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What influences website positioning?

Domain Level Factors: 

Domain age:
The age of the domain affects the positioning of the website
Keyword in the top-level domain
Keyword first in the domain name
A domain that begins with the desired keyword has an advantage over one that does not have it (or has it in the middle or at the end of its name)

Length of domain registration:
Valuable domains are often prepaid several years in advance, unlike transitional domains that have been registered for less than a year. Hence, the future expiration date of a domain can be used as a factor influencing Google's trust in a given domain.

Domain history : A domain that has often changed owners or has seen several spectacular drops in Google rankings in its history may give the search engine a chance to reset the strength of links currently directed to it. And in justified cases, this may even result in imposing a filter on the domain and completely eliminating it from Google search results.

Domains that reflect the keyword: Domains that reflect the keyword in their entire name (eg dentist.london) may give you a slight advantage, but if the website is of low quality then it may be susceptible to the so-called EMD Update (Exact Match Domain Update).
WhoIs Entry Public vs. Private: A private WhoIs entry may be a sign that there is "something to hide." Therefore, it is recommended that this entry be public.

Owner filter in WhoIs: If Google classifies a given domain owner indicated in WhoIs as a spammer, there is a high probability that Google will more closely monitor his other domains and their content.
Country-specific domain extensions: Having the highest country-specific domain extension in your country (.pl, .de, .es) can help you rank on Google in that country. At the same time, it may weaken the possibility of global positioning.
subpage-level-factors

Factors regarding the subpage

Keyword in the page title (title tag) .
The page title (title tag) begins with a keyword: According to Moz, title tags containing a keyword tend to rank better than those at the end of it.

Keyword in the page description (tag description): Google does not use the description in the meta description tag as a ranking signal. Nevertheless, this description may increase the CTR (the ratio of the number of clicks on your website from Google search results to the number of views), which is a key signal influencing the position in Google.

Keyword in H1 tag: H1 tags (headings) are like the "second title of the page". Right after the page title, Google uses your H1 tag as a secondary SEO signal.
Keyword repetition: The more often a keyword appears on a page, the more likely the page is about that keyword. Google describes how this mechanism works on its website.

Length of text/page content: A page with more content content will be much better received by Google than one that is poor in content and content.
A table with the structure of the page in the form of links to its subpages/sections: A structured structure of links to individual sections on the page that is easy for Google to read may appear in the form of links to these sections in the Google search results themselves.
Keyword saturation: – 5%

Semantics of indexing keywords in content: This helps search engines derive the exact meaning of words that may have more than one meaning (eg a crane can be a bird, but also a construction machine). Therefore, it is worth making sure that the search engine algorithm "understands" what exactly a given keyword refers to.

Semantics of indexing keywords in the page title: As before, it is worth paying attention to the page title level so that it is clear to Google what the meaning of a given keyword is.
The website exhaustively covers the topic: A correlation has been noticed between how thoroughly a website exhausts a given topic related to a keyword and its position in the search engine. Hence, pages that cover a topic related to a word from many possible angles are better ranked than those that have more superficial content.

Page loading speed: Both Google and Bing search engines use page loading speed as a factor influencing its positioning. Search engine robots are able to estimate this relatively precisely based on the HTML code of your website.

Patent compliance: Does the website have a patent/exclusivity for what the user is looking for? If so, she can get a big bonus to appear much higher in the search results.
Google Hummingbird: This change in Google's algorithm helped Google understand searcher intent beyond keywords. Thanks to this, Google can now better understand the content of our website.

Duplicate content: Identical content repeated on the same page (even slightly modified) may have a negative impact on its visibility in the search engine.
Rel=Canonical: When used appropriately, using this tag can prevent your site from being kicked out of search results for duplicate content.
Image optimization: Images (graphics) send important positioning signals to the search engine through their: file name, text alt, title, description, caption.

Content freshness: An update of the Google algorithm called Google Caffeine favors those pages that have had recently modified content. Especially for those searches for which current content is important. In search results, we often see when a given page was last updated. This shows that this matters issue to Google.
The size of content changes: The size of the content we update on a given website also matters. Adding or removing entire sections is more than slightly changing the content layout or important editorial corrections.

Historical Page Refresh: How often your page has been refreshed over time.
Keyword importance: If your keyword appears in the first 100 words in the page's content, it may be considered for appearing on the first page of search results.
Keywords in H2,H3 tags: Using a keyword in H2 and H3 headings can be another signal for Google to rank it better.

High-quality outbound links .

Page context for outbound links: According to the Hilltop algorithm adopted by Google in 2003, Google may use the content of the page to which the link directs as a factor showing it the thematic relationship. If – for example – your website is about cars and it has links to websites about film content, then Gogole may read it as meaning that your website is about film cars, and not about the automotive industry in general.

Grammar, spelling: Correct grammar and spelling are a quality signal to Google.
Copied content: Is your content original, unique? If it is copied from another indexed site, it may not rank very well or even… not be indexed at all.
Mobile-Friendly Pages: Pages that are optimized correctly for mobile devices rank better.

Mobile Usability: Pages that are more mobile usable may have an advantage in mobile positioning.
'Hidden' mobile content: Hidden mobile content may not be indexed (or may be rated as unimportant) compared to explicit content. However, one Google employee recently stated that hidden content is OK. At the same time, he said in the same video “…if it is key content, then it should be public.”
Helpful "supporting content": According to published SEO guidelines, helpful supporting content can influence the quality of a page for Google and therefore its rankings. Examples include on-site currency converters, mortgage calculators, etc.

Content hidden behind tabs: Whether users must click on a tab to see the content on the page. If so, Google indicates that such content may not be indexed.
Number of outbound links: Too many outbound links (dofollow) may lead to PageRank leakage and thus negatively affect the value of the website.
Multimedia: Images, videos and other multimedia can increase the attractiveness and value of a website. This therefore affects the website's ranking in Google. Number of internal links to a subpage: The number of internal links to a given subpage shows its greater value (the more links, the greater the value of a given subpage).
Quality of internal links pointing to the subpage: Internal links from subpages with a higher importance for Google are more valuable than from pages with no or low PageRank.
Broken links: Having too many broken links to other pages/subpages can be a sign of an abandoned website.

Value of the text: Google has algorithms based on which it determines whether the text is "interesting", "readable" or maybe it is spam. There are debates about how much, if at all, this affects the value of the website – however, it is worth keeping this in mind and placing texts on the website that are as valuable as possible to the recipient.
Affiliate links: Affiliate links themselves should not negatively impact your website's ranking with Google. Google checks whether there are too many of these links. If this is the case, then they may take a closer look at other factors affecting the value of the site to make sure they don't classify your site as affiliate spam.
HTML/W3C validation errors: Many errors in HTML code or poor coding can be a sign of poor website quality. Although this is a controversial thesis, many SEO experts consider it an important signal for Google to assess its quality.
Domain Authority: If all other factors were equal, there is no doubt that a site based on a domain with higher authority (ahrefs ranking) will rank better.
PageRank of a website: There is no strong correlation between PageRank and a website's position. But high authority sites tend to outperform low authority sites related to backlink strength.
URL Length: An excessively long URL may negatively impact the page's visibility in search engines. Ahrefs research has even shown that sites with short URLs have a slight advantage in Google results.
URL Path: A page that is closer to the root domain in the architecture may be slightly more valuable than a page buried relatively far away.
Human factor: Although it has never been confirmed, Google has published in one of its patents that it allows human editors to influence search results.
Page Category: The category in which the page is classified is a ranking factor. A page that is part of a thematically related category has additional forums in search results compared to those outside the thematic category.
Tags in WordPress: Tags are a signal specific to a website based on the WordPress engine. They are therefore taken into account especially when considering the related post category.
Keyword in URL: Another factor that matters when it comes to ranking in Google. A Google representative recently called it a "very minor ranking factor." However, it is still a ranking factor.
Category String in the URL: Categories in a page's URL are read by Google and can provide thematic signals about what the page is about.
Quoting from sources: Quoting from sources – reports, studies, etc. can be a valuable signal for Google.
Bullets and Numbering: Bullets and numbering help break up paragraphs/page content and make it more readable for your audience. Google agrees with this, so it may give preference to sites that contain them.
Page priority given by sitemap: The priority given to a page by the sitemap.xml file can affect its ranking.
Too many outbound links: A quote from one of the previously mentioned studies: "Some websites have far too many outbound links, which significantly distract from reading the content of the page itself."
Influence of other words the site ranks for: If a site appears high on other keywords, it may be a quality signal for Gogole itself.
Page age: Although Google prefers fresh content, older websites that are regularly updated can win against "younger" competition.
User Friendly Layout : To quote Google's Webmaster Guidelines again: "A high-quality page layout makes the main content immediately visible."
Parked domains: The 2011 Google algorithm update reduced the visibility of these domains in search results.
Useful content: Useful content is not the same as high-quality content. This is the conclusion drawn and commented by Jarred Carrizales in his article. For example, if we are looking for the phrase prostate cancer causes – we do not necessarily want to read a high-quality study by world-class doctors with difficult industry nomenclature. We are more likely to visit online guides, well-known forums, etc.
factors-at-the-site-levelFactors at the site-level
 

Content provides value and unique content: Google has announced that they are happy to block sites that do not bring anything useful to the web for their audience. In particular, websites dedicated only to affiliate networks.
Contact Page: Google says it prefers pages with enough contact information. Make sure your contact details on the website match the information entered in the WHOIS database.
Domain TrustRank: Many SEOs believe that "TrustRank" is an important factor for SEO. Especially because Google has patented an algorithm based on Trustrank.
Page Architecture: A well-organized page architecture (eg silo architecture) helps Google organize page content thematically. This can also help Google robots index all your pages.
Content refreshes: Many SEO experts believe that refreshing the website, and especially its content, acts as a broadly understood signal of freshness. Even though Google recently denied these beliefs.
Presence of a Sitemap: A sitemap helps search engines index your entire website better and easier, thus increasing its visibility.
Website Uptime: If the website is frequently down due to poor administration/hosting etc. then it may seriously harm your search engine positions or even indexing of the entire page.
Server location: The location of the server from which the page is loaded affects the ranking of your website in specific geographical areas. This is especially important for local queries.
SSL Certificate: Google has confirmed that it uses HTTPS as a website ranking signal.
Privacy policy and terms of service: These two subpages help make sure Google that the site is trustworthy for its users. This can also impact your site's EAT.
Duplicate meta descriptions on your website: Duplicate descriptions in the meta description on subpages of your website may reduce the visibility of your entire website. Even Google Search Console warns you if it finds such irregularities.
Breadcrumbs: This is a useful series of links for website users that shows them where they are currently on the website. Google stated: “Google uses a breadcrumb path to categorize information from a page in search results.”
Mobile optimization: Today, more than half of searches come from mobile devices. Google wants to see that your website is also optimized for users of these devices.
YouTube: There is no doubt that YouTube videos get special treatment from Google – most likely because Google owns YouTube.
Website usability: A website that is difficult to use, is unintuitive, does not have clear navigation, may suffer from a worse position in search results.
Using Google Analytics and Google Search Console: Some people believe that having these two pieces of software integrated with your website plays a significant role in the Google algorithm. However, Google has clearly denied such speculations.
Site Reviews/Feedback: Site reviews and reviews on sites like Google My Business, Facebook, etc. play a significant role in the Google algorithm.
backlink-related-factorsIncoming-link-related factors
 

Links from old domains: Links to your website from old domains may be stronger than from new ones.
Number of domains linking to your website: The number of unique domains linking to your website is the MOST IMPORTANT factor influencing the positioning of your website. You can see this from a study conducted on MILLIONS of Google search results.
Number of links from different C-class IPs: Links from domains with different C-class IPs suggest to Google that they are from a wider range of websites linking to you, which may have a positive impact on the position of your website in the Google search engine.
Total number of backlinks: The total number of backlinks – even from the same domain – affects the positioning of your website.
Anchor text in a backlink: As noted in this description of the original Google algorithm: "Anchor text in a backlink to a given page often describes the content of the web page much better than the page itself" (wink) Of course, we know that anchor text is a less important factor what it used to be (and in case of over-optimization, it may be a symptom of spam). However, keyword-rich anchor texts for a website send a strong signal to the search engine.
Alt-tag (for images): Alt text is used as anchor text for images.
Links from .edu or .gov domains: Matt Cutts from Google announced that theoretically it does not matter whether links are from .edu or .gov domains, what matters is their value measured as the strength and authority of the domain. Nevertheless, SEO experts are convinced that links from domains with this extension have a special place in the Google algorithm.
Authority of the page that links to us: The authority of the page that links to us is an extremely important ranking factor with its roots visible in the earliest days of Google. And so far this is the case.
The authority of the domain from which we have links to our website: This factor is very important and plays a separate role in the positioning value.
Links from competitors: Links from sites ranking for the same word in a search engine can provide a significant ranking value for a specific keyword.

Links from a bad environment: Links from the so-called "bad environment" may harm the positioning of your website in the search engine.
Comments on blogs, etc.: Although comments on blogs, etc. still provide some value, they no longer provide as much reinforcement as they used to (additionally, acquiring such links on a large scale may be dangerous for your positions in Google).
Links from ads:According to Google, links from advertisements should have the "nofollow" attribute, i.e. they do not provide any value for positioning. However, it is likely that Google itself is able to identify such links and disregard the value they convey.
Home page authority: Links leading to the website's home page may be particularly important for assessing the value of the entire website and its link profile.
Nofollow links: This is one of the most controversial SEO topics. Officially, Google says: “Generally, they do not convey value.” Which might suggest that they are transmitting… at least in some cases. Having a certain percentage of nofollow links may also indicate the naturalness of our link profile.
Diversification of link types: Having a large share of unnatural links to your website (such as profiles on forums, comments on blogs) may be a signal of spam. On the other hand, links from diverse sources are a sign of their "naturalness".
"Sponsored links": Words such as "sponsored article", "sponsored" link, "advertisement" near a link to our site may reduce its value.
Link Placement: Backlinks placed in part of the page's content are considered more important than links located on a blank part of the page or elsewhere on the page.
301
Anchor text in internal linking: Anchor texts in internal linking are another positioning signal. However, they are less important than anchor texts from external links.
Title attribute on a link: The link title (the text that appears when you hover over the link) can also be used as a small factor in the positioning of the page.
Links from country domains: Getting links from country-specific domains (eg .pl, .de, .nl, etc.) can help you better position your website in a given country.
Link location in the page content: Links appearing at the beginning of the page content may convey slightly more value than links located at the end.
Location of the link on the page: It is important where the link is located. The one that is in the main content of the page is more important than the one located in the sidebar.
Links from thematic pages: Links from pages thematically related to your website have much more value than those from completely unrelated pages.
Excessive 301 redirects: Incoming links from 301 redirects can lower the PageRank value you pass, according to Webmaster Help Video.
Keyword in the title: Google loves links from pages that have a keyword to your page that it links to in its title ("Expert links to expert").
Systematic increase in links: A website with a systematic increase in links usually gets a significant increase in the search engine.
Churn link: A site that has a systematic churn of backlinks may suffer the negative effect of reducing its value to Google.
Links from the so-called "hub" pages: A hub page is a page that is the leading page for a given topic and/or keyword on the entire website. Such a page is created through appropriate internal and/or external linking. A link from such a website gives you more positioning power.
Links from sites with considerable authority: Links from sites considered an "authority" in a given industry/topic provide more value for positioning than links from little-known sites.
Links from Wikipedia: Although these links have the nofollow attribute, many believe that obtaining them can give a little more trust and authority to our website in the eyes of the Google search engine.
Link Surrounding: Keywords that surround the backlink to your site help Google understand what your site is about in the eyes of others.
Backlink Age: According to a Google patent, older backlinks have more power for SEO than new ones.
Links from real sites vs. "backend" sites: Google most likely assigns a higher value to links that come from "real sites" rather than from artificially created blogs, etc. They most likely use it to check whether there is interaction with users on such a site to distinguish between the two types. pages.
Natural link profile: A website with a natural link profile with links from diversified sources is less susceptible to subsequent algorithm updates than one that is subjected to black hat SEO practices.
Link exchange: Sometimes webmasters arrange to exchange links between their sites. Such large-scale activities are not good practice.
Links from user-generated content: Google can identify user-generated content as opposed to content published by the website owner. For example, the algorithm knows that a link from the main domain wordpress.com is treated completely differently than a link from a domain (of some blogger), eg from the subdomain janek.wordpress.com.
301 redirect links: 301 redirect links may lose some of their value compared to direct links. Nevertheless, Google's Matt Cutts says they are similarly powerful.
Using Schema.org microformats: Sites that use microformatting may rank higher than those that do not. This may be due to the fact that more value is conveyed or that it implies a better CTR from search results, which is also a factor influencing positioning.
TrustRank of the linking page: Google's trust in the page linking to your site determines the amount of TrustRank passed.
Number of links leaving the website: PageRank is finite. This means that a link from a page with hundreds of outbound links will give us less PageRank than a link from a page with fewer such links.
Links from Internet forums: Since the SEO industry has committed many abuses in the use of links from Internet forums, Google may significantly devalue them.
Number of words from a linked page: A link from a page containing 1000 words is usually more valuable than a link from pages with little text.
Quality of the content of the linking page: A link from a page that contains low-quality texts – poorly written or written by machines will not provide as much value as those from pages with well-developed content.
Broad linking: Google's Matt Cutts confirmed that wide linking (a link to your site placed on all pages of the linking page) is counted as a single link.
factors-at-interaction-level Interactions with users.

If you need help with positioning, please contact us.

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