5 Most Important SEO Ranking Factors Every Business Should Follow

If you want to be a successful entrepreneur, knowing how to optimize your SEO ranking will, eventually, have to be a category you have to face. As we keep getting more optimization techniques and the algorithm keeps evolving, the entire SEO process keeps getting more complex. This can make it seem like a daunting task to optimize for anyone who isn’t already familiar with SEO rankings. This is why we have made this article, to help you get to know the most important factors of SEO ranking. So, let’s get right into it.

1. Page Speed

Page speed has been universally accepted as one of the leading drivers of SEO rankings. Google, as a company, wants to better the experience of its users. One of the best ways of doing so is by prioritizing fast-loading websites over slower ones. This started being a hard policy since the 2018 algorithm update. This update, however, has also made mobile-friendliness one of its core principles when assigning ranks to websites (but more on this later). The basics that influence page speed include:

• The plugins used on the site
• How many images, videos, and media are being used on the site
• The coding scripts the site uses

Your key goal should be to reduce the bounce rate as much as possible. Google was thoughtful enough to show us the interaction statistics between page loading speed and bounce rates. If the page load takes between 1 and 3 seconds, the probability of a bounce increases by 32%. If the loading takes between 1 and 10 seconds, the probability of a bounce increases drastically, up to 123%. Having said this, it should be obvious why Google has made page loading speed one of its driving forces behind SEO ranking.

2. Proper Authority Link Implementation

Backlinks are one of the pillars of SEO ranking. Some will tell you they aren’t a big deal. They couldn’t be further away from the truth. This isn’t to say there aren’t successful websites that rank highly even without extensive backlinks, but this does not mean it should be presented as a go-to strategy. Keep in mind that every industry has its unique approach and goals. Some will benefit a lot more from authority and backlinks than others. Imagine if you were to write about advanced biology without inserting any references to back your claim up. It would end up as a mockery. True, the backlinks used will not, necessarily, last decades, but you don’t want to see profits 20 years from now, you want to see them now. If you are struggling with some of these SEO ranking steps and wish to get professional help, if you are in Australia, we recommend you reach out to Perth’s leading SEO agency for all of your optimizing needs.

3. Make the Site Mobile-First

In March 2021. Google has finalized its mobile-first index, and it has become the new norm for website building and SEO ranking. If you are unfamiliar with the mobile-first index, it is basically a way that Google indexes your website. If the URL of your mobile website is different from the desktop one, it will be prioritized for SEO ranking. Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean they separate the indexes, no. They index and give priority to the mobile URL.

This shift in focus has been caused by the ever-growing use of mobile phones in comparison to desktops. Studies done by Statista have shown the percentage of mobile website traffic in the world during the 4th quarter of 2022. has reached 58.99%. The way most businesses work with mobile websites now is by building a responsive website instead of adding an "m." behind the URL. The way Google ranks now is by having the algorithm assign index properties to the page rather than the signal of a corresponding desktop/mobile page. Because of this, it’s no wonder why a responsive website format would fit best in their algorithm.

4. Local Ranking

Google breaks down local rankings into three categories:

Relevance

You can have the best goods/services in your local area, but if nobody is aware of it and you don’t show up on Google, it amounts to nothing. With this said, relevance is the most important aspect of Google’s ranking algorithm. How you place in Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business), and Bing Places, determines the success you will have and your online visibility. They are fundamentally tied to your business’s name, address, and phone number.

Distance

Distance refers to the physical distance of the searcher to your business. This has a straightforward concept. The closer you are to the searcher, the higher the odds are of appearing in the local search results.

Prominence

Prominence is basically brand popularity. Google collects information from vast quantities of articles, headlines, blogs, links, etc. and every time your business (or a keyword) is mentioned, the popularity of said business will bloom. The more reviews and positive ratings you get also contribute to a better standing result.

5. Optimize the UX

As we have previously mentioned, User experience (UX) can make or break your website. If the website isn’t fully optimized for fast and efficient work, it will have a high bounce rate. Improving the UX can be a tricky but extremely rewarding process. It can attract a significant portion of your potential audience and have them stay and fully analyze your website, provided you make it a worthwhile experience for them.

A vital way of optimizing the UX is by designing impeccable website architecture. How your website is constructed can have a dramatic influence on the number of people who stay on your page and get interested in what you have to offer. Better website navigation allows users to toy around with the website and fill all of their curiosities. A good rule of thumb would be to make your website incredibly simple to use.

Not so scary, is it? With the right amount of effort and research, you can become a master of SEO in no time. Even though there are a lot more factors that influence SEO ranking, we couldn’t possibly talk about all of them in a single article. As you get more used to how SEO functions, you will start discovering new practices that can help you achieve your goals. Best of luck!

Mike is an Australian business consulting specialist. He’s working with companies that outsource their IT maintenance. He often writes about technology, business and marketing and is a regular contributor on several sites.