Top 7 Google Ranking Factors in 2021

SEO is the most dynamic field in digital marketing which continues to evolve every year. That being said, it’s important to keep up with new trends and changes in Google’s Search ranking algorithms. We have highlighted and broken down our top seven Google ranking factors of 2021:

Content Quality

Content quality is one of the most important factors to take into consideration when you’re optimizing your website. The content that’s shown should have real value to your website and should also incorporate engaging information. As we do notice that more comprehensive content usually achieves the highest rankings it’s also important to note that quality is better than quantity- focus on the value of the content rather than the amount of words provided on the page.

Freshness

Google’s Freshness Algorithm originally came out in 2010 and has had a huge impact over the past few years. Refreshing old content that is outdated and that is not ranking anymore will not only improve the look of your site’s content but it will also help get those rankings up on Google.

Mobile First

Google announced in 2016 that they are releasing a mobile-first indexing which means that search rankings will be affected if your website is not compatible nor optimized. Web designers need to update all website content to provide a high-quality user experience. On top of optimizing the website’s content it’s important to remember that Google’s mobile-first search has changed and allows users to get local results that better target their specific location. Although this mobile-first approach has changed we recommend optimizing your website to allow for these searches to produce more traffic for your site.

Page Speed

Page speed is extremely important when it comes to mobile-first indexing from Google. If your page has a slow loading speed it will have less chance to rank at top results. The main goal for Google when it comes to page speed is to provide the best and most convenient experience for users.

Brand Power and Social Signals

Searches that are branded will provide great success to Google’s search algorithm. These branded searches create a lot of traffic online and the more likely they are to be recognized by the Google algorithm. That said, adding social signals from social media platforms will also draw in more search rankings. Organic traffic is not just made with a great online presence but sites that incorporate brand power and social signals through their SEO channels can achieve a great amount of visibility online.

Domain Power

Domain power has drastically changed over time as more websites are created online. The more exact-match domains will not be as visible online as they used to be. This being said, domains still have influence and it’s important to remember that exact-match domains can still draw in a lot of users, incorporating a keyword in your domain name gives you a higher chance of driving traffic to your site from Google’s search engine.

User Experience

Finally user experience is the last top Google ranking factor of 2021. The more Google’s algorithm advances and changes overtime, it will always have one purpose and that is to have the best user experience online. As web designers it’s important to remain aware of these changes made by Google and to optimize as the algorithms changes, to ensure your online presence and functionality of your website creates the best user experience.

The year 2020 was a big year for changes in search engine optimization marketing strategies. As Toronto SEO Agency, we can account for a large part of your traffic it’s important to always stay on top of these factors in order to maintain and be successful in your online presence.

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