Did you know that Google’s ranking factors involve more than 200 signals? Well, isn’t that a lot?

Now, working on all those 200 signals will surely take a lot of your time and work. Do you have the time to research on all of that and then implement it?

Well, the good news is that luckily you don’t need to. Because there are a few ranking factors, if implemented correctly will maximize your rankings in the search engine. Sigh!

But, the bad news is that Google’s algorithm is always changing, meaning that last year’s ranking factors may not work this year.

So, this article lists the top 8 ranking factors that you need to take in consideration this 2018.

Content

Content is King.

It was, still is and will be reigning in the future days as well.

Google looks up to quality content rather than quantity. The content that you provide should be relevant and engaging to the users. Make sure to remove all grammatical errors, spelling mistakes and format.

And what about the length? Well, there is no ideal word limit, as it varies for each article. But the content length does play a role on the overall quality. It is true that with more words, you can include more useful and comprehensive information in detail and this will surely help you to achieve higher rankings.

 

Keywords

The role of keywords in search engine has definitely altered from the past days but its importance still exists. The use of keywords still acts like a strong backbone to achieve a good Google ranking.

Keywords are important, but this does not mean that you stuff keywords whenever and wherever possible. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind when using keywords – like relevant keywords and their placement. For example, placing keywords in the title tag should be your first priority. Then move onto meta description, headers and then the page’s body.

Bonus Tip: Use keywords that are likely to be entered on the search engine by the users.  

 

Backlinks

Backlinks are still one of the strongest Google ranking factors, the only thing that has changes is that Google now distinguishes them as bad links or good links. Having links back to your site from an external link will definitely give you a boost up but only if the links are from different and relevant domains.

The thing that you need to keep in mind is that having a few authoritative and individual domains linking to your website is worthier than having numerous low-quality links. Also, the more valuable and relevant your content is, the easier it is to build up a strong backlink campaign.

 

Mobile optimization

With the use of mobiles surpassing the use of desktops, it is prominent that Google weighs more towards the mobile versions of the website. It is crucial that your website is mobile-friendly with responsive content for Google’s search engines to even find you.

If you don’t have a mobile optimized website, then don’t even bother launching your desktop version website until the mobile-version is complete. Doing so will only affect your ranking. So, my suggestion is take time and finish both the versions before diving in.

 

User experience

It is needless to say that your website should have a good user experience. A fantastic UX/UI ensures satisfaction of the visitors and thus boosts your ranking. Google says that there is a good correlation between a good UX/UI and proper placement on SERP (Search Engine Results Page).

So, focus on the user experience but also make your site a functional one.

 

Domain

It is true that exact-match domains are a sure-cut way to reach the top of any search engine. This is the reason why your domain name should be simple, easy to remember and says exactly what your website is about. Also, domain age matters. The older the domain, the better its ranking will be.

So, take time, do proper research and get the best domain name that you can get your hands on so that you can use it for a long long time.

 

HTTPS

A secure site is better, no arguments on that.

So, HTTPS encryption is highly recommended if you want to reach on the first page of Google. Meeting the security criteria may seem not so significant at the beginning, but in the long run, will surely get you on the good books with Google.

Check out the official words for more information.

 

Other Factors

Some of the other ranking factors include brand power. It is true that when a website gets branded searches, there is a high chance to be recognized by Google’s algorithm. Also, signals from various social medias like Facebook, Quora, Pinterest, etc. brings in a lot of traffic. Now, combining these two, brand power and social signals, will definitely provide a good Google ranking factor.

 

Conclusion

Google keeps on updating its algorithms and ranking factors and with this evolution, you definitely need to hike up your website and match. In the recent days, the focus has been more on quality content and its user engagement, relevant links, mobile use and domains. So, keep these factors in mind to stay ahead in the game.