Google Sheds Light on Ranking Factors

You recognize that Google holds the keys to just about everything, which means that when it decides to share, you need to listen. If your competitor is ranking near the top of the heap when it comes to Google’s organic SERPs and you are not, it’s a marketing problem. But it’s a problem that Google – in its beneficence – is now going to help you out with a bit. You heard that right – Google is going to help – so let’s get started.

Pulling Back the Curtain

Recently, Google released a new feature that’s intended to provide you with a range of information about why Page A is ranking ahead of Page B. This is an attempted foray into transparency on Google’s part, and while the motivation behind it remains less than clear, it’s very likely legally driven. Let’s face it, transparency isn’t Google’s thing, so this is kinda a big deal. According to Google, the idea is to take all that data – that no single entity can possibly process on its own – and massage it into something meaningful and possibly even actionable for both searchers and businesses out there. Google shoulders the heavy load of all the following:

• Taking the billions of websites out there
• Determining those that are most relevant and reliable to the query in question
• Presenting the top-ranking websites in a manner deemed useful to the searcher

While Google takes myriad factors into consideration, and the method behind their madness can feel opaque, the fundamentals that guide their rankings are fairly straightforward, which makes taking a closer look paramount. This is where About This Result, which continues to add new features, comes in. All told, it’s a lot, but Google is a giver.

What’s In It for You?

Yeah, yeah, Google has a shiny new feature, but in the end, what matters is what’s in it for you, and that’s a great question. About This Result breaks nearly limitless data down into bite-size chunks that can help you reimagine the information in relation to your own online offerings.

The Search Terms that Rank

Google is now prepared to share which terms in the searcher’s query were matched to the website in question (as ranked by Google). Matches can go beyond visible content and flow into the HTML, including title tags and other forms of metadata.

Related Search Terms

Google doesn’t stop with matching the exact terms included in the query but, instead, pushes forward with related terms.

Linking Up

All the websites that incorporate the search terms in question on their pages (and in their links) link to Google’s Search Results (and in so doing, influence Google’s rankings), and Google is now prepared to let you take a look.

Related Images

Google is also happy to let you know if there are images and/or image file names that relate to the query in question.

Language

The language function is in its early stages, but it’s designed to show you the language of the search result in question. This feature could prove useful for inquiries written in foreign languages, queries originating in foreign countries, and more.

Region Relevancy

Some search queries are considered more regionally relevant than others. For example, if a searcher is looking for pizza delivery, the region – down to the city or even neighborhood level – is far more relevant than if he or she is interested in doing some online clothing shopping.

Leveling the Proverbial Playing Field

The reigning experts in the field are trying to decipher what it’s going to mean when everyone knows exactly how Google ranks keywords. It’s not difficult to predict that the major players out there are all going to optimize for the same glorified terms and to chase the same links – but they are not in a rush to become carbon copies of one another. While the search term optimization route is a certainty, that’s not the end of the story. In fact, in the age of online everything, branding has become that much more relevant, and businesses are in the business of making unique names for themselves.

There Is No Magic Bullet

The unbelievably massive online market is consumer-driven, which means that slapping some Google-approved keywords on a site is probably not going to get you where you want to be. Most online searchers are looking for more than just making a one-time purchase and moving on to the next one-time purchase – they’re looking to connect and build an ongoing relationship with the company in question, and no magical accounting of keywords can make this happen. While having a better feel for the keywords you should be incorporating into your online content can certainly help, the herculean effort of personalizing your content and making it sing for all your potential customers, clients, or users out there remains squarely on your shoulders.

Local SEO? Not So Much (Yet)

Google’s organic algorithms are distinct from its local algorithms, and the keyword update is not available in the local space (no word on whether it ever will be). Nonetheless, Google’s nod to increased transparency signals a change and this change is very likely to trickle down into the world of local SEO.

A Digital Marketing Pro Can Help You with That

Google is offering a glimpse into its inner workings, and it can be a little scary. While the part about optimizing for terms that rank with Google is a no-brainer, incorporating the terms organically into your unique content doesn’t have to be rocket science either. The digital marketing professionals at The Web Guys recognize that even incremental changes at Google come with lots of hype and the potential to incite a riot among those working with SEO, but we remind you that remaining calm and pressing on is the best path forward. We’re in the business of helping you improve your relationship with Google and getting your sites to rank for the right keywords, so give us a call at (317) 805-4933 or contact us today.