, and content strategy if you want to compete against top-ranking brands or websites.

By VROX Content Team - 11 Feb 2022