Pull up a chair, this is a big one.
This is, perhaps, the Google
algorithm change with the biggest impact on both SEO writers and business
owners alike.
Courtesy of a brand-new study by
SEMrush, we now know what truly matters when it comes to ranking higher.
In order to compile this amazing
report, the researchers at SEMrush analyzed data from 600,000 global keywords.
The results came from a machine-learning algorithm that managed to determine
the factors that influence positions in SERPs. The methodology is complex, but
I won’t bore you with it – you can read about it in the study. We have more
important stuff to dissect right now.
Let’s dive it.
You have to be popular to
gain…popularity
Yes, that’s the newest, biggest
Google paradox.
Out of the 12 factors Google
analyzed, direct traffic seems to be the most important one. In other words,
the more visits your website gets, the higher it will rank.
Important: search traffic does not
seem to count toward improving your ranking. This is why it is not the only
thing you should focus on if you want to drive…organic traffic. I know, it’s
paradoxical.
But bear with me.
Social traffic, referral and direct
traffic are key elements in boosting your page ranking. Most importantly, when
you get to the top, you can’t stop focusing on them. You need to keep your
direct, referral and social traffic constant lest you lose your position.
Rumors about traffic volume have
been circulating for ages in the SEO world. And most experts have dismissed
them quickly, saying that newbies always get a fair chance.
The SEMrush study is here to prove
the opposite.
Aside from traffic, other factors
that influence a page’s rankings are: the time spent on the website, the number
of pages each user visited per session, the content length and the bounce rate.
Website security (HTTPS) is important, but doesn’t have a big effect on
rankings. The same goes for adding videos to your website – nice to have
(always!), but not imperative for SEO.
So what can you do to boost your
ranking in this brave new world?
Glad you asked!
Let’s take a look at some of the
things you can influence:
1. Content
I’ve said it before: content
marketing and SEO go together, not separately. And Google just confirmed it.
According to SEMrush, domains that
rank within the top three results have an average bounce rate of 49 percent.
This means that you need to work hard to reduce your bounce rate as much as
possible. This always means offering top quality content.
No shortcuts, no compromises. You
need the kind of content that keeps people engaged and wanting for more. This
way, people spend more time on your website (a huge factor in ranking) and
click on more pages.
The SEMrush research also proved
that on-page SEO has less importance than we might have thought. As much as 18
percent of websites ranking for high volume keywords don’t have said keywords
in the body.
What does this mean?
Again, that it’s not content who’s
king. It’s quality content.
For instance, whenever I hire new
SEO copywriters for my agency, I make sure they are well-versed in marketing
first and foremost. And only then I ask about their SEO knowledge.
That’s because SEO tools and tactics
can be easily taught, especially to a savvy marketer. But the basics of
marketing and creating content that engages different types of audiences are
tougher to crack.
Another factor that weighs a lot in
your page ranking is content length. According to SEMrush, top three websites
have content that is 45 percent longer than websites in the 20th position.
Again, the case for long-form content is made. We advise all our clients to aim
for posts that are at least 1,000 words long. Ideally, you should aim for
2,000-plus words for every five pieces of content you produce.
I noticed an incredible jump in
organic traffic for three of my clients who went from the classic 500-word blog
post to 1,5000 posts. And the boost was almost instantaneous – it took less
than one month for organic traffic to increase by 20 percent.
2. Referrals
You want as many websites to link to
yours as possible. SEMrush discovered that 10,000 is the difference in the
number of referring domains between the first and the 10th position. But don’t
go for just any websites. Look for those with high domain authority and avoid
the ones with poor authority.
No, not every link is a good link,
just like not all advertising is good advertising. When a lot of spammy
websites link to you, this is a red flag for Google. Whatever you do, don’t try
to do link exchanges or, worse, buy links.
Instead, you can try guest posting
on authority websites. Plus, whenever you mention an industry thought leader in
your articles, give them a shout out on social media or via e-mail. They might
want to brag about it on their own website.
Ultimately, it all goes back to
content. If yours is valuable and informative, people will link to it, thus
boosting your number of referrals and, consequently, your page ranking.
3. Content marketing
I’ve pleaded for quality content for
years – ever since I set foot in this industry. But what good is great content
if it’s not marketed properly?
Google seems to agree with me. This
is why social traffic weighs heavily in page rankings. For most of our clients
and for our own blog we use the Pareto principle when it comes to content
marketing – we spend 20 percent of our time creating it and 80 percent
promoting it.
Social media and e-mail campaigns
are both crucial for gaining the type of traffic that brings you even more
traffic. The organic kind, this time.
The more things change, the more
they stay the same
Yes, the findings in the SEMrush
report are surprising. But we can’t say that we haven’t been expecting them.
It’s been years since Google
announced that it will value quality content above all else. And here it is:
search engines have gotten smart enough to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The dawn of a new era has just been announced: it’s an era in which you either
invest in great content, or you make room for someone who does.
There’s no middle ground.
Source: - http://www.sitepronews.com/2017/07/14/how-googles-new-algorithm-impacts-your-site/
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