2015 Search Ranking Factors

Transcription

1 2015 Search Ranking Factors

2 Introduction Abstract Technical User Experience Content Social Signals Backlinks Big Picture Takeaway Search Ranking Factors

3 Here, at ZED Digital, our primary concern is equipping our clients and followers with the best tools for effective search engine optimization and lead generation. Digital marketing encompasses a great deal of factors, both technical and content-based. Companies hoping to gain success in their online portals have to expect that all factors play a part in garnering user attention and should be approached with only the greatest concern and care. With this in mind, we have chosen to focus on a ranking factors study by Searchmetrics.

4 Search metrics investigated ranking factors for Google with this year s focus being technical, user experience, content, backlinks and social signals. The study is based on desktop search results and corresponding ranking factors with the goal being to provide webmasters, SEOs and content marketers with concrete and detailed insights into which areas are most important for 2015 search rankings. The study asked these 3 questions: 1. Which ranking factors are the most important in 2015? 2. How have these factors developed compared with previous years? 3. What values for the individual factors can provide useful insights? What are the benchmarks for top 10 search results? We have taken the most important ranking factors and broken them down into summarized takeaways based on the conclusions from the Search Rank Study. Based on the answers to these five topics, we hope to shed light on facts that will in-turn change the way you approach your SEO and content marketing strategies. Title of the book Title of the book

5 Technical factors continue to be important consideration for achieving good rankings with good content. Online documents are becoming larger while loading time is falling and both factors correlate with better rankings. Technical SEO is concerned with on-page factors that are mostly technical and not directly linked to a page s content. Faster site speed is correlated with higher search rankings.

6 Increasing numbers of pages are optimized and described with components like H-labeling of headers. This will result in enhanced user experience. The significance of the factor keyword continues to decline. Instead, it is a question of optimizing topics like rationally associated groupings of keywords and the concept of entities. Good URLs are worth more than hundreds of keyword rankings The presence of meta descriptions, H1 tags, and H2 tags in the top 30 results is more common this year than last year.

7 Even though number of images used on websites has increased since last year, the number of pages with video integration in SERPs has fallen. Embedding of images and videos is a factor that can help the user experience as well as user signals on websites. The number of images and duration of videos is therefore strongly dependent on user intention. This section shows the primary aspects of design and usability with user experience being related to onpage optimization and fitting between technical and content. The presence of meta descriptions, H1 tags, and H2 tags in the top 30 results is more common this year than last year. 7

8 Content on higher ranking pages is better structured, has more interactive elements, and is more understandable for the users and bot. Top sites were dominated by responsive sites and sites that don t use flash. User signals are needed for content and rankings. Reaction of users offers search engines direct feedback about user satisfaction with content. Internal link structure and optimum page information structure are important rankings factors. On April 21, Google announced a ranking penalty for sites that are not optimized for mobile.

9 This section focuses on the importance of good, quality, relevant content. This includes word count and Flesch readability with the aim being to give clear insight into which aspects of content can improve overall website ranking. Content of top 30 webpages is more comprehensive; the average text length has increased compared to 2014 by a quarter. However, content has become more holistic. While popularity of proof terms is unchanged, percentage of relevant terms on higher ranking websites has increased. Focusing optimization on single keywords or keyword lists without giving truly relevant content for user wont result in long-term success.

10 Besides longer and holistic content, complexity of content has decreased. Texts are less demanding to read. Importance of keywords in internal and external links has declined. Webpages with most relevant content for a search query take the top positions. Don t just write more. Use information about the structure and context of topics to optimize your content. -Searchmetrics The average word count of HTML documents has increased significantly.

11 This section is about top URLs incorporating more social signals like Facebook and Twitter to increase recognition in the online community. Social signals are factors that directly relate to better rankings How social signals directly affect rankings is still a question. Higherranking URLs have more social cues than sites further down the ranks, but Google has said that it is not using social signals as a direct ranking factor. A high number of social signals imply the site is a brand or regularly adds new content. Social signals play a role in direct traffic, brand awareness, and overall online performance of a domain. Good content performs better on social networks and search engines want to recognize and display good, up-to-date content. The presence of meta descriptions, H1 tags, and H2 tags in the top 30 results is more common this year than last year. 11

12 Backlinks are still a factor connected to high rankings. Connections between respective individual link and ranking factors are high but are decreasing. Mentions play an increasing role especially in relation to thematically related domains. This section is about how links are changing to semantic contexts and machine learning with the user in mind. The best and most relevant content is vital to search optimization. Faster site speed is correlated with higher search rankings.

13 In the anchor text of the backlink, domain name occurs instead of keyword. Still, fewer backlinks have the homepage as the link target and increasingly refer to subpages. These changes are related to attempts by Google to combat unnatural link formation. It includes penalties against link networks and their customers along with rollout of Penguin and its repetitions. Proportion of nofollow backlinks has increased strongly compared to previous year. Since introduction of disavow tool, it has no longer been possible to determine which links to a page are weighted by Google. Useful and informative content is the best way to generate backlinks.

14 The breakdown of search rankings is vast and often more complicated than companies realize. Our job is to try and make it clear as to what steps need to be taken moving forward. Here are just a few suggestions for those willing to change digital marketing strategy. Create relevant content based on search intention and type of user: Query Type- transactional/informational etc. End device (desktop/mobile) Stop thinking in keywords. User search is incredibly diverse, even though they may have similar intentions. Structure topics in clusters of closely related terms and decide which topics belong together on a landing page, and which should have their own page. It isn t wise to work with lists but rather with topic clouds. Offer content to users at highest possible technical specifications. Content should be designed for readability and ease of interpretation through appropriate structuring for optimal user experience. Readers need to grasp what you re trying to say and want to know why you re saying what you re saying. Post (relevant and appropriate) content on a regular basis. Users interact with those willing to interact. Share what matters most and avoid oversharing. You want to be present in your portal but not to the point where the reader is overwhelmed. It s all about quality, not quantity.

15 ZED Digital provides digital marketing services that help businesses become the online authority in their market. Contact us for a free consultation. 700 Taylor Rd. Gahanna, OH info@zed.digital