Did you know that nearly 60% of the sites with a top ten Google search ranking are three or more years old? Data from an Ahrefs study of two million pages suggests fewer sites than a year old achieve that ranking. Google’s mobile-first index is now a reality, which means it’s drawing its results from mobile-optimized sites first rather than sites geared to desktop computers. If your site is mobile-optimized, you can avoid getting needlessly under-ranked. With years of experience in both SEO and digital marketing, Steve Wiideman is a trusted pro in his field.

Overall, these factors play a crucial role in Google’s ability to determine which websites are the most suitable for users’ queries. Join over 3 million smart website owners who use AIOSEO to improve their website search rankings. Any metric that can be manipulated is unlikely to be a ranking factor, though.

Enhancing User Engagement

We did not see websites with faster page load times ranking higher than websites with slower page load times in any consistent fashion. If Page Load Time is a factor in search engine rankings, it is being lost in the noise of other factors. We had hoped to see some correlation especially for generic one- or two-word queries. Our belief was that the high competition for generic searches would make smaller factors like page speed stand out more.

• Since user engagement metrics are clearly used to adjust the SERPs for quality, and rank position changes as a byproduct, it’s safe to say that SEOs should optimize for engagement.
• Optimizing your site to rank higher in search results will help potential customers find your products and services.
• Local rankings are influenced by the number and consistency of local business citations.
• Check out this image SEO guide and infographic by SEO Sherpa to learn the exact steps for optimising images for search engines.
• In the ever-evolving landscape of SEO, user experience (UX) has taken center stage as a critical factor in determining search engine rankings.

How to Get Started with Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Like it or not, customers evaluate businesses based on their online presence. If you’re missing photos, reviews, or key business details, that could be the deciding factor in whether they choose you or go elsewhere. If a site has low DA, efforts need to focus on gaining better backlinks and stronger content. Start by identifying priority keywords that resonate with your target audience. Regularly monitor your rankings and analyze competitor strategies. Utilize the insights gained to refine your content and enhance on-page SEO factors like meta descriptions and heading tags.

Semrush’s Local Map Rank Tracker  lets you create clear reports on your local rankings progress so you can be certain all your hard local SEO work isn’t in vain. Map Rank Tracker enables you to create campaigns that monitor a certain city or region area for your target keywords. Search engines are like librarians, with search engines curating, organizing, and serving the Internet’s content library to billions of users worldwide. BHS Links Learn more about how search engines work, from crawling and indexing to ranking and penalties, in this beginner’s guide. By making improvements on your site, you’ll provide users with a positive experience. This will keep them interested in your business and help them remain on your site.