Google never rests. Blink once, and there will be new algorithm updates, launches, developments, and system changes ready for you to enjoy. As one of the most proactive and efficient platforms, Google always has something up its sleeve.
While this is good news for web users, it’s even better news for businesses. As a business owner, you can make full use of Google’s updates and take your business to new heights.
In this blog, we’ll focus on ranking factors. In 2023, you cannot keep relying on the same ol’ ranking strategies; the landscape has changed significantly. While Google is still looking at a specific set of ranking factors, its approach is very different now.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the top Google ranking factors for 2023, so you can launch a powerful strategy that gives you a coveted SERP spot! Let’s begin.
1. High-Quality Content but With a Twist!
Yes, we know you’ve heard this countless times. “Create high-quality content, put quality first; there’s nothing more important than quality,” You’re probably tired of the quality bandwagon by now, and we don’t blame you.
In 2023, however, the definition of “high-quality content” has changed altogether. Web users aren’t just looking for well-researched and well-written content anymore; they also want originality, uniqueness, and a dash of creativity.
Web content should never be monotonous or dull. If you make this mistake, your rankings will plummet. Google continually rewards businesses that create audience-centric, engaging, value-added, and credible content. Cover niche topics, demonstrate industry expertise, write trustworthy content, ensure proper grammar, syntax, vocabulary, punctuation and spelling, and bring something new to the table.
This will help you enjoy faster indexing and ranking. Forget the word count for a second and focus on providing great value to your audience.
Recommended Read: An Advanced Content Marketing Strategy for Better ROI
2. Site Speed
Site speed has always been an important Google ranking factor. However, in 2023, Google’s Core Web Vitals update is the central focus.
Core Web Vitals measure and evaluate a site’s speed, visual stability, and responsiveness. The better your site performs across these metrics, the higher your rankings.
Instead of simply increasing your site speed, make sure you keep the three Core Web Vitals in mind:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures how long it takes for the majority of on-page content to load after a web user opens your page. Ideally, each web page on your site should hit LCP within 2.5 seconds.
If your site’s LCP is too high, choose a better host to increase load time. We also recommend getting rid of unnecessary third-party scripts that are slowing your page down. Chuck out large page elements and minify bulky CSS to avoid delay.
- First Input Delay (FID): How long it takes for a web page to respond to a user’s first interaction with the site, e.g., when they click on a link, select an option from a menu, enter their number into a field, etc.
FID is critical because it measures how responsive and interactive a website is. Improve your site’s FID score by deferring JavaScript, removing non-essential third-party scripts, and using a browser cache.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): A measure of how visually stable a web page is as it loads. If on-page elements erratically move around while your page loads, you’ll end up with a high CLS. This will directly affect your rankings.
Stabilise on-page elements to ensure that web users don’t have to worry about accidentally clicking on something else by mistake. Visual stability will go a long way in improving user experience.
Specify size attribute dimensions for media, insert UI elements below the fold, and reserve separate space for ad elements, so they don’t appear out of nowhere. Once you start optimising your website for Google’s Core Web Vitals, your rankings will start shaping up.
3. High-DA Backlinks
Backlinks have always been a critical ranking factor. However, in 2023, there’s a stronger focus on building high-DA (domain authority) backlinks, not just regular backlinks.
These serve as the foundation of PageRank, Google’s most notable ranking algorithm. While PageRank has collected a lot of dust over the years and probably will not be updated any time soon, Google has hinted time and again that they still use it as a ranking factor.
If you want to rank among the top SERP results, generate high-DA backlinks. Domain authority is a measure of how well a site ranks on Google SERPs. The score ranges from 1–100. If a site has a 90+ DA score, they consistently rank high on Google SERPs and generate sufficient traffic. They’re also a credible, reputable, and authoritative source that web users trust.
When a high-DA website like Forbes offers you a backlink, you’ll enjoy a sweet stream of traffic and conversions. Needless to say, your rankings will also improve.
Google trusts its top players. When a site from the big leagues gives a shoutout to another brand, Google trusts their vote and improves the link recipient’s rankings.
If you don’t already have a powerful link building strategy in place, create one. Focus on guest blogging, broken link building, email outreach, and keyword optimisation. Once you start generating high-quality link juice, you’ll be surprised by the impact on your rankings.
Recommended Read: Building Backlinks: 2022-23 Update
Now that you have a better grasp of the top three Google ranking factors for 2023, it’s time to restructure your website accordingly. At TocToc, we provide professional SEO services to help you rank higher on Google SERPs, generate more traffic, convert visitors into leads, and grow your business strategically and systematically. We focus on different areas of your business to improve your rankings.
Ready to get started? Give us a call today. We’ll closely examine your business, audience, industry, current growth, and goals to devise a power-packed SEO campaign that boosts your SERP ranking and drives more sales. At TocToc, we also specialise in content marketing, social media marketing, web design and development, app development, and email marketing. Let’s begin!
