Google remains a bit of a “black box” when it comes to understanding how it ranks websites. But over the years many people have managed to devise certain principles that will help a page rank high in their SERPS. These principles aren’t hard and fast rules, but following them generally gives a page a chance to succeed. Well optimized pages tend to rank higher than ones that haven’t been touched. Let’s take a look at some of these core concepts of Google search engine optimization.
Effective basics
1) Google loves websites with many backlinks. Of course you can enter into the debate on whether Google loves quality or quantity when it comes to backlinks, but suffice it to say, backlinks are still a huge factor in Google. Most people recommend foregoing quantity in favor of “high-quality” links. This phrase is subject to interpretation, but to most people it means links from related pages. The older the domain holding the related page, the better. Quantity of links tends to be in the form of many unrelated links in footers and blog rolls. From what I’ve seen, both methods are still valid if followed with enthusiasm.
2) Careful on-page construction is a key to a high ranking. Most pros don’t overlook the careful construction of the on-page factors that lead to high rankings. On-page factors are something that webmasters have complete control over, so it’s definitely an area to consider. One nice thing about on-page optimization is that you can easily tweak the pages and experiment. There’s no good reason to ignore the obvious.
3) Google loves “authority.” In the last few years Google has become enthralled with the concept of “authority” and “trust” and has created a rather convoluted system to measure it. Once a website has been conferred authoritative and trusted, they seem to get a boost that helps lift even mediocre pages on their domain to a higher status. This is opposed to how it was several years back when Google would let each page fight it out on its own. The concept of authority and trust are well worth investigating if you’re looking to optimize your site for higher rankings.
4) Outgoing links. Not only are the links that point to you important, but so are the websites you point to. It’s easy to understand this concept as “the company you keep.” If you link to low quality resources and your website is linked to from low quality websites, Google could infer that your website is also low quality.
The progression of the years has seen Google’s algo get more sophisticated. But at its core the same essential principles that always applied still do apply. Your website is judged by a number of criteria that is not fully understood by anyone outside of Google. Based on continued observation, certain core principles have emerged. If you follow these principles, success will likely follow.