SEO (soon to evolve into Social Semantic Web or Web 3.0) consists of a lot of factors that go into the search engine algorithms that allow your site to be indexed by search engines so you’re found in the relevant searches where you want your website to show up.
In fact, over 200 factors figure into your ranking…many of them you have little or no real control over. Bill Hartzer recently published an article highlighting 5 important factors that go into your SEO ranking that I would like to share with you.
Keep in mind that this is just a sampler of what you need to be aware of with regard to your ranking, but these are vital points to consider…
1. Original content on your website is probably the most important factor. Fake or copied content will get you flagged or blacklisted by the search engines.
2. Too many ads. Web pages with heavy advertisements on top of the page are being targeted not just by Google, but by the other search engines as well. Websites that focus more on promotion rather than providing actual useful information are being eliminated.
3. ”Likes” and “+1′s.” These are becoming as important as links in the search engine algorithms.
4. Mobile searching. Having a mobile-friendly website is more vital than ever and this is only increasing in importance.
5. Site speed. The speed optimization of your website is most definitely factored into your ranking. Be careful with video usage. It’s a valuable medium, but too much video on your website can slow it down considerably.
To read the full article on Bill Hartzer’s website, click here. It paints a nice picture of factors you can control in your quest to be found by your target audience.
As always, drop me a line if SEO seems like a confusing quagmire to you and you want some easy-to-understand clarification.
