Before you engage in an SEO campaign, you need to know these two major components of search rank.
You probably run a Google search every day. Heck, you probably run a few dozen searches a day, without even thinking about it, and you probably get exactly the results you’re looking for every time. You don’t have to wade through pages of information like you had to in the late 1990s, and sometimes you’re even met with a succinct, direct answer.
How is Google able to do this? And how can you take advantage of this to earn your business higher ranks?
There are two main factors that constitute Google’s page evaluation, and determine which pages are listed for a give search query:
Relevance
First, Google attempts to discover the relevance of a page to a query. It used to do this via keyword analysis, but now relies on more semantic processes. For example, if you search for “taco bars in Cleveland,” Google will discern your intentions and start scouting for restaurants in your area that fit the bill. This also works for more complex queries like, “how does Google determine search rank?”, so consider this carefully when choosing the topics and content for your pages.
Authority
Relevance alone isn’t enough—Google also wants to make sure that its top ranking websites know what they’re talking about, so it evaluates individual site and page “authority.” A number of independent factors influence this measure, and it’s a big part of SEO. For example, the quality of your content, the quality and quantity of your inbound links, and your offline presence in general all work together to determine your overall authority score. The higher it is, the higher you’ll rank.
If you can improve both your relevance and authority, you’ll have no problem ranking for the queries that matter. If you need help in your SEO campaign, be sure to contact Quez Media for a free evaluation today!
