Public Relations & Social Marketing Insight

Ranking among the top Google search results is increasingly driven by dynamic factors, such as content relevance and user intent, rather than static factors, such as the number of keywords and links on a webpage, according to recent research from Searchmetrics.

The annual Searchmetrics ranking factors report was based on an analysis conducted in 2016 of Google search results for 10,000 keywords. The researchers examined which webpages were presented in the top 10 mobile and desktop results for each keyword and then determined which factors correlated to high rankings.

The presence of a few technical requirements, such as H1 tags and HTTPS encryption, help pages rank well across almost all keywords, the analysis found.

However, many of the other factors that influence high search rank, such as time spent on site and click-through rate (CTR), are dependent on individual searchers and pieces of content.

The fact that top search results for keywords are now driven less and less by universal factors led Searchmetrics to conclude that marketers should increasingly focus on topic-specific SEO/content tactics rather than broad approaches....

Today Google announced the launch of a mobile-friendly test tool to see if your website passes Google’s criteria for what it consider to be a mobile optimized site.

In case you’re wondering why it’s important to meet Google’s mobile-friendly criteria, it’s because they’re adding a “mobile-friendly” label in its search results next to sites that pass this criteria.

Since this is a brand new addition, there’s no way to know how it will affect click-through rate, but I think it’s a safe bet that mobile searchers are going to visit a page labeled “mobile-friendly” before visiting a page without that label.Here’s another big reason why it’s important for your site to meet Google’s criteria — it may impact your rankings....