Content As A Google Ranking Factor: What You Need to Know

SEO professionals and content marketers are always looking for new strategies to boost their search engine rankings. Your digital marketing and SEO initiatives will not be complete without content. Without something to post on the page, you can’t conduct SEO. With no content, art, music, or video on the page, you can’t provide value or engage your audience.

Is content, on the other hand, a ranking component in Google’s search algorithms?

 

The Evidence For Content As A Ranking Factor

Let’s start with the basics before diving into why high-quality content can boost your digital marketing efforts. Even as far back as 2011, Google has been adamant about the need of prioritising quality content when it comes to creating high-quality websites. Today, Google prioritises top notch articles above bloated clickbait with too many superfluous keywords, especially as it refines its search algorithm.

Users will profit from this enhancement in two ways. To begin with, if you’re looking up a topic, the first page of results is more likely to supply you with articles and blogs that you’ll want to read. So you’re not stuck reading five robotic articles that have gotten to the top of the pile with as many backlinks and keywords as possible.

Second, this shift means that Google will be able to rank your high-quality blog posts and articles. As a result, you can concentrate on developing engaging content that engages your audience rather than worrying about SEO methods and recommendations that will help you move ahead. Nonetheless, you’ll need to apply SEO strategies to build your content so that search engines can find you. However, if you make content your primary priority, you’ll see significant improvements in Google search rankings.

 

What is a ranking factor?

A ranking factor is a word used in SEO to describe any variable that a search engine might employ to index results for a certain search. Domain authority, page speed, mobile optimization, ux, external and internal links, hyperlinks, buzz marketing, HTML code, and other elements are all considered ranking criteria. However, even if your website is precisely calibrated, the actual content must correspond to the desired search results. If someone searches for “Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson,” for example, they’ll find on-page results from a well-known website such as Wikipedia or IMDB, along with a rudimentary filmography. The best-performing pages will almost certainly have evergreen material, originate from trustworthy sources, and contain a wealth of pertinent information about life. 

Learn about how linkbuilding helps in ranking in Search Engines.

How do you rank an article?

What does this have to do with ranking factors? For starters, high-quality information, whether it’s an article, a photo, or a video, appears at the top of the search results. Following that, information from reputable domains usually receives favourable ranking.

So, how did it end up at the top of the search engine results? They created optimised material with SEO tools. Here are a few of the highlights: 

• Every article should answer the search terms definitively. It must be relevant content that responds to the search query. 

• It needs to be able to load pages quickly. 

• To appear as an expert in the topic, the website should have multiple articles. 

• The images in the article should be SEO-friendly. Also, while marking them with words pertinent to the piece, the author must follow excellent practises.

Top reasons why you should think content as a ranking factor

When deciding where to display your content, Google considers over 200 ranking indicators. You get another chance to meet practically every one of them every time you post a piece of content.

Here are a few of the most compelling reasons for every firm to consider content as a ranking factor in and of itself. 

• Consistently Proving Your Authority

Domain authority is a metric created by Moz (and now widely used) that determines how likely a page is to rank in search engine results. It ranges from one to 100, with 100 being the highest possible authority. Even the most authoritative sites, such as Wikipedia and YouTube, only reach the high 90s. Instead, aim for a higher authority number than your competitors in your industry.

It’s impossible to be a master in every field. If you attempt, Google will notice, and you will not achieve the desired ranks for any URL. Content allows you to concentrate your authority on only one or two topics and subtopics. The Google engines will figure out what you’re all about if you create high-quality material in your field, and you’ll get the ranks you deserve. 

• Increased Traffic to Your Website

SEO is tough because you need traffic to prove to Google that your content is worth showing in search results, but you can’t earn sustainable traffic without ranking in the results either. Content plays the long game. You start small with low-volume, low-competition, long-tail keywords. Rank well for a few blogs, earn the traffic from them, and Google will be more likely to include more of your URLs in the results for higher competition keywords. Better Website Engagement and User Behavior. It is insufficient to rely solely on traffic. Google sees if a large number of individuals click your headline in the search results but only linger on the page for a few seconds.

Google wants to provide the best possible response to each query. You won’t keep your ranks if you have a lot of traffic but no engaged users. The solution is to publish high-quality material. Use internal links, videos, images, and everything else fascinating you can think of to keep visitors on your site. Show Google that you are trustworthy by prioritising quality in your content. 

• Earning Quality Backlinks to Your Website

Backlinks are quite important. That’s why Google has so many spam filters in place to prevent websites from taking advantage of backlink flaws. Google will flag your entire domain if hundreds of irrelevant or spammy sites connect to it. The Google algorithms, like traffic and engagement, want to determine if your page is worth sharing with others via links. On that topic, you should also avoid connecting to low-quality websites on your own page.

It is impossible to fabricate high-quality backlinks. Only expert material worth linking to can get you backlinks from high-authority domains. Backlinks are one of the most compelling reasons to consider content as a ranking criteria. 

• Giving Google More URLs to Index

The more high-quality content you provide, the more opportunities you’ll have to rank for keywords across your entire website. Google adores content because it allows the search engine’s algorithms to better comprehend your field of expertise and what you do. Each time you post new material, you provide Google with more keywords to help it understand your brand. That’s why it’s critical to use relevant semantic keywords in your H2s, H3s, titles, and descriptions for anything you post. 

• Provides Value to Meet Google EAT

When Google algorithms (and occasionally humans) examine your material and compare it to your competitors, they seek for expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. That’s why, despite their best efforts, scam sites can’t force their way to the top of essential health results, which are dominated by websites from the CDC. It takes time to earn trust, knowledge, and authority. Content, fortunately, provides you with a new opportunity to show yourself and develop EAT for your brand every day. Please don’t give up. Continue to do so, and Google will take note.

Simply ensure that integrity is a top priority in whatever you post, and Google will take notice. Create better content than what’s already out there by using keywords in your headings and subheadings, linking to credible sources, and writing thorough and fascinating content. 

• More Signals to Reinforce Your Brand

Although Google will declare that social media signals don’t matter, we all know that they do. Social media is a big source of traffic and interaction. It’s a critical tool for building and preserving your company’s reputation. Ensure that your social media pages are connected to your company’s main website. Branded keyword searches and branded anchor text for backlinks, on the other hand, notify Google that your brand is authoritative enough for others to refer to it.

You can’t thrive in either without continuous content, regardless matter whether you use social media or have backlinks on your website. Use social media to market your content and build a name for your company. Branded keywords and links will appear over time. 

• More Chances for Image Optimization

You’re missing out on major content ranking criteria and traffic if you’re not optimising photos. Because the majority of individuals do not optimise their content photographs, you will have little competition for your images to rank in anything you publish. Make sure photos are related to the theme of each piece of material you publish. Include an ALT description with semantic keywords that appropriately represents the image.

Furthermore, Google favours entertaining material. Images improve the quality of the information. Not only will Google images provide more attention to your site, but you’ll also see an increase in overall traffic and engagement.

 

Content creation guidelines

Here are a few tips to add to your writing checklist to ensure your content remains at the top of SERPS even after the next algorithm upgrade. 

1. Do your keyword research before you start writing

This will assist you in determining what issues are most important to your target audience and how to address them. This is also the time to look at the search volume for specific themes during the first stage of the content production process. Many tools will provide you with that information as well as a list of terms that may help you find a better keyword. You’ll obtain better results on issues of equivalent importance this way. Yes, whether you’re blogging or publishing more serious stuff, relevance is important! 

2. Pay attention to the technical aspects of your writing. 

It will be more difficult to rank on SERPs if you ignore specific technical SEO components, even if you generate fantastic content. So don’t forget to include a meta description, external and internal links, photographs clearly labelled with your keyword, and perhaps an infographic to help show your point. All of these factors contribute to overall content generation. 

3. Promote your article on social media. 

Social shares will not only increase the number of people who read your content, but they will also help it rank higher. Remember that readers will share good information, but they will not share garbage. 

Doing all of this by yourself can cause a lot of stress and prevent you from performing crucial tasks. To receive aid with content marketing, it’s always best to rely on a reputable marketing business like us. Zenerom is a b2b content marketing agency that can assist you with every step of the process. Make an appointment with our SEO Consultant by contacting us today.

 

Create quality content that ranks well with Zenerom

The king is the content! Investing in SEO content that will draw viewers to your site remains a critical goal if you want to see your search traffic improve. When confronted with everything you need to consider when writing amazing content, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. You don’t have to go on this adventure alone, though! The rellify platform will walk you through the whole content creation process, from topic generation through writing, editing, and publishing. It even keeps track of your published article so you can check how well it’s doing. To learn more, contact our SEO team.