9 Google Ranking Factors (That Actually Matter in 2023)

The video discusses the 9 Google ranking factors that are important for SEO in 2023, with a focus on website crawlability and indexability, website structure, internal link coverage, optimizing internal link anchor texts, and optimizing for core web vitals.

This video by Nathan Gotch was published on Jul 13, 2022.
Video length: 18:52.

The video discusses the 9 most important Google ranking factors for SEO in 2023.

The first and most important factor is whether your website is crawlable and indexable by Google. The video then goes on to discuss the importance of website structure, internal link coverage, optimizing internal link anchor texts, optimizing for core web vitals, having high-quality content, having a secure website, having a mobile-friendly website, and having a strong backlink profile.

The video provides actionable tips and tools for improving each of these factors to improve your website's Google rankings.

• Google uses over 200 ranking factors.
• Website crawlability and indexability is the most important Google ranking factor.
• Website structure is the second most important Google ranking factor.
• Optimizing internal link anchor texts and core web vitals is important.
• Understanding search intent is the most important ranking factor for content.
• Creating unique content is important for ranking.
• Optimizing content for transactional pages is important.
• Organic CTR is critical for maintaining and improving rankings.
• Building topical authority through keyword-driven content is essential for long-term SEO performance.

9 Google Ranking Factors (That Actually Matter in 2023) - YouTube

Introduction

• Google uses over 200 ranking factors.
• Focus on the 20% of actions that drive 80% of results in an SEO campaign.
• The most important Google ranking factor is website crawlability and indexability.

Website Crawlability and Indexability

• None of the other Google ranking factors matter if Google can't crawl and index your pages.
• Download the detailed Chrome extension and look under the robots tag section to ensure your website is crawlable and indexable.
• Set up your website on Google Search Console to diagnose crawling problems.
• Other factors that dictate how well Google will crawl and index your site include website structure, internal link coverage, and optimizing internal link anchor texts.
• Website crawlability and indexability is a prerequisite for ranking.

Website Structure

• Website structure is the second most important Google ranking factor.
• Maximize crawling and indexing by focusing on four core elements: site-wide navigation, internal link coverage, URL structure, and XML sitemap.
• Site-wide navigation is the single best tool for improving crawlability.
• Internal link coverage is important for pages that aren't ranking well.
• Use Screaming Frog to find pages with less than five unique internal links and drive more internal links to these pages.

9 Google Ranking Factors (That Actually Matter in 2023) - YouTube

Optimizing Internal Link Anchor Texts and Core Web Vitals

• Almost all of your internal links should use exact match or partial match anchors to describe what you're linking to.
• Modifying internal link anchor texts can produce big gains.
• Optimize for core web vitals, which is a ranking factor that measures how fast your page loads and the overall experience.
• Ignore the technical jargon and focus on improving your website's loading speed and user experience.
• Core web vitals is a ranking factor that will become increasingly important in the future.

Website Crawlability and Indexability

• Use Lighthouse to generate a report on your website's performance.
• Use Google Page Speed Insights to benchmark your scores and work to improve them.
• Make sure your website has an SSL certificate as it is a confirmed ranking factor.
• Focus on micro technical and UX activities to improve your website's crawlability and indexability.
• Optimize for core web vitals to improve your website's user experience.

Understanding Search Intent

• Search intent is the most important ranking factor for your content.
• Understand the different types of search intent and how they fit within the context of a sales funnel.
• At the top of the funnel, you have informational keywords.
• In the middle of the funnel, you have investigative keywords.
• Further down the funnel, you'll encounter comparison keywords.
• At the bottom of the funnel, you'll find transactional queries.

Creating Content that Satisfies Search Intent

• Create something new and unique for the keyword while continuing to satisfy the intent of that keyword.
• Longer content tends to rank better, but the goal shouldn't be to create a long regurgitated piece of content.
• Understand the intent of the keyword and develop the target page accordingly.
• Copywriting is still important for ranking, even if the page satisfies the intent perfectly.
• For informational keywords, the copywriting should be at the forefront above the fold.
• For transactional keywords, the focus of the page should be on conversions.

Creating Unique Content

• Find an angle that makes it difficult for any competitor to beat you.
• Create something that's so unique that people have to pay attention, want to click on it, and want to link to it.
• Focus on being different and finding that unique angle while continuing to satisfy the intent of the keyword.
• On category or lead generation pages, the content should be 100% based on the intent of the keyword.
• Most people creating SEO content are creating nothing more than regurgitated nonsense, so focus on being different.

Optimizing Content for Transactional Pages

• Content on transactional pages should persuade the searcher to become a lead.
• Testimonials, client case studies, client stories, FAQs, and hiring guidelines are effective content types for transactional pages.
• Transactional pages should be optimized for conversions, not treated like informational content.
• Primary keyword should be placed in the URL, title, H1 tag, and first sentence, and sprinkled naturally throughout the page.
• Content should be optimized using Surfer's NLP tool.

Optimizing Content Using Surfer's NLP Tool

• Before optimizing for NLP, ensure that the minimum word count has been met.
• Use Surfer's SERP analyzer to understand the top five competitors and their word count.
• Based on the true density, look for opportunities to add important keywords to the page.
• Aim for a minimum optimization score of 70, but aim to beat the top competitor's score.
• Don't over-optimize or stuff keywords, focus on beating the competition.

Organic CTR

• Organic CTR is critical for maintaining and improving rankings.
• Benchmark current CTR using Screaming Frog and Google Search Console API.
• Filter pages with a CTR of three or less to identify pages with low organic CTR.
• Variables such as intent affect organic CTR, so avoid navigational keywords.
• To improve organic CTR, test variables such as title tag, meta description, site links, and microdata.

Building Topical Authority

• Creating keyword-driven content to support existing content is essential for building topical authority.
• Think in terms of clusters and create pages targeting keywords in that cluster with different intent.
• For example, to rank for "backlinks," create pages targeting keywords like "how to get backlinks," "buy backlinks," and "free backlinks."
• Compounding topical authority through keyword-driven content is critical for long-term SEO performance.

Website Authority and Backlinks

• Website authority is one of the biggest ranking factors for SEO.
• Websites like Forbes, Amazon, and Wikipedia rank for many keywords due to their overall website authority.
• Acquiring backlinks is crucial for building overall website authority and for ranking specific pages.
• Identify the link and authority gap between your website and your competitors on the domain level using tools like SEMrush.
• Accelerate your link growth to narrow the gap and improve your website authority.

Page Level Link Gap and Keyword Ranking

• Identify the link gap on the page level for the keyword you're trying to rank for using tools like SEMrush.
• Compare the number of referring domains for your page with those of your competitors in the top 10 or top 3 search results.
• Estimate how much investment is required for link building to narrow the gap and improve your keyword ranking.
• Acquire backlinks to specific pages to improve their ranking and overall website authority.
• Be scientific about your link building and focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites.

Watch the video on YouTube:
9 Google Ranking Factors (That Actually Matter in 2023) - YouTube