However, the signals that Moz uses to determine a website’s domain authority are more or less similar to the Google ranking factors that determine authority. Title tags and meta descriptions are short summaries that tell both users and search engines what a given page is about. Keyword-rich, optimized, and persuasive tags and descriptions have an indirect impact on rankings when the optimization leads to increased click-through rates.

Domain Age

But when it comes to local searches, optimizing your website for search engines like Google is crucial to attract nearby customers. In this article, we’ll explore the key local SEO ranking factors that matter most in 2024, helping you understand how to improve your local search rankings and grow your business. However, the importance of having a keyword in the domain name has evolved. Search engines, particularly Google, have become more sophisticated in understanding a website’s content and context beyond just the domain name. The focus has shifted towards quality content, user experience, mobile-friendliness, and other SEO factors. While a keyword-rich domain can still provide a slight advantage in terms of relevance and branding, it’s not a make-or-break factor for SEO success.

• These do in fact have an indirect impact on SEO, although they aren’t a direct ranking signal.
• Unfortunately, Google won’t directly tell you what your competitors rank for, but a handful of 3rd party SEO tools do exactly that, making the work much easier.
• Average engagement time reflects how long visitors were actively engaged with the content on your site.
• This type of “natural” link building happens all the time, thousands of times a day.

c. Check for local intent

The better your website serves users, the better it will rank in search results. A professional website design company can help you incorporate these features into your website and keep it updated with the latest trends. With over 60% of global online traffic coming from mobile devices, Google now predominantly uses mobile-first indexing. This means the mobile version of your site is the primary basis for how your content is ranked and indexed. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’re missing out on a significant opportunity to rank higher and engage users.

Therefore, to optimize your impact on search engine rankings, it’s essential to proactively manage your citations. Regularly check and update your NAP information across all platforms to ensure accuracy and consistency. It’s about leaving no stone unturned to make your local business easily discoverable and trustworthy. Behavioral signals are indicators of how users interact with your website and Google Business Profile. Factors like click-through rates, time spent on your site, and driving directions requests impact your local search rankings.

Our study confirms that user experience signals have low or negative correlation with high SEO rankings. Of the 20 factors most strongly correlated with high search rankings, eight are backlink-related. One of the factors used to determine quality is understanding if other prominent websites link or refer to the content. This is generally a good sign that the information is trustworthy. The most basic signal that information is relevant is when content contains the same keywords as your search query.

When you plan SEO Anomaly your keyword strategy, think about what questions your customers would ask when they look for the types of products or services you offer. Don’t use jargon or industry terms that your consumers are not familiar with. They also agree that negative review sentiment and a low overall star rating can both negatively affect your rankings.