There are three major search engines in the U.S.: Google, Bing, and Yahoo. These engines are built to catalog online information and quickly answer search queries. For example, if you search, “How do I get a coffee stain out,” then you expect a search results page to appear within seconds containing links to articles and videos answering this question.
In order to provide this service, search engines crawl millions of web pages and use complex algorithms to index the content found on those pages. Earlier versions of search engine crawlers mainly used keywords and links to navigate between pages of content and determine a page’s significance. That’s why links and keywords are crucial to an SEO strategy. Eventually, the SEO industry caught on and began building unnatural linking schemes and stuffing sites with keywords to game the system.
To combat these SEO tricks, today’s search engine algorithms are more sophisticated. Today, engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo use a host of advanced criteria to judge a page’s relevance and importance. According to a post by Searchmetrics.com three of the most important search ranking factors and trends are as follows:
1. Social Media Signals: Search engines are looking for signals from networks like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and more. If your website and social media accounts are linked to one another and you post content, receive comments, likes, and shares, this activity may increase your search visibility.
2. Quality Content: The writing on your business website must be high quality and error free. If you have clear, simple language describing your products and services, it will be easier for engines to determine what your site is about. Consider adding a business blog to your online presence to create even more high quality content for your web presence.
3. Backlinks: A backlink is a link from an outside site that points to a page on your website. Engines like to see a variety of backlinks from high quality, relevant pages. The number of quality backlinks pointing to your website tells a search engine like Google that relevant, third party sites find your content important and worth linking to.
Does your business website have a healthy SEO profile? Find out how your business may be able to show up higher in search engine results by contacting Anchor Wave in Tucson. We help hundreds of small businesses improve their online presence using social media, SEO, and web design. Call us at (520) 622-3731 in Tucson or (480) 331-8920 in Phoenix.
