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    Website Ranking: 4 Factors That Determine Where You Stack Up

     
    by Katie Fassl on Jun 13, 2014 6:00:38 AM

    website rankingThere has always been some mystery surrounding the path to Internet success.  In earlier days, it was easy to manipulate a few factors regarding your website to stimulate traffic and sales.

    There may be less mystery today, but the matter has grown more complex. Traditionally important issues have lost their significance while completely unexpected factors have made big splashes in the SEO world.  If you want your web page to generate more quality traffic, you need to focus on a handful of crucial subjects.

    Key Factors in Determining Your Page Rank

    1. The Diminished but Still Significant Value of Keywords

    Search engines had to make some early changes in their determinations of page rankings. Keyword-stuffing probably slowed the increasing value of Internet businesses because this practice turned many searches into huge wastes of time.  As a result, the focus on keywords among the top search engines was much reduced over the years.

    However, keywords still have value.  After all, this is how people search for something. They focus on a phrase or word before making their searches.  You still need to make sure that your content contains the right language even if it does not adhere slavishly to an old-fashioned keyword discipline.

    2. Social Media Continues to Grow in Importance

    The sudden appearance of social media and its quick rise in importance stunned the SEO world.  In fact, people were soon referring to social media optimization (SMO) as the new way to go in response to the growing population of subscribers on various platforms.  There is no question that successful websites need to have a presence in social media and keep their pages linked to these factors.

    Taking full advantage of social media will take time.  However, you can cut to the chase with a few easy steps.  For example, a lot of sites allow visitors to sign in automatically with one or more social media usernames.  This means that they sign in to their social media account and yours simultaneously.  This also makes it easy for your web traffic to share their activity with their circles of friends in an instant.  That’s free publicity for you in the digital form of word-of-mouth advertising.

    3. You Still Need Backlinks

    If you have been in the game for a while, you might be relieved to know that backlinks are still very important.  Some things never change.  However, if you simply counted on the number of backlinks to support your traffic expectations, you will need to change gears.

    The latest research shows that search engines are looking both at the number of backlinks your website has as well as the quality of those links.  While the power of massive numbers of backlinks is undisputed, you will improve your page ranking and garner more traffic with high-quality backlinks.

    4. Quality Content is King

    As the focus of search engines has developed, one thing has remained true.  The quality of the content on your website just becomes more and more relevant to your success.  Backlinks, return visits and traffic derived from social media, simply depend on visitors being impressed with your site.  This means that the design of the site and the appropriateness of the language for your intended audience must work together to create the perfect appeal.

    The good news is that search engines increasingly reward quality.  This was inevitable. The web is just a digital version of the same marketplace that people have inhabited for thousands of years.  Tricks and flashy entertainers can always make big, brief splashes, but the crowd is always drawn back to the merchants and speakers that provide quality.


    Katie Gutwein is Director of Marketing and Social Media here at KBK Communications, where she leads a team of Marketers, as they help their clients manage inbound and outbound marketing strategies.  You can connect with Katie on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google Plus, or read more of her posts on KBK Communications’ blog.


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    Image courtesy of:  tiramisustudio/Freedigitalphotos.net

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