Ep 3.6: Top Google Ranking Factors to Watch out for this Year

03/27/24 • 10 min

In this month's episode, we're diving deep into the essential ranking factors that could make or break your website's visibility this year. If you know your way around SEO, none of these things should be too surprising, but they do bear repeating because they're SO important.
Here's a cheatsheet of today's discussion:

Crawlability: Make sure Google can effortlessly crawl your site. Google's reducing its crawl frequency, so it's vital to have your site primed and ready. Also, check your robots.txt file and ensure no crucial pages are accidentally set to no-index.
Site Structure: Simplify your site's navigation. A well-structured site aids both users and search engines, boosting your SEO score.
Internal Linking: A smart internal linking strategy not only enhances user experience but also strengthens your site's SEO. Be logical and helpful, and guide visitors through your site's content in a way that feels natural and intuitive.
Anchor Text: The right words can increase relevance and authority, but overdoing it can have a negative impact.
Core Web Vitals: Improving loading times, responsiveness, and visual stability can significantly impact your rankings.
Quality Content: Never underestimate the power of compelling content. It should be readable, informative, and aligned with your audience's search intent.
Search Intent: Align your content with the intent behind search queries. Understanding why users search for specific terms helps you create content that satisfies their needs.
Topical Authority: Establish yourself as an authority in your field by consistently producing high-quality content related to your niche. (No surprise there.)
Backlink Optimisation: High-quality backlinks are SEO gold. Earn them by creating valuable content and engaging with your community authentically.

Helpful Links

Implement these strategies and watch your site climb the rankings. Here's to your success! Now go forth and optimise!

Support your fellow marketing geeks! Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @GeekyTechGeeks for all things SEO and advertising related—and while you're at it, why not subscribe, like, and follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to your favourite shows.

Have any questions you want answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].
Thanks for listening 🤓

Crawlability: Make sure Google can effortlessly crawl your site. Google's reducing its crawl frequency, so it's vital to have your site primed and ready. Also, check your robots.txt file and ensure no crucial pages are accidentally set to no-index.
Site Structure: Simplify your site's navigation. A well-structured site aids both users and search engines, boosting your SEO score.
Internal Linking: A smart internal linking strategy not only enhances user experience but also strengthens your site's SEO. Be logical and helpful, and guide visitors through your site's content in a way that feels natural and intuitive.
Anchor Text: The right words can increase relevance and authority, but overdoing it can have a negative impact.
Core Web Vitals: Improving loading times, responsiveness, and visual stability can significantly impact your rankings.
Quality Content: Never underestimate the power of compelling content. It should be readable, informative, and aligned with your audience's search intent.
Search Intent: Align your content with the intent behind search queries. Understanding why users search for specific terms helps you create content that satisfies their needs.
Topical Authority: Establish yourself as an authority in your field by consistently producing high-quality content related to your niche. (No surprise there.)
Backlink Optimisation: High-quality backlinks are SEO gold. Earn them by creating valuable content and engaging with your community authentically.

Helpful Links

Implement these strategies and watch your site climb the rankings. Here's to your success! Now go forth and optimise!

Have any questions you want answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].
Thanks for listening 🤓

Previous Episode

Ep 3.5: ChatGPT One Year Later: A Look Back at AI-Generated Content

It's been a little over a year since ChatGPT became public and exploded onto the scene. So many of us were overwhelmed, awestruck, excited, and even a little bit anxious about its seemingly limitless capacity.
It obviously did not take us long to envision a world that almost every 19th century science fiction writer warned us about; a world in which the creation becomes more powerful than the creator (how many times has Mary Wollstonecraft rolled over in her grave in the last 15 months?).
But that was a year ago, and we've all had time to digest and get used to ChatGPT (et al) as our helpful marketing sidekick. No, it still hasn't taken over the world, and no, it hasn't wiped out an entire workforce, and yes, it's still a work in progress.
But, it has definitely changed the way we create content, so to help Genny unpack the last year and discuss how writers and companies have adapted is Jon, a freelance SaaS copywriter from Electric Copy.
Enjoy!
Catch up on our previous episodes about AI + Marketing
Ep 2.4: Is AI-Generated Content Ready for the World? Ft. Jo Priest

Ep 2.3: AI and the Future of Marketing with Jo Priest

Have any questions you want answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].
Thanks for listening 🤓

Next Episode

Ep 3.7: Core Web Vitals for Beginners

Today, Genny aims to help listeners wrap their heads around core web vitals, which are key metrics used by Google to assess user experience on websites. She breaks down the three core metrics: page speed (measured by Largest Contentful Paint or LCP), interactivity (measured by Interaction to Next Paint or INP), and visual stability (measured by Cumulative Layout Shift or CLS).

Using layman's terms, Genny details what each metric measures and how it affects user experience and SEO rankings. She also offers a few insights on how to improve each metric, such as optimising images and videos, minimising redirects, and ensuring page responsiveness.

The episode emphasises the importance of user experience in website design and SEO, highlighting that Google is increasingly prioritising user-centric metrics.
Collaboration between marketers and web developers to optimise core web vitals is essential, and will ultimately enhance overall user experience.

So, if you're a beginner to technical optimisation, have a listen to this brief episode!
Check out our other episodes: https://www.geekytech.co.uk/seo-unfiltered-podcast/

Have any questions you want answered on the show? Email us at [email protected].
Thanks for listening 🤓

SEO Unfiltered - Ep 3.6: Top Google Ranking Factors to Watch out for this Year

Transcript

Genny: Welcome back listeners to SEO Unfiltered. What are the big ranking factors everyone’s talking about this year? If you know your way around the back end of your website, you’ll probably find this episode a little sexy, a little intriguing, because I’m about to give you exactly what you need to boost your chances of outranking your competitors. Grab a pen, whip out your Notes app, or just listen very very closely, cuz I’ve got a ton of information to give you and it’s going to b