Types Of Search Engine Success Factors
There are three major groups covered by Search Engine Land’s Periodic Table Of SEO Success Factors:
On-The-Page SEO
Off-The-Page SEO
Violations
Within each group are subgroups, as each chapter of this SEO guide will explain. These subgroups contain one or more individual SEO factors with a specific weight or importance.
Violations, while a group unto themselves, are displayed under the group and subgroup to which they’re associated.
Periodic Table Of SEO Success Factors
Those two letter acronyms you see on the chart above? That’s our play on the periodic table of elements and the letter representations, or symbol, of each element. You may have had to remember that the symbol for gold was Au or that iron’s was Fe.
In the Periodic Table of SEO, we’ve tried to make it slightly more intuitive. The first letter of each “SEO element” comes from the subgroup that it’s in and the second letter stands for the individual factor.
SEO Factors Work In Combination
No single SEO factor will guarantee search engine rankings. Having a great HTML title won’t help if a page has low quality content. Having many links won’t help if they are all low in quality. Having several positive factors can increase the odds of success while the presence of negative factors can worsen those odds.
On-The-Page Success Factors
On-The-Page search ranking factors are those that are almost entirely within the publisher’s own control. What type of content do you publish? Are you providing important HTML clues that help search engines (and users) determine relevancy? How does your site architecture help or hinder search engines?
Off-The-Page Success Factors
Off-The-Page ranking factors are those that publishers do not directly control. Search engines use these because they learned early on that relying on publisher-controlled signals alone didn’t always yield the best results. For instance, some publishers may try to make themselves seem more relevant than they are in reality.
With billions of web pages to sort through, looking only at ‘On-The-Page’ clues isn’t enough. More signals are needed to return the best pages for any particular search.
SEO Violations & Ranking Penalties
Make no mistake; search engines want people to perform SEO because it can help improve their search results. Search engines provide help in the form of guidelines, blog posts and videos to encourage specific SEO techniques.
However, there are some techniques that search engines deem “spam” or “black hat”, which could result in your pages receiving a ranking penalty or, worse, being banned from the search engines entirely.
Violations are generally tactics meant to deceive or manipulate a search engine’s understanding of a site’s true relevancy and authority.
Weighting Of Search Ranking Factors
All the factors we show are weighted on a scale of one to three, as shown in the top right corner of each factor, as well as reflected in the hue of that factor. A weighting of three is most important and is something you should pay special attention to because it has a bigger impact than other factors.
That doesn’t mean that factors weighted two or one aren’t important. They are. It’s just that they are of less importance, relatively speaking, in terms of the other factors on the chart. Violations are also weighted, but in negative numbers, with negative three being the worst and potentially most harmful to your SEO success.
The weighting is based on a combination of what search engines have said, surveys of the SEO community, as well as our own expertise and experience in watching the space over time. We don’t expect them to be perfect. Not everyone will agree. Your mileage may vary.
But we’re confident it is a useful general guide.
“Missing” SEO Factors & The Guide’s Philosophy
Experienced SEOs may be wondering why some factors aren’t shown. How come ALT text or bolding words aren’t included as HTML factors, for example?
The answer? We don’t think those things are as important, relatively speaking. We’re not trying to boil the ocean and encompass every possible signal (Google has over 200 of them) and sub-signals (Google has over 10,000 of those).
Instead, the goal of the Periodic Table Of SEO Success Factors and this online companion guide is to help those new to SEO focus on the big picture and perhaps allow experienced SEOs to hit the “reset” button if they’ve gotten lost staring at specific trees in the SEO forest.
That’s why this SEO guide doesn’t address having your most important keywords be at the beginning or end of an HTML title tag. Nor are we trying to assess how much more weight an H1 header tag carries than an H2 tag.
We’re purposely avoiding being ultra-specific because such things often distract and pull us down the rabbit hole. Instead, we hope you gain an understanding that pages should have descriptive titles, that indicating page structure with header tags may help, and topping things off with structured data is a good idea.
Do these things well and you’ve probably addressed 90% of the most important HTML factors.
Similarly, it’s not whether a good reputation on Twitter is worth more than on Facebook. Instead, we’re trying to help people understand that having social accounts that are reputable in general, which attract a good following and generate social shares, may ultimately help you achieve search success.
Want More Specifics About Success Factors?
We know some of you may want to drill down into specifics. In that case, the Moz Search Engine Ranking Factors survey is worth a look. Every two years, hundreds of well-regarded SEOs are asked to determine the importance of specific ranking factors. We do hope you’ll keep any specific ranking factors in the context of the fundamentals covered by our table.
In addition, many of the success factors aren’t true algorithmic factors at all. Content Research (element Cr) is a highly weighted ‘On-The-Page’ factor that describes the process of researching the words people use to find your content. Understanding your user is important to your SEO success even if it’s not a ‘ranking’ factor.
You can also check out our What Is SEO / Search Engine Optimization? page, which lists some useful guides to the fundamentals (including one from Google itself) along with many more SEO resources.
Of course, the guide you’re reading now is a great resource for understanding key SEO factors. So use the links below to continue reading through the Search Engine Land Guide to SEO.
Chapters: Home – 1: Factors – 2: Content – 3: Architecture – 4: HTML – 5: Trust – 6: Links – 7: Personalization – 8: Social – 9: Violations
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
3 Reasons Your SEO Efforts Are Failing
3 Reasons Your SEO Efforts Are Failing Implementing a search engine optimization strategy isn't enough to get you on the first page of Google’s search results.
Even with an SEO plan in place, there is a good chance it isn't working the way you hoped.
There are a number of reasons your SEO strategy is failing to get you to the coveted front page. Without an understanding of what you're doing wrong, your content will be stuck in the middle of the pack.
Here are three of the most common—and crippling—mistakes to avoid:
1. You're not using the right keywords.
Determining the best keywords for you and your organization can be difficult, especially if you're working in a highly populated category.
The most common keyword-related mistakes include using single-word keywords instead of long-tail keywords, hoping to get noticed using popular keywords, and targeting keywords that are too specific (or not specific enough).
If you're using single-word keywords or highly popular keywords, you're bound to get lost in the results that appear after a general search. If you can't compete with the budgets that many million-dollar companies set aside to ensure first place spots, it's essential to your SEO strategy that you find a keyword path around them.
In your quest to find the best keywords, don’t be too specific or too broad. If you optimize a keyword that is too broad, potential customers will have a hard time finding you and lost seekers of a different service might find their way to your page.
On the other hand, if no one searches for the keywords you've selected, you won't be found. Either way, don’t make potential customers struggle to reach your page.
Select keywords that are specific enough to describe your organization well, but broad enough that they will be typed into a search bar.
2. You're not using digital marketing tools.
Digital marketing tools help you see what is working and what isn't, so you know where your strategy is strong—and where it needs support.
Everything from analytic trackers to goal trackers fall under the data visualization tools category, and all are necessary if you want to see your SEO efforts succeed.
If you are only measuring the success of your SEO strategy by an increase in business, you're unlikely to see the results you're anticipating. Optimizing your website's content takes time, effort and continuous improvements. Treating SEO as a one-time project can only do so much, and it's likely to be very little.
Management tools give you the ability to track and understand the side of SEO you couldn't see before and measure results beyond a standard increase in business. The tools you choose can provide you with information from how many new visitors you're seeing on your website to potential keywords that may work better for your business.
Getting help from computer software/hardware, online programs or other marketing tools is necessary in creating a strong SEO strategy. Constant technological changes require increased comprehension of your site’s effect on the hardware it interacts with.
An intro to networking courses can give you the competitive advantage needed to fully grasp any server related issue flagged on your site. Don't allow your efforts to fail because you're not adapting and adjusting.
3. You’re not targeting your customers.
Your SEO strategy needs to revolve around what your customers—or potential customers—look for when they need your product or service. If you don't understand who your customer is, your SEO strategy is bound to fail.
Targeting the wrong audience will not increase your business even if your SEO strategy puts you on top on the results page. Similarly, if you're not appearing in the results for the correct audience, those searching for your business won't be able to find you.
A good way to see if you are reaching the right customer is to check out your bounce rate—the number of individuals who come to your website and leave without looking around. If your bounce rate is high, you are probably appearing in the wrong search results and your SEO strategy will need to be adjusted.
Take the time to understand whom your target customer is and reflect on how they might be searching online. An older customer isn't going to search the web the same way a teenager would. Your keywords must represent the audience that brings you the most business.
Getting the right SEO strategy takes trial and error. With a lot of attention and a little adjusting, you can find your way to the first page of search engine results and increase your website traffic, leading to your organization’s success.
Even with an SEO plan in place, there is a good chance it isn't working the way you hoped.
There are a number of reasons your SEO strategy is failing to get you to the coveted front page. Without an understanding of what you're doing wrong, your content will be stuck in the middle of the pack.
Here are three of the most common—and crippling—mistakes to avoid:
1. You're not using the right keywords.
Determining the best keywords for you and your organization can be difficult, especially if you're working in a highly populated category.
The most common keyword-related mistakes include using single-word keywords instead of long-tail keywords, hoping to get noticed using popular keywords, and targeting keywords that are too specific (or not specific enough).
If you're using single-word keywords or highly popular keywords, you're bound to get lost in the results that appear after a general search. If you can't compete with the budgets that many million-dollar companies set aside to ensure first place spots, it's essential to your SEO strategy that you find a keyword path around them.
In your quest to find the best keywords, don’t be too specific or too broad. If you optimize a keyword that is too broad, potential customers will have a hard time finding you and lost seekers of a different service might find their way to your page.
On the other hand, if no one searches for the keywords you've selected, you won't be found. Either way, don’t make potential customers struggle to reach your page.
Select keywords that are specific enough to describe your organization well, but broad enough that they will be typed into a search bar.
2. You're not using digital marketing tools.
Digital marketing tools help you see what is working and what isn't, so you know where your strategy is strong—and where it needs support.
Everything from analytic trackers to goal trackers fall under the data visualization tools category, and all are necessary if you want to see your SEO efforts succeed.
If you are only measuring the success of your SEO strategy by an increase in business, you're unlikely to see the results you're anticipating. Optimizing your website's content takes time, effort and continuous improvements. Treating SEO as a one-time project can only do so much, and it's likely to be very little.
Management tools give you the ability to track and understand the side of SEO you couldn't see before and measure results beyond a standard increase in business. The tools you choose can provide you with information from how many new visitors you're seeing on your website to potential keywords that may work better for your business.
Getting help from computer software/hardware, online programs or other marketing tools is necessary in creating a strong SEO strategy. Constant technological changes require increased comprehension of your site’s effect on the hardware it interacts with.
An intro to networking courses can give you the competitive advantage needed to fully grasp any server related issue flagged on your site. Don't allow your efforts to fail because you're not adapting and adjusting.
3. You’re not targeting your customers.
Your SEO strategy needs to revolve around what your customers—or potential customers—look for when they need your product or service. If you don't understand who your customer is, your SEO strategy is bound to fail.
Targeting the wrong audience will not increase your business even if your SEO strategy puts you on top on the results page. Similarly, if you're not appearing in the results for the correct audience, those searching for your business won't be able to find you.
A good way to see if you are reaching the right customer is to check out your bounce rate—the number of individuals who come to your website and leave without looking around. If your bounce rate is high, you are probably appearing in the wrong search results and your SEO strategy will need to be adjusted.
Take the time to understand whom your target customer is and reflect on how they might be searching online. An older customer isn't going to search the web the same way a teenager would. Your keywords must represent the audience that brings you the most business.
Getting the right SEO strategy takes trial and error. With a lot of attention and a little adjusting, you can find your way to the first page of search engine results and increase your website traffic, leading to your organization’s success.
3 Reasons Your SEO Efforts Are Failing
3 Reasons Your SEO Efforts Are Failing Implementing a search engine optimization strategy isn't enough to get you on the first page of Google’s search results.
Even with an SEO plan in place, there is a good chance it isn't working the way you hoped.
There are a number of reasons your SEO strategy is failing to get you to the coveted front page. Without an understanding of what you're doing wrong, your content will be stuck in the middle of the pack.
Here are three of the most common—and crippling—mistakes to avoid:
1. You're not using the right keywords.
Determining the best keywords for you and your organization can be difficult, especially if you're working in a highly populated category.
The most common keyword-related mistakes include using single-word keywords instead of long-tail keywords, hoping to get noticed using popular keywords, and targeting keywords that are too specific (or not specific enough).
If you're using single-word keywords or highly popular keywords, you're bound to get lost in the results that appear after a general search. If you can't compete with the budgets that many million-dollar companies set aside to ensure first place spots, it's essential to your SEO strategy that you find a keyword path around them.
In your quest to find the best keywords, don’t be too specific or too broad. If you optimize a keyword that is too broad, potential customers will have a hard time finding you and lost seekers of a different service might find their way to your page.
On the other hand, if no one searches for the keywords you've selected, you won't be found. Either way, don’t make potential customers struggle to reach your page.
Select keywords that are specific enough to describe your organization well, but broad enough that they will be typed into a search bar.
2. You're not using digital marketing tools.
Digital marketing tools help you see what is working and what isn't, so you know where your strategy is strong—and where it needs support.
Everything from analytic trackers to goal trackers fall under the data visualization tools category, and all are necessary if you want to see your SEO efforts succeed.
If you are only measuring the success of your SEO strategy by an increase in business, you're unlikely to see the results you're anticipating. Optimizing your website's content takes time, effort and continuous improvements. Treating SEO as a one-time project can only do so much, and it's likely to be very little.
Management tools give you the ability to track and understand the side of SEO you couldn't see before and measure results beyond a standard increase in business. The tools you choose can provide you with information from how many new visitors you're seeing on your website to potential keywords that may work better for your business.
Getting help from computer software/hardware, online programs or other marketing tools is necessary in creating a strong SEO strategy. Constant technological changes require increased comprehension of your site’s effect on the hardware it interacts with.
An intro to networking courses can give you the competitive advantage needed to fully grasp any server related issue flagged on your site. Don't allow your efforts to fail because you're not adapting and adjusting.
3. You’re not targeting your customers.
Your SEO strategy needs to revolve around what your customers—or potential customers—look for when they need your product or service. If you don't understand who your customer is, your SEO strategy is bound to fail.
Targeting the wrong audience will not increase your business even if your SEO strategy puts you on top on the results page. Similarly, if you're not appearing in the results for the correct audience, those searching for your business won't be able to find you.
A good way to see if you are reaching the right customer is to check out your bounce rate—the number of individuals who come to your website and leave without looking around. If your bounce rate is high, you are probably appearing in the wrong search results and your SEO strategy will need to be adjusted.
Take the time to understand whom your target customer is and reflect on how they might be searching online. An older customer isn't going to search the web the same way a teenager would. Your keywords must represent the audience that brings you the most business.
Getting the right SEO strategy takes trial and error. With a lot of attention and a little adjusting, you can find your way to the first page of search engine results and increase your website traffic, leading to your organization’s success.
Even with an SEO plan in place, there is a good chance it isn't working the way you hoped.
There are a number of reasons your SEO strategy is failing to get you to the coveted front page. Without an understanding of what you're doing wrong, your content will be stuck in the middle of the pack.
Here are three of the most common—and crippling—mistakes to avoid:
1. You're not using the right keywords.
Determining the best keywords for you and your organization can be difficult, especially if you're working in a highly populated category.
The most common keyword-related mistakes include using single-word keywords instead of long-tail keywords, hoping to get noticed using popular keywords, and targeting keywords that are too specific (or not specific enough).
If you're using single-word keywords or highly popular keywords, you're bound to get lost in the results that appear after a general search. If you can't compete with the budgets that many million-dollar companies set aside to ensure first place spots, it's essential to your SEO strategy that you find a keyword path around them.
In your quest to find the best keywords, don’t be too specific or too broad. If you optimize a keyword that is too broad, potential customers will have a hard time finding you and lost seekers of a different service might find their way to your page.
On the other hand, if no one searches for the keywords you've selected, you won't be found. Either way, don’t make potential customers struggle to reach your page.
Select keywords that are specific enough to describe your organization well, but broad enough that they will be typed into a search bar.
2. You're not using digital marketing tools.
Digital marketing tools help you see what is working and what isn't, so you know where your strategy is strong—and where it needs support.
Everything from analytic trackers to goal trackers fall under the data visualization tools category, and all are necessary if you want to see your SEO efforts succeed.
If you are only measuring the success of your SEO strategy by an increase in business, you're unlikely to see the results you're anticipating. Optimizing your website's content takes time, effort and continuous improvements. Treating SEO as a one-time project can only do so much, and it's likely to be very little.
Management tools give you the ability to track and understand the side of SEO you couldn't see before and measure results beyond a standard increase in business. The tools you choose can provide you with information from how many new visitors you're seeing on your website to potential keywords that may work better for your business.
Getting help from computer software/hardware, online programs or other marketing tools is necessary in creating a strong SEO strategy. Constant technological changes require increased comprehension of your site’s effect on the hardware it interacts with.
An intro to networking courses can give you the competitive advantage needed to fully grasp any server related issue flagged on your site. Don't allow your efforts to fail because you're not adapting and adjusting.
3. You’re not targeting your customers.
Your SEO strategy needs to revolve around what your customers—or potential customers—look for when they need your product or service. If you don't understand who your customer is, your SEO strategy is bound to fail.
Targeting the wrong audience will not increase your business even if your SEO strategy puts you on top on the results page. Similarly, if you're not appearing in the results for the correct audience, those searching for your business won't be able to find you.
A good way to see if you are reaching the right customer is to check out your bounce rate—the number of individuals who come to your website and leave without looking around. If your bounce rate is high, you are probably appearing in the wrong search results and your SEO strategy will need to be adjusted.
Take the time to understand whom your target customer is and reflect on how they might be searching online. An older customer isn't going to search the web the same way a teenager would. Your keywords must represent the audience that brings you the most business.
Getting the right SEO strategy takes trial and error. With a lot of attention and a little adjusting, you can find your way to the first page of search engine results and increase your website traffic, leading to your organization’s success.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)