When companies like Google refuse to share their ranking algorithm it can be difficult for businesses to change their website so that it is performing like it should.

Thank you to Webmag.co for sharing an Infographic that takes Google ranking factors, and makes it easy to understand what helps, and what hinders a website online.

The Infographic was originally created by Northcutt using patent filings, direct statements from Google and science. The infographic is broken down into different sections based on the importance of each factor;

Concrete – has a definite impact on a business’s Google ranking

Probable – will have some impact on a business’s Google ranking

Likely – possible that it will have an impact on a business’s Google ranking

Maybe – might, or might not affect a business’s Google ranking

Iffy – grey area; most likely to have no impact whatsoever

Myth – has no affect on a business’s Google ranking.

Based on the above rankings, here is a list for each of the 6 sections.

Concrete Findings

  • Keyword in URL
  • Keyword in Title Tag
  • Keyword in ALT Text
  • Keyword Stemming
  • Internal Link Anchor Text
  • Quality Outbound Links
  • Words with Noticeable Formatting
  • Old Content
  • Fresh Content
  • Use of HTTPS (SSL)
  • Keywords in Domain Name
  • Distribution of Page Authority
  • Mobile Friendliness

Probable Findings

  • Novel Content against Self
  • Keywords Earlier in URL
  • TF-IDF of Page
  • Web Server Near Users
  • Keywords in Close Proximity
  • Exact Search Phrase Match
  • Partial Search Phrase Match
  • Hyphen-Separated URL Words

Likely Findings

  • Keyword in Domain Name
  • Keyword Density Across Domain
  • TF-IDF across Domain
  • Site wide Average Novelty Score
  • Keyword Density of Page
  • Keywords Higher on Page
  • Keywords Earlier in Tag
  • Good Spelling and Grammar
  • Rich Media
  • Salience of Entities
  • Keywords Earlier in Display Title
  • Schema.org
  • Old Domain
  • New Domain
  • Long Domain Registration Term
  • Subdirectories
  • ccTLD in National Ranking

Maybe Findings

  • Relevant Outbound Links
  • More Content Per Page
  • Public Whois
  • Subdomain Usage
  • Number of Subdomains
  • Keywords Earlier in Headlines
  • Domain-Wide Fresh Content
  • Domain-Wide Old Content
  • Privacy Policy Usage
  • Verifiable Phone Number
  • Accessible Contact Page

Iffy Findings

  • Reading Level
  • Meta Description
  • Quantity of Comments
  • Verifiable Address
  • Using rel=”canonical”
  • Low Code-to-Content Ratio
  • Meta Source Tag
  • Meta Geo Tag

Myth Findings

  • Google Analytics
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • XML Sitemaps
  • Using rel=”author”
  • Using rel=”publisher”
  • Use Adsense
  • Keywords in HTML Comments
  • URL Uses www. Subdomain
  • Dedicated IP Address
  • Positive Sentiment in Comments

Overview

There are a number of things that I believe to be deciding factors when it comes to ranking on page 1 of google.

  1. Having good content: this should be relevant, accurate and unique. Part of having “good content” is also staying consistent with how often you are posting new content.
  2. Technical errors: you need to make sure your website is well maintained, and updated regularly to avoid any technical errors.
  3. Positive reputation: I have spent 8 years building my online reputation and I take great pride in having great testimonials and reviews.
  4. Trust and authority: make sure your website is demonstrating expertise, authority and that you are trustworthy.

To see more of what can have a positive impact, and what can have a negative impact to your website, see the full infographic here.

*This is just a guide – this has not been approved by Google.

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