SEO Backlinks and Google Website Ranking
In the U.S. alone there were over 12 billion searches on the internet searches conducted every month. Some 33% out of those 12 billion internet searches for each search term went to Google’s top ranked organic search result.
Online business owners would be smart to improve their search engine ranking for relevant keywords. However, that can be easier said than done continually changing algorithms and rules. But it is necessary to obtain that top spot on the SERP (Search Engine Results Page)
Fortunately, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is easier than ever as the result of the latest updates to the algorithm by Google. In order for online business owners’ websites to rank above their competitor’s online business website, great content is a must.
Connecting information to potential customers is the entire purpose of search engines. The major search engines will scour the internet whenever a protentional customer searches for a service or a product in order to find the most relevant content and information available.
The major search engines, such as Yahoo, Bing, and especially Google are determining the benefit, relevance, and quality of the content and other information on a particular online business website and will then rank that online business website accordingly.
Google depends on its search algorithms to rank, analyze, and scan all of the content internet for specific search term. Where a particular web page or blog post ranks is determined by these behind-the-scenes calculations.
However, terms such as relevance and quality are rather subjective. To overcome this, the major search engines uses heuristic metrics to provide a close approximation of quality. This approximation is close but not perfect.
Keywords and backlinks are the most well-known of these metrics. However, Google has included a variety of metrics into its analysis, over the years. Some of these metrics include content length, content freshness, italic and bold words, ALT and <H> tags, backlink quality, which is determined by PageRank, backlink quantity, meta descriptions, Anchor text, and keyword density. However, the problem with this approach is that it can be manipulated.
Some SEO companies began to determine some of the factors that informed the major search engine rankings. As a result, it became possible to intentionally alter content to manipulate this system. Paid blogging networks, backlink manipulation and paid keyword stuffing were all methods that were successfully used undermine the algorithm by Google. This resulted in online business websites with poor quality content to be ranked higher than they should have been.
The major search engines, especially Google began updating its search algorithms constantly, in order to fight back. As their search engine technology has become more powerful, their list of quality metrics has become more complex and diverse. As the result the algorithms are more difficult to manipulate and more accurate.
There have been hundreds of updates, the most notable of which being Pigeon, Hummingbird, Penguin, and Panda. In 2011, the Panda update was released by Google, which penalized unoriginal and short content. In 2012, the Penguin update was introduced, which singled out online businesses that purchased backlinks and/or manipulated their content or websites. In 2013, the Hummingbird update was introduced, which improved the way that the major search engines, which determined the relationship between results of a search and the keywords. In 2014, the Pigeon update was introduced which improved search ranking based on location.
Into 2015 and later, two of the biggest algorithm changes to date were introduced:
- The main search metric was changed to include verifiable and accurate backlinks.
- As the major search engines slowly move towards continuous updates, future algorithm changes will happen more often, and with less fanfare.
The results of these and future updates by the major search engines is that searches will more closely mirror what the potential customers is searching for by identifying the most helpful and relevant content. This means that it will be more difficult to manipulate the search engines algorithm by making these algorithms increasingly more complex. However, it also means that the best possible content that is available will have a better chance than ever to rank highly, simply by using good content.
Rather than of obsessing over backlinks and keywords, online businesses should concentrate on providing great content. This content needs to provide real value by trying to solve problems in the real world for prospective customers. This content also needs to be comprehensive. It should be as up-to-date as possible, well researched, accurate, and as complete as possible. Reputable sources should be cited.
Improving the search engine ranking of an online business website has never been easier. Rather than writing specifically for the major search engines, write specially for the potential customer. The result of earning the trust of potential customers, educating potential customers, and improving their internet experience, the search engine ranking of that online business website will increase dramatically. The reason for this is that if the content impresses potential customers it will also impress the major search engines.
