Overusing keywords can not only confuse readers but also lead to penalties, which ultimately harm your SEO ranking. To avoid this, focus on creating meaningful, high-quality content that includes keywords naturally. SEO stands for search engine optimization, which is the process of improving a website’s visibility in organic search results on Google and Bing, or other search engines. SEO involves researching search queries, creating helpful content, and optimizing the user experience to improve organic search rankings. As we have seen, back-end performance and TTFB directly correlate to search engine ranking.
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Our data shows there is no correlation between “page load time” (either document complete or fully rendered) and ranking on Google’s search results page. This is true not only for generic searches (one or two keywords) but also for “long tail” searches (4 or 5 keywords) as well. We did not see websites with faster page load times ranking higher than websites with slower page load times in any consistent fashion. If Page Load Time is a factor in search engine rankings, it is being lost in the noise of other factors. We had hoped to see some correlation especially for generic one- or two-word queries. Our belief was that the high competition for generic searches would make smaller factors like page speed stand out more.
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It’s critical to provide an equally strong experience for mobile users to satisfy search engine ranking factors. When authoritative websites link back to your pages, it shows trust and relevance to search engines, improving your site’s authority. Incorporating localized keywords can help Google understand where your business is located, thereby improving your visibility for users in the same geographical area. Remember, while you may not have control over one of the most important ranking factors, i.e., physical proximity, you do have the tools to make your local business prominent in local searches.
John Mueller went on to explain that Google reads headings in the way they were meant to be, which is for understanding what the topic is of the paragraphs that follow the heading are about. Get the latest local SEO news, research, and tactical advice sent to your inbox. As Darren Shaw said in his presentation of the initial results, “in summary – build links”. Understanding the individual factors that are most likely to move the needle is far more useful than looking at improving a whole group. How these areas are ordered in importance has remained broadly similar to previous years, meaning every discipline should still be accounted for in your strategy.
This shows that you’re a reputable source of information, and can boost your rankings in search results. Ignoring Content Updates and Freshness Content freshness is another vital factor in maintaining your SEO ranking. Many websites need to be aware of creating content and then neglecting it for long periods. However, Google favors fresh and regularly updated content as part of its ranking factors.
- Previously to this, Core Web Vitals (CWVs) had been emphasized as an important ranking factor.
- Ensure your content is well-researched, grammatically correct, and optimized for your target keywords.
- Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, making mobile optimization essential for local SEO.
Google’s AI Overviews still need source material to generate their summaries. And that source material or citation, at least at the moment, still comes from search. Your content might be amazing to human readers, SEO Anomaly but it also needs to be communicated in a way Google understands. If you’re looking to ground yourself in modern SEO practices, this list of SEO statistics is a great place to start. Read on to explore some of the most relevant facts and figures that show where SEO is in 2025 and where it may be going. They’re constantly tweaking their rubrics for assessing content—not to mention the many outside influences.
Bringing those formats (if relevant) to your content can provide the LLMs behind SGE with valuable context and information for AI-powered results. But again be careful you don’t trip Google Panda by offering duplicate content and keyword stuffing. Search engines are smarter now, and they can easily detect manipulation.
The number of comments a given URL has received on Facebook will impact rankings. Pages that attract user engagement in the form of comments are a clear signal of quality and user interaction. Sites that have a high percentage of returning visitors are deemed to be of higher quality than sites that don’t get many return visitors. A lower bounce rate attracts higher visibility in the search results. A negative link velocity will have a negative effect on your visibility in search. John Mueller explains that no follow links aren’t included in the algorithm.