What is the first place everyone has to go when they are looking for answers, solutions, ideas, or information about a product or a service? It is definitely not in the books or the Yellow Pages. As of today, people go to Google!
Google is one of the most widely used search engines in the world, handling over 70% of worldwide online search requests. This is why SEO, or search engine optimization, is becoming a multi-billion-dollar industry.
The practice of getting your construction website to align with Google’s current ranking factors to generate more traffic and rank higher is called SEO.
So, how much do you know about these Google ranking factors? Do you know the latest ones? How can you begin optimizing your construction website for these?
You can find out in this blog! Let’s dive in!
But What are Google Ranking Factors?
The ranking factors set by Google refer to the many elements and variables that Google considers when it decides which website pages to rank for every search online. In other words, these ranking factors can ultimately affect your ranking—whether you rank in Google for your targeted keywords and how high you rank.
There are over 200 Google ranking factors today. Though you will not know every single one of them since they are always changing, it is important to be aware of the most important ones. Today, one of the most important aspects Google is looking for is E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authority, and trust.
Many Types of Google Ranking Factors
Before we discuss the top Google ranking factors we singlehandedly select, let’s first consider the many different types of these ranking factors you will encounter:
- On-page ranking factors: This set of factors refers to the content on every web page. It includes images, keywords, and other elements people see on your webpage.
- Off-page ranking factors: These are factors that are outside the web page itself. These are specific links from other web pages on your website or other websites (backlinks).
- Technical ranking factors measure your website’s capacity to be crawled, indexed, and extract content quickly and safely for searchers.
- Local ranking factors: This set of factors involves all three of the above, specifically focusing on reputation, reviews, and listings in a specific geographical location.
Remember, there is not one single Google ranking factor that will either make or break your SEO. The combination of all your on-page, off-page, and technical efforts work together to help you achieve a higher ranking on Google, get more organic traffic, and establish trust.
What are the Latest Google Ranking Factors?
We have put together a list of the most critical Google ranking factors so you can make the most impactful improvements to improve your ranking on Google.
1. Content quality and depth
The quality and depth of your content is the first obvious one. With a quality content, you can rank higher in Google despite getting other factors right. This is about consistently publishing relevant, high-quality content, niche expertise, and user engagement.
So, what makes content relevant and high quality?
- It is readable: This means the content is well-organized and written in an easy-to-digest way. It should not be stuffed with repeating keywords.
- It is fresh: Even the most relevant content loses relevance over time. So, if you are about to write new construction content, you must update other outdated pages with the latest information and new keywords. This is key to maintaining a great freshness score.
- It is trustworthy: Your content is in-depth, useful, helpful, accurate, and free of spammy links and comments.
- It matches the intent of your keywords: It is important to understand better what your users are looking for (keywords) when they quickly search online.
- Ultimately, high-quality content strongly indicates greater brand awareness, authority, and relevance—which makes your website and web pages deserving of a higher ranking in Google!
2. Keyword placement
Once you know what keywords you aim to rank for, it is crucial to integrate them into specific sections on your web page. The following are the most common spots:
- Title tags: These are also commonly known as meta titles, the titles that usually appear on the SERPs.
- H1 title: The title that commonly appears on the page
- H2 headings: You need to aim for at least two
- In the body: In the first 100 words
- URL: Make sure to keep your URL clean and concise.
- Meta description: This blurb typically appears below the meta title. Your blurbs should be accurate and sum up your page. They should also give users and searchers a good reason to click.
3. Image optimization
Image optimization is another critical factor because of Google image search and everything in search results is becoming increasingly visual. This has always been the case on mobile phones.
Here are some friendly beginner tips on how to optimize your photos for SEO:
- Assign alt texts: Every image must have a text alternative. This is the only way Google can detect an image. Be concise yet descriptive in your alt texts, and include your target keywords.
- Compress and resize: Compressing your photos will keep your image file size between 17 and 100KB or less. In addition, it will improve your website’s page speed.
- Add value: If possible, avoid using empty graphics or stock images in your content and blog posts. This can be your opportunity to take pictures of your projects and work onsite and offsite to depict reality. As a result, it improves your content quality and keeps your users interacting more with your content.
4. Page speed
Page speed is another important Google ranking factor because today’s users expect a pain-free and flawless browsing experience. If your web pages take too long to load, your bounce rate will most likely increase, and your ranking will decrease as a result.
Make sure to check the page speed of your construction website every now and then.
5. Core Web vitals
In 2021,Google introduced a new ranking factor, Core Web Vitals. This new ranking factor is a big part of the page experience update. Core web vitals quantify a person’s experience on your web page, which shows whether and how people engage with it.
Core web vitals include:
- LCP (Largest Contentful Pain): This indicator is responsible for the loading performance of your website.
- FID (First Input Delay): This indicator refers to how long your web page takes to register for the first click on your page.
- CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): This indicator indicates whether your web page has disruptive popups or unexpected movements.
Image compression, code minification, and lazy loading are some of the ways you can improve your core web vitals. You can also partner with a trusted construction marketing agency to conduct a full optimization of your core web vitals.
At ConstructionMarketing.io, we prioritize and ensure a positive user experience. Our experts will perform a comprehensive core web vitals audit, analyze CWV indicators, and provide additional tips for improvement. Our service is perfect for your needs, especially if you plan to implement some website modifications and aim to rank higher in Google!
6. Website architecture
Search engines usually function by crawling and indexing all content on your website. On the one hand, internal links are hyperlinks that directly point to another web page on your site. So, the more organized, structured, and tightly-knit your internal links are, the more points of access are created to each of your pages. As a result, it is easier for search engines like Google and your users to find what they are searching for online.
Here are two important to keep in mind for your website architecture:
We suggest making every page of your website accessible in three clicks or less. A good start is to be mindful of what web pages you link to every time you create a new piece of content or a new page.
For SEO purposes, conducting a technical SEO audit for your website every few months is ideal. This is to look for 404 errors, broken links, and redirect loops.
7. Site Security
You have probably encountered both HTTPS and HTTP. Ever wonder what the “s” stands for? It stands for “secure”.” If you happen to see websites with HTTPS, then it simply means they are secure and reliable. One easy way to convert your construction website to HTTPS is to get an SSL certificate (secure sockets layer).
Today, there are a few routes you can take to get an SSL. The costs largely depend on the level of security you need for your website, including your hosting setup.
8. Backlinks
Finally, we will tackle about backlinks. A backlink is a link to your web page that comes from a different website. A page with many links pointing back to it will tell Google that this page is delivering value and ultimately a very reliable and credible website.
However, what you may not know is that one link from one quality domain is way better than multiple links from different low-ranking websites.
But how do you exactly get backlinks? We share with you four link-building tactics below:
- Original content: If you publish high-quality and unique content to your target construction clients, it will absolutely generate backlinks.
- Cold outreach: You build backlinks by finding related content and introducing your pieces to the author in exchange for a link. Cold outreach is a kind of authority that often takes years to build but is worth it.
- Guest posting: Another way to earn more backlinks is through guest posting. To guest post, you can simply offer to write a post for a different site.
Improve Your Google Ranking with ConstructionMarketing.io!
As you reach this part of the blog, we hope you finally know these Google ranking factors are and the role they play in your website ranking. And while these Google ranking factors may change, but as long as you focus on the points we cited above, you will likely continue to gain ranking success!
Partner with us! We are ConstructionMarketing.io. We are a leading full-service digital marketing company.
You can trust us on the core business of your website and leave the rest of the work to our SEO experts. Our specialization lies in both on-page and off-page website optimization! So, helping you rank higher in search engines, especially Google, is easy.
We believe our digital marketing solutions can make a huge difference in your construction business. Also, our strong background in the industry ultimately gives us an advantage in unlocking your business’s growth potential!