Google’s new additions to ranking signals

Business owners and marketing managers are always searching for new ways to boost their website’s search engine ranking and Google is trying to help companies do just that. So it’s a win-win for both.  Google applies over 200 factors in the algorithms to rank websites.

While high quality, fresh content is still the #1 “signal” that Google utilizes when ranking websites, there are some new additions that Google has recently revealed. Your company will want to adopt these easy-to-apply signals that garner Google “points” that will help push your website up the ratings ladder.

HTTPS - a simple ranking signal

Since security is of paramount importance to Google, they invest megabucks into maintaining a high level for all who use Google to access billions of websites daily.  This is good to know for you, your company and all the people and companies trying to find your company.  

The new additional layer of security is the HTTPS encryption code that Google encourages companies to adopt in their ongoing effort to keep their services, and the internet in general, secure.  This simply-applied new signal will help boost your site’s ranking in the future.

Purchasing a SSL certificate from reputed companies like GEOTrust will add that security layer to your website.

Site speed signal

It’s a speeded up world - especially online - so it makes sense that another new signal in Google’s search ranking algorithms is site speed. All this means is basically how fast your website can be found in a search, and how quickly your pages load.

We all know we’re much happier when we can find what we’re looking for quickly. Studies back this up - they show that the slower the site, the less time visitors will spend there.

Reduce your operating costs
Optimizing your site to improve site speed not only enhances the user experience, recent data shows it actually reduces operating costs too. Even more reason for the need for speed.

Increasing website page download speed
Simple steps include updating web server configuration, HTML, JavaScript, CSS and images. You can also download a module for the Apache HTTP Server called mod_pagespeed to perform many speed optimizations automatically.

Mobile-friendly signal

Score more Google Brownie points by optimizing your site to be mobile-friendly.  This helps searchers access your site easily and quickly from their smartphones.

We all know how frustrating it can be when a site is mobile-unfriendly.
You know, text is too small so it’s difficult to read properly, it’s hard to scroll, you have to turn your phone sideways, can’t click on links, and many more irritations.

Mobile site = good ROI
Including this cost to your marketing budget to make your site mobile-friendly will provide a good return on investment for your business.

Bottom line? A responsive site that is all-device-friendly will yield great results for your company’s bottom line.

Google is your BFF

The key takeaway for SMEs is that Google’s raison d'être is to provide the very best user experience while serving up links to the highest quality websites that meet a searcher’s needs.

You can improve your website’s search engine ranking, get more traffic and ultimately create more success for your company by doing these simple things. Earn Google points by applying these signals today and help Google help your target market find your company.

strategies to improve website results

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