What Does Google Prioritize When Ranking Websites?

Google is constantly changing its algorithm to provide the best possible search results for its users (how frustrating!). This can make it difficult to know what factors are important when it comes to ranking your website. Where should you spend your time in 2022? What are the most important factors?

Quality Content

While some take it for granted, content is still one of the most important ranking factors for Google. This has been true since Google’s Hummingbird algorithm update back in 2013 and it’s only become more important as time goes on.

Google wants to show its users the best possible content for their query, which means that your content needs to be the best possible answer to a searcher’s question. In turn, your content needs to be well-researched, well-written, and provide a unique perspective that’s valuable to users.

Page Speed

Google has stated on multiple occasions that page speed is a ranking factor, but it’s also important for user experience. No one wants to wait around for a slow website to load, which is why Google penalizes sites with slow loading times.

To improve your page speed, you can start by compressing your images and removing any unnecessary plugins or code. You can also use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your website’s loading times. If you need help with any tip on this list, be sure to contact a reliable SEO specialist like King Kong.

Mobile-Friendliness

Google is also now prioritizing mobile-friendly websites in its search results. This means that if your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you could be missing out on a lot of traffic. To make your website mobile-friendly, you can start by using a responsive design. This will ensure that your website looks good on all devices, from phones to tablets to laptops.

You can also use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool to see how your website stacks up. Simply enter your website’s URL and Google will give you a report on what needs to be fixed. With more people using mobile devices to search the web, it’s more important than ever to make sure your website is mobile-friendly.

Internal and External Links

Furthermore, Google also looks at the links that point to your website. Links from other websites, known as backlinks, are one of the main ranking factors. The more backlinks you have, the higher your website will rank. But it’s not just the quantity of backlinks that matters – the quality is just as important. Google looks at the relevancy of the backlinks, as well as the authority of the websites they’re coming from.

Elsewhere, internal links – links from one page on your website to another – are also important. These help Google understand the structure of your website and the relationships between different pages. This can influence your website’s ranking, as well as how easily users can navigate your site.

Page Experience

As the name suggests, page experience measures how users interact with your website, including factors like page load times and mobile-friendliness. Google said that page experience would become a ranking factor in 2021, and the trend continues in 2022. If you can’t offer a positive experience to visitors, Google will likely rank your website lower in the search results (it’s as simple as that!).

Google doesn’t just take one thing into account when ranking websites, it considers many different factors. If you can optimize several areas of your website, you’re more likely to rank higher in the search results. Above all else, prioritize website visitors and their experiences!