How SEO’s Algorithms Act Like Living Species

Of the hundreds or thousands of factors that affect the ranking in a Google Search, what has the biggest impact on your business?

A recent deep dive on this subject in Search Engine Journal describes an interesting theory among today’s SEO experts that the featured snippet may rely on a different algorithm than the 10 blue links. While those of us in the SEO business acknowledge that the mystery underlying how ranking truly works is proprietary to Google and is never going to be public knowledge, it can only help us to better understand how ranking happens and which levers businesses can use in an effort to rise in the search hierarchy.

Ranking factors applied to a site are one way Google prioritizes search. The known ranking factors include things like Topicality, Quality, PageSpeed, Structured Data, Freshness, etc. This is where quality, authentic, informative content comes into play.

Ranking factors lead to a score which positions a site in a bidding line with similar or competing sites. Bidding can get extra complex when Rich Elements come into play. Rich snippets, as I’ve described in the past, help optimize all HTML components of a site.

The theory at play here is that through ranking factors and bids, could it be that some rich elements grow and strengthen in order to appear on page 1 while others “die out?” Is Darwinism at play here for site bidding?

Are you ready to maximize the impact of SEO for your local business? Understanding how you rank, and the factors that underlie your ranking is an important first step. Make ASTRALCOM your partner in content marketing and SEO management to helps you rise above the competition. Reach out to learn more about our expertise.