- Click-Through Rate
Part of Google’s algorithm is assessing your click-through rate (CTR). It analyzes it as a percentage, based on the number of clicks you obtain from the over-all number of users searching for a specific keyword you rank for. The higher your percentage, the more alluring you are compared to others. The higher your CTR, the higher you’ll be on results because this lets Google know that users prefer your listing.
While CTR is important, it’s isn’t the only factor. Because people can use misleading meta descriptions, Google will also look at your bounce rate. If you have a high bounce rate, this lets Google know that your website page isn’t relevant.
- Backlinks
Along with looking at your backlinks, Google also looks at authority & relevancy. If a website is not optimized well, high quality backlinks directing to the correct internal page will help in ranking. Having links from sites that end in .edu or .gov will assist in your ranking.
- Age
A big influence in causing a higher rank is the age of the website. While you can’t fast forward time, you should continue to improve content to increase your search traffic.
- Quality of Content
Because of the Panda update, Google can now define the quality of website content. It can now determine if a website has duplicate content permitting a better examination of content quality. Google also compares your content to your competitors. If yours has more quality than theirs, you’ll most likely rank higher.
- Growth Rate
Ensuring that you’re not creating your links too fast is important. Because Google has data on your website, it is smart enough to know when they are growing at an unnatural rate. Because of this, you’ll notice that older websites, that rank well, are creating links at a more natural rate.