Content for SEO, is it all? Three pillars are described in Search engine optimization (SEO). Technology, authority, and content. A question that often comes up is: What should I do for each pillar.
I answered precisely this question in my thesis on search engine optimization factors. I went in search of the golden formula of search engine optimization by doing data analysis. In this data analysis, thousands of sites were compared to find the position’s predictive factors on a particular keyword.
You can read how you can do Technology, Authority, and Content work to rank higher in search engines in the article. A search engine optimization model is also discussed that can help in understanding a search engine and provides starting points for optimization.
It is interesting to see that the three pillars mentioned above all contribute to a better search engine position. Elements of the content, technology, and authority pillars that are also addressed in the conceptual model all have different influences.
We see that the Domain rating has the strongest influence on the search results.
The presence of the main keyword also has a strong influence. What would matter less (at least with our dataset) is the number of words. It seems there is a minimal amount of words to rank uberhoupt in the search results. During the investigation, few pages came up containing less than 600 words.
Technique
The speed (speed score) and the number of requests jointly have the lowest weighting. They are, therefore, matters that have less influence than the authority and content. The conceptual model states that the first step for a well-performing website is a good technical basis to be indexed. It seems that technology is indeed nothing more than that—a base. The data does not show a ranking factor that will make a page outperform a competing page.
Authority
Although the number of referring domains has only a low influence, we see that the domain rating does have a strong influence. So we can conclude that the number of links to a page is much less relevant than the quality of the links. This is also not surprising. The periodic table of SEO model already indicated that buying or spamming with links will not make a site perform better.
Link spam can even negatively affect the position of a page.
Content for SEO
With content, we see several relevant things. The theoretical framework has already shown that tf * idf is one method used to understand what a page is about. The method compared words on a page with how often words appear on the internet in total.
This method can determine what is likely the main subject of a web page. We therefore also see that the percentage of the text that consists of the keyword influences the ranking.
What we also see is that it matters whether the keyword is present in the domain name or not. Overall, we can conclude that the use of words on a page and titles and descriptions is an important part of the algorithm. It is interesting to note that the number of words has little or no influence. One of the hypotheses was that a page that was longer contains more information and is therefore better.
This does not seem to be the case.
SEO models
Content for SEO is everything. Earlier, we wrote about the different theories and models that have been made. These models can be found here: SEO models.
The results of the research make it clear that every model is right. The LYONSCG model shows that a domain’s indexability must first be focused, then the content must be optimized. Then a website owner can focus on building authority.
This structure occurs in the same order in the conceptual model.
The conceptual model shows that the website must have good technology and the right content. When this is done, a site will be placed in the Google index. The rankings can then be influenced by increasing authority.
Although this order is not mentioned by the periodic table of SEO success factors or the MOZ ranking factors model, we see that the models’ content is comparable.
What does Google Quality Readers Guideline say?
The Quality readers Guideline from Google is a document in which a website must meet the requirements shown in Google’s eyes. The document contains more than 100 pages that indicate what is good and what is not good on a site. This document has been analyzed to become clear what Google wants to focus on when it comes to search engine optimization.
A similar conclusion can be drawn when looking at the Google Quality readers guidelines (Google, 2019b) and the google webmaster support answers (Google, nd). We see that in these documents, indexing is first looked at. An initial index is built up based on the words on a page, and only later on, additional factors play a role.
It is interesting to see that Google writes that it is important whether a word appears in the URL. The research showed that a keyword in the permalink causes a lower ranking. Still, it is wise to mention the keyword. As discussed earlier, it is likely that if a website does not have the keyword in the permalink, it would not appear in the top 100 at all.
Recommendations for better rankings in search results
For any online marketer or entrepreneur who wants to score better, it is advisable to go through the conceptual model. Owners of new websites would do well to start with a good technical foundation. This means Clean code, a clear structure, and a good sitemap so that the site can be optimally indexed by Google. Also, start with a domain name that contains one of the most important keywords. This helps rank on these words.
When the technical basis state, the site must be filled with content. The research showed that the length of the content has no influence on the position of Google. However, the quality of the content does have an influence. Research a specific keyword because only the best information is put at the top by Google.
It is also important to target one keyword per text. Keyword density is an important factor that determines how high a text will appear in the search results. Texts that focus on multiple keywords will mention the main keyword less and, therefore, become less high.
However, the periodic table of SEO success factors shows that “stuffing” can negatively influence. So do not overdo the use of a keyword, but only put the keyword in the text to make sense.
When the content is present for all the keywords a site should score on, it is important to create authority on the web. This can be done by looking for other websites that want to link to the website. Look for websites that already have authority in a particular field. Only with these high-quality links will the website be higher in the search results.
For quick success, an entrepreneur is better off looking for a different way of marketing. Creating a website takes a lot of time. There is quite a steep learning curve associated with search engine optimization. The advantage of this way of attracting attention is that it does not have to cost much and provide a gigantic reach.
The rapid profit in search engine optimization mainly in obtaining quality links. These are links from websites that are frequently linked to. When looking for link partners, pay attention to the number of links they receive. A strong link partner is a website that has many inbound but few outbound links.
What is the crawl budget?
A search engine spider or crawler works with a certain crawl budget. It costs money to index a site. The smaller the site, the less often the crawler will visit because the crawl budget is still small. Technically bad websites need more crawl budget for the crawler to find the right information.
How do you get a bigger crawl budget?
A larger crawl budget can ensure that the site is indexed better or faster. So it is nice to have a more crawl budget. A site’s crawl budget is tied to the domain authority. So you will have to increase your domain authority if you want a higher crawl budget. You do this by getting more backlinks to your site.
You can start with link building, but you can also focus on writing better content. If your articles on the site are good, the links will come naturally.
What is a featured snippet?
The zero position in google (still above the regular search results) gives a short answer to the search question. This is called the Featured snippet.
In 2019 it was still possible to acquire the featured snippet in combination with a top 10 position. Nowadays, that is no longer possible, and you only get the featured snippet.
Still, it is useful to optimize your site for the featured snippet. You can already get the zero position if you are somewhere in the top 10 but have the best answer. For example, you can go from position 10 to 1 in one fell swoop without your website is the best.
Optimize your site for the featured snippet:
Your answer must meet several requirements before it can become a featured snippet. The most important thing is that the answer is in the correct form (a list, summary, or table) and that it is the best answer that can be found online.
What is Site Authority
The authority of a website is about the impact a site has on the web. It’s the power a site has to rank high. More links to a website help the site gain greater authority, but the quality of links is also very important.
Ways to Check the Authority of a Site
There are several tools to check the authority of your site. For example, you can try one of the following:
Each tool will give you a different value. You cannot compare the values of mutual tools because they do not check the same. So if you want to compare two sites, you have to use the same tool to check the authority.
Increase the domain authority
The best way to increase your authority is to create quality content and move in social media to reach the maximum number of people. In this way, people start to link to our website. Another web link is as if we are recommending, and the more “recommendations,” the more authority.
Of course, the more DA websites have to link us, the greater the authority to win. If only small links authority sites, our ranking could be negatively affected.
What is the bounce rate
The bounce rate is the percentage of people who leave a web page without interacting.
A high bounce rate can mean two things:
- The site is doing well; people view the site, have the information they need, and then leave the site.
- The site is not doing well; people view the site and decide to leave immediately because they do not feel they can find the right information.
Is a high bounce rate bad?
A high bounce rate is often seen as bad, but a high bounce rate is quite normal in many industries. Websites that provide information often have a bounce rate of 80-90%. However, these sites can still perform well.
How do you lower the bounce rate?
You don’t always have to lower your bounce rate. If customers find the information they are looking for, that may be enough. If you still want a lower bounce rate because you think it is better, you can try the following things:
- Make sure that people are presented with clear next action. An example could be adding a call to action on a page so that users know that they need to take a different action after reading the article or page.
- Refer to other pages within your site that are relevant.
- Improve site speed. If a site doesn’t load, people will leave the site faster. This is also a bounce.
- Use videos. Research shows that users are 2.5x more likely to click through your site if it contains videos.