5 Important Ranking Factors that Boost SEO Performance

Trying to boost your SEO performance, but you’re not quite sure what ranking factors to focus on in order to do it? Check out these 5 factors to give your campaign a boost.

5 Important Ranking Factors that Boost SEO Performance

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Search engine optimization is one of the most important digital marketing tactics, especially if your goal is to build up your brand’s visibility, reach, and authority in your industry over the long term. Sure, other marketing tactics such as paid ads also have a place in your overarching marketing strategy, but SEO should be at the forefront of your marketing efforts if you are rank high in the organic searches, and build a loyal online customer base that knows about your brand and shares the word of your company with family, friends, and contacts on social media. As you can see, SEO ties into other marketing tactics as well.

In order to boost your SEO efforts as much as possible, it’s important that you incorporate all of the key SEO elements that Google is looking for, which should correspond with the user’s intent and help them find the solutions they’re looking for through the content on your website. With that in mind, here are the five important ranking factors that will help boost your SEO performance.

1. Domain name and TLDs

Domain name and TLDs

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First things first, good SEO starts with your domain. Even though this is not the most crucial ranking factor, it’s still important to note that Google prioritizes websites that are trustworthy and have domain names that are relevant to the industry they operate in while still portraying the brand itself. This is why you should track your domain metrics and choose a branded domain name that preferably has a relevant keyword in it, if it fits seamlessly into the name without making it too long or confusing. Remember that branded domains that don’t have any special characters or numbers are easy to remember, which will invariably improve brand recognition and retention.

Next, you should opt for a top-level domain that is trustworthy and authoritative, both in the eyes of the consumers as well as the search engines. While you can get away with lower-tier domains, you should try to snag those high-ranking .com, .org, .net, .edu, or .gov domains if you can. These TLDs are trustworthy and are typically associated with relevant websites that aren’t involved in any fraudulent or malicious online activity.

2. Title tag and meta descriptions

The title tag, or the HTML tag, provides visitors and search engines with valuable information as to what each page on your website contains. So naturally, if the search engine sees that your title tags are confusing, duplicated, or simply poorly written, it could hurt your standing in the SERPs. Make sure your title tags are well-structured with keywords that are relevant to the content on the page – this is the first step to great storytelling and customer engagement.

Speaking of engagement and creating amazing content, the meta description is the next SEO element you should optimize. This is the content that is displayed in the search results below the title, and it tells your audience what the page is about. Make sure that the meta description of every page is short and to-the-point, and that it boasts relevant keywords.

3. Optimizing your site for the local SERPs

Nowadays, one of the most important SEO factors is local ranking, or in other words, how your site ranks in the local SEPRs. Modern customers are increasingly using localized keywords and phrases to find local businesses in their region, which is why your priority should be to rank at the top for all relevant search terms in the market you occupy. This becomes especially important in oversaturated regions such as Hong Kong, for example, where the competition is fierce.

Business leaders in the Asian market are increasingly leveraging local search engine optimization in Hong Kong using the right localized keywords and updating their business information on all relevant search engines to their sites to be indexed properly and to improve brand visibility in the local market. Following the same principles, be sure to implement local SEO yourself in order to establish a strong brand presence in every market you occupy.

4. SEO writing and optimization

SEO writing

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Speaking of using the right keywords, another important ranking factor is the quality of your content. Your goal should be to create SEO-friendly content that will provide your readers and website visitors in general with all of the information they need to solve their problems. This is a ranking factor that can significantly influence your standing in the SERPs, which is why it’s imperative that you craft content that is informative and relevant, and delves deep into the subject matter.

5. Optimizing your images and visuals

And finally, keep in mind that content comes in numerous forms, so you should not only optimize your articles and blog posts, but you should also optimize your images. Be sure that your images are loading properly and that they are not hindering the performance of your website so that user experience doesn’t suffer as a result. Include the appropriate alt-text with relevant keywords with every image as well in order to tell the search engines what the image contains and help them rank your pages accordingly.

Wrapping up

Search engine optimization is a cost-effective way to elevate your brand’s standing in the SERPs and gain brand exposure, but you can only hope to be successful if you employ the right SEO tactics. Use these tips to boost your SEO strategy and position your website at the top of all relevant search results.