The Google Rankings. What a marvel that such a complex AI can determine whether your business succeeds or fails. Believe it or not but your business is dependent on the internet. As soon as you complete that business license your company is online and that’s when the SEO Google Rankings comes into play.
The internet can be vast and rather intimidating to a small or even medium size business these days. It seems you have to be a well-known entity or large corporation to even compete in the online world where the search engine Google is a business, a brand and a verb.
The sought-after space you wish you had. Is it even achievable?
We’ve all thought it.
There is a way to make it a more even playing field for you to rank in those highly coveted spots on Google.
Don’t be fooled.
It takes work but it can be done.
Let’s get straight to the point…
Through extensive research throughout the years marketing professionals have determined there are well over 200 Google ranking factors that the algorithm uses to determine who gets those coveted positions in its search engine.
There’s more to it though, it’s not cut and dry.
Well, that’s not entirely true. Some are and some aren’t.
We don’t know what exactly all of the ranking factors are but we have a pretty good idea for some of them. A few of them Google has specifically let out of the bag and confirmed and others are just figured out over time and not to mention trial and error. Even then there are some ranking factors that are speculation.
So what are those ranking factors that we KNOW to be true and what ones are found to be the most important.
You’d be surprised. A lot of them come down to common sense.
Google Ranking Factors We Know Are True
Fly-By-Night Domains
Are you a “fly-by-night” business or are you planning to stick around? That’s what Google is wondering.
Let’s be honest here. You wouldn’t invest in a company that you had doubts would be gone in a month, 6 months or even a year.
No way.
Google thinks this way as well. The search engine rankings is almost like an investment. Google is investing in your business being around a while to provide the best resource to it’s customers (users). It knows if your domain and hosting that is tied to your website is registered for 1 year or 10.
In this 2010 Google video, Matt Cutts states that:
“The difference between a domain that’s six months old versus one year old is really not that big at all.”
Google does admit that they do use domain age…but it’s not very important.
Still, it’s best to invest in long term, right? That’s a YES in Google eyes.
But don’t get me wrong.
This is a list in what factors we know are true. Not how important they are.
Is this a ranking factor that will make or break your search engine dreams? Definitely not. It’s a small blip in the sea of variables. It doesn’t compare to the power of content and backlinks which we’ll get to soon.
Stay tuned for more.