Ranking factors are awesome—and sometimes—a little bit dangerous.
That is, chasing minor ranking factors can lead to a dangerous waste resources, while at the same time neglecting holistic SEO that actually leads to higher rankings and better traffic.
Google uses 1000s of signals to rank web pages. Nobody knows what they all are (and anyone who claims otherwise is fibbing). In fact, since the rise of machine learning, not even Googlers can tell you all the elements that influence rankings and how they interact with one another in search results.
What matters is success.
SEO Success Factors are those elements you can take action on to improve your rankings, traffic, and visibility in Google search. Many Success Factors—but not all—are based on ranking factors, and a number of them deliver bigger results than others.
As an example, while meta descriptions aren’t a Google ranking factor, crafting well-composed descriptions that improve your click-through rate (CTR) can have a positive, outsized impact on your SEO efforts.
Using a combined analysis of dozens of sources, including:
- Ranking factors studies
- SEO Experimentation data
- Expert opinion surveys
- Patent filings
- And statements from Google
… we’ve aggregated the most popular SEO Success Factors in one place. Our goal is to show you not only what works, but how to use these factors to improve your rankings and traffic.
Use this information is to prioritize the most critical factors first while working your way towards less important elements.
Next Steps
- Start with 10 Critical SEO Success Factors
