SEO Ranking FactorsAn overview of SearchMetrics 2014 Ranking

Factors for the Melbourne SEO Meetup Community

www.meetup.com/Melbourne-SEO/ www.searchmetrics.com/us2014

Peter Mead twitter.com/petermeadit Search Specialist at wearedando.com

Must-Read SEO Survival Guide 2014

Searchmetrics have produced comprehensive study on Google Ranking Factors.

For complete the analysis within the guide...

Download the study here: www.searchmetrics.com/us2014

What is a Ranking Factor

● How is a Ranking factor analyzed?● What about correlation? ● Analyzed top 30 search results for 10,000

keywords – approx 300,000 URLs● Using the Spearman correlation, the rank-

correlation coefficient is calculatedhttp://www.searchmetrics.com/en/what-is-a-ranking-factor/

Algorithms and Ranking Factors

● Search engines evaluate topics and relevance using Algorithms

● SERPs pages use these evaluations ● The criteria used for this are known as

Ranking Factors● Blackhat Keyword Stuffing, Cloaking etc.

SERPs Ranking Position and Order

Also Influenced by:Personalisation User Behaviour Logged into Google Using ChromeGeolocation Cookies storing personal info

Interpret the Analysis

● Correlation○ Differences between certain properties of URLs

ranking from position 1 to 30, to show what differentiates URLs according to their ranking.

● Average Values ○ Describes the existence or extent of certain features

per position on average for what the top sites have in common.

2014 Ranking Factors InfographicInfographic: http://www.searchmetrics.com/en/knowledge-base/ranking-factors/infographic/

Most important Ranking Factors

Five main areas:● Content ● Technology ● Backlinks ● Social Signals ● User Signals

Content Ranking Factors

● Needs to be high quality ● Professionally written - Readability Flesch ● Highly relevant ● Long form ● Media enrichment ● Relevant topical terms - Hummingbird● Internal linking

Technical Ranking Factors

● Site architecture ● Internal linking structure● Fast loading times ● Meta tags ● H1 and H2● Keywords in domain further devalued

Backlink Ranking Factors

● Penguin: Quality is most important ● Number of links is important ● Blended mix of backlinks ● Natural anchor texts ● Branded anchor texts● Deep linking

Social Ranking Factors

● Top platforms: Facebook, G+, Twitter, Pinterest

● Google emphasised not a ranking factor● Social cues indicate fresh content ● Social affects traffic● Branding is a big deal

Branding and Rankings

● Branding factor for SERPS● Brands specifically rank higher ● Top positions for Brands and Wikipedia ● Niche brands - go for longtail ● Branded anchor text

User Signals Factors

● Click-Trough Rate● Time on Site● Bounce rate

Desktop vs Mobile: ● Mobile optimised sites, faster download

times helps.

Find out more

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