Are Keywords the Only Ranking Factors?
I’ve spent six articles talking about keywords for websites; however the question needs to be asked: are keywords the only factor that impacts the ranking of a website?
The answer is no. Keywords are the foundation for getting a higher ranking on search engine results pages, but they are not the only factor considered. Without good keywords used properly it becomes harder and harder to achieve good ranking.
What else goes into getting a good ranking? There are a number of factors to consider, and I’ll go over each in detail in later articles, but let’s start with the basics.
Design factors for increasing ranking.
Search engines pay attention to where a keyword is located on the web pages and whether or not it is emphasized. Words included in titles and headlines or subheads, and words that are in bold or italicized text are seen by both humans and search engines as being more important than non-emphasized words in the body copy. It makes sense that search engines give text that has been treated this way a few extra points towards higher ranking.
You might be tempted to start bolding every other word, but you need to make sure that these enhancements to the text are properly integrated with the overall design and theme of the website. It is far more important for human visitors to be able to read and use your website than it is for search engines to be able read it. If text is difficult or challenging to read and use, your visitors will just hit the back button and possibly never come back.
The powers of links:
Links – both internal and external – are another important factor in assessing ranking. Internal links should always be in plain English (another good place to use keywords) and should be designed so that search engines can follow them. The types of links that search engines hate are computer gibberish such as “www.mysite.com/00023994/objcet=2&type32”. It is much better to use one that looks like this: “www.mysite.com/business/software/”.
Fancy Java script or Flash menus, while attractive to humans, can be a problem for search engines. They are generally unable to follow these links because the links require a mouse click to activate them; thus they don’t show up for search engine spiders. If you choose to have Java or Flash menus on your site, plan on including text links to duplicate the links elsewhere on the page. Simple text links are also a good backup for customers experiencing connection problems as they don’t have to wait for the website to fully load in order to get to the page they want.
External links have a huge impact on a website’s ranking. The sheer number of outside websites linking to your site is important, but do not assume that one link is just as good as any other. Some links will have more of an impact on search engine rankings.
Links coming from ‘trusted authorities’ will increase your website’s ranking more than many other actives. What is a trusted authority? That is a lengthy topic, but basically it comes down to websites containing similar subject matter as your site. A link from a humor site, for example, will help increase your ranking more if you have a humor site than if you have a banking site.
Is your site up to date?
Another ranking factor is the age of the site and its contents. Paradoxically, the longer your website has been around the better your ranking, but the longer it’s been since you’ve updated the site, the lower the ranking. This is another good reason to plan on updating your site on a regular basis.
You don’t have to totally redesign your whole site. Just keep the content fresh and up-to-date. You can do this by always including breaking news and the latest product or company information. Make sure that any outdated content is removed. Outdated content is like missing a button on your suit jacket. It may not seem important, but people notice when you’re not looking your best.
Are visitors returning to the site?
Another seldom-mentioned but important factor towards ranking is the site’s popularity. More people coming to a site will help increase its ranking. Yes, this does sound like a catch-22, because most companies invest in SEO to get a higher ranking so that more people will see their site on Google and come for a visit.
Older sites often have an advantage because they have built up repeat visitors over time, and these repeat visitors count as traffic. In order to build your traffic numbers, become a site that people come back to again and again. You want to be a bookmark that they click on regularly.
Depending on your business and your audience, there are many things that can be added to your website to increase repeat visitors. For example: user manuals, training guides, resources and blogs generally help keep people coming back. Don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and put more information and more tools on your site. Think about turning your website into a useful tool instead of just a brochure or storefront for the company.
Is that all that needs to be done?
The items above represent some of the major factors that impact search engine rankings. Search engines use complicated 200+ factor algorithms to determine rank, and there are many other small things you can do to slightly increase ranking. However, using good keywords as a foundation and following the steps above will build the frame to successful website structure. Without these major steps the smaller steps will have almost no impact at all.
Building a successful website is just as complicated and rewarding as building the rest of your business, and with a large number of people turning to the internet as their first choice to find any business, your presence on the web requires as much investment in your time and budget as your storefront or office. Your website is often the first thing potential customers see of your business, so spend the time to make a great first impression.
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