Improve Your Search Engine Rankings for Quality Traffic
How to Use SEO to Improve Page Rankings
The precise way Google ranks websites has remained an enigma for years. Only a few years ago did Google provide confirmation about the two most important ranking signals (backlinks and content). However, many people don’t know the third ranking factor, after all, it’s still relatively new.
This new ranking factor is called RankBrain.
The Impact of RankBrain on Search Results
The machine learning algorithm, RankBrain, uses the search giant to improve search results. It’s one of the biggest web initiatives offered by AI (artificial intelligence) that’s changing and altering web search and how it works.
Because RankBrain is such a crucial factor for figuring out where a site ends up in SERPs, businesses can’t afford to ignore it. Unfortunately, most people still don’t know too much about it or how to use it to improve ranking.
For those who are in this boat, the information here is designed to help. Learn what SEO factors are considered by the RankBrain algorithm here.
Create Extremely Helpful Content
By now, most people know that content is the most important element for any website. As stated before, it’s one of the top-ranking factors Google considers, making it a pillar of if a website is successful, or not.
The content is what people visiting the site judge it on in search results, which is something RankBrain notices. As a result, the AI is yet another reason it’s important to create content that’s as helpful as possible.
Rethink Keyword Research
Everyone knows keywords are a crucial part of any SEO strategy. It’s still a central element. However, with the introduction of Google RankBrain, it’s now more important to focus on search intent.
This means thinking about what potential visitors are looking for. Where exactly are they in their buyer’s journey, which is made up of three categories: awareness, consideration, and decision.
To determine search intent, ask what they are looking for. For example, do they need more information? Are they ready to buy right now? The page content should reflect the visitor’s needs.
One of the best ways to determine user intent is by looking at related search terms presented at the bottom of the SERPs. These are the specific phrases people use when searching for the keyword that was entered into Google.
From a practical point of view, concentrating on user intent also means making a move from long-tail to medium keywords as the focus keywords. Because RankBrain is so good at figuring out synonyms for a search query, it doesn’t really make sense to try and rank for all the variations.
It’s best to choose shorter keywords as the primary keyword. By creating valuable pages and information around this keyword, RankBrain is going to send visitors to the site looking for related keywords.
While all this is true, it doesn’t mean long-tail keywords shouldn’t be used at all. Just don’t implement them as the main phrase.
Focus More on Organic CTR
As mentioned above, RankBrain and the AI that powers it is focused on user interaction. The click-through-rate is a signal of just that. In fact, it’s projected that when RankBrain takes on even more responsibility the organic CTR is going to be the most important quality marker for a website.
This means taking time to learn how to increase a website’s CRT should be part of any business’s SEO strategy. Some of the best ways to increase this CTR is by focusing on headlines, test titles, use descriptive URLs, create a custom metal description, implement rich snippets, and focus on site speed.
Improve Conversion Rate, Bounce Rate, and Dwell Time
Dwell time refers to how long a person stays on a website. The bounce rate is the total number of people who leave a site without clicking on anything. The conversion rate describes the people who complete the task they are asked to.
Google knows what each of these are and judges every website by it. There are steps that can improve these. Some of these steps include to optimize the first impression, make user needs a priority, link internally, conduct A/B testing, and provide social proof.
The Google RankBrain SEO: An Overview
The Google RankBrain AI is a crucial part of how the Google search engine ranks website page. It helps Google better understand users and provide better more relevant search results. It’s predicted that RankBrain is going to continue to grow in importance, especially due to the rising popularity of voice search.
The tips here can help a website owner achieve a better rank and appeal to the RankBrain algorithm that’s now being used. A simple way for website owners to achieve RankBrain’s favor is to focus on helping real people.
This means not focusing on gaming the machines or algorithms. Moving forward, content is going to be judged on how people like it, not the spiders.