How to Get into Google's TOP 3: The Results of a Study of 1
Nov 10, 2024 3:31:59 GMT
Post by lizaseo11 on Nov 10, 2024 3:31:59 GMT
Whenever there is talk about SEO, and when there is a dialogue between clients and SEO agencies, the question always comes up in one form or another: what do I need to do to get into Google's TOP-3?
This is a very complex question, to which there is no clear answer. Moreover, there are dozens of factors that can influence the position of a site in organic search. To study the influence of all these factors, as well as to test their impact on a specific site, it may take more than one month. And, perhaps, a huge amount of data will be needed.
Luckily, we have data that can help you (and your clients) answer the ranking criteria question.
We based the materials on our own observations, research by Matthew Barbee , the Ahrefs team , Search Engine Watch and Backlinko . Now let's move on to a direct consideration of the question of what needs to be done for successful website ranking.
Main results of the study
So, here's a quick rundown of the most important findings from the Google search results of a million pages:
Backlinks (external) play an important role. On average, the TOP-2 sites for a query own 38% of all links from the total number of all links of other TOP-10 results (from 3rd to 10th results inclusive) for a similar query. In other words, given that all TOP-10 sites have a total of 10,000 backlinks, the first two sites will have 3,800 links.
The closer to TOP-1 - the greater the link mass. On average, a site in position 1 for a query will have 168% more links than a site in position 5.
Pages with a secure connection (HTTPS) directly correlate with search engine rankings.
Anchor text is still an important ranking signal.
There is a tendency for shorter URLs of pages in the TOP-3 search results. In most cases, pages in the TOP-3 have URLs no longer than 8 words.
Web pages that contain keywords in their URLs rank better than those that don't.
More than 15% of the million pages studied that are in the first position have keywords in the title.
According to the results of the study of pages in the TOP-3, the ratio of the number of backlinks and referring domains is approximately 37:1.
Now let us look at each of these 8 research points in more detail so that our readers can be convinced of the accuracy of the research conducted.
More links = better ranking
We will not describe in shopify website design detail the importance of link mass for a site - there is a detailed article about this in our blog and it has been written about on many other resources. As a confirmation of the research position, we will provide a graph of the interdependence of link mass and site positions:
Download 4
The graph clearly shows an example of how sites in the TOP-2 for a query own 38% of all links from the total number of all links of other results from the TOP-10 (from 3rd to 10th result inclusive) for a similar query.
More domains = better ranking
What is better, to get 1000 links from one domain, or to get one link from 1000 domains? There is a clear answer to this question: the more referring domains, the better.
Download 5
This factor is one of the most important when considering ranking conditions. Research has proven that a page in the first position in search results has, on average, 168% more referring domains than a page for the same query, but in the 5th position.
Download 6
The graph also demonstrates another fact about the importance of having more referring domains. Thus, looking at the first page of Google in the search results, you can see that the site in position 1 owns 23% of the total number of referring domains in the TOP-10.
A visual example for the graph: assuming that the pages in the TOP-10 have a total of 1000 referring domains, then page #1 will have 230 referring domains, page #2 - 150, page #3 - 60, etc.
Hence the conclusion: the optimal ratio of the number of backlinks to the number of referring domains is 37:1.
Download 7
Anchors are important
Anchors have always been one of the most discussed topics in SEO. Numerous Google algorithms and updates have been aimed at reducing the importance of anchors and focusing on other factors, but at the moment anchors still play a huge role in search engine promotion.
In one of the SEO/SMM studies conducted by Hubspot , these data were confirmed. The TOP-100 best Google blogs were studied and it was determined that they have 80% more anchors with an emphasis on keywords than other blogs.
Download 8
In other words, the more keywords in anchors, the better it is for the site's position in search results. At the same time, we should not forget about the negative consequences that often arise as a result of incorrect work with anchors.
Short URLs and titles work best
Titles and URL length really do play an important role. Moreover, their importance often remains underestimated by many specialists, which in turn negatively affects the ranking of the site.
The importance of title length and page address has been tested in many SEO experiments. The most illustrative of these is the test of the relationship between behavioral factors and title/URL length using the example of the giant service Etsy .
A study of 1 million pages on Google showed similar results:
Download 9
The optimal length for a page title should not exceed 8 words. There are some explanations for this:
Google “cuts” titles that are too long in SERP. Accordingly, users lose some important information.
Shorter titles allow users to quickly navigate the information provided by a particular page. Accordingly, such pages are able to provide answers to user questions faster, which in turn improves interaction with the search engine.
Keyword content in titles is mandatory
As in previous cases, a relationship was also found between the ranking of a site and the presence of keywords in page titles. The results were expected - the presence of keywords in the titles is mandatory.
Download 10
There is no need to comment on this issue - the content of keywords in the title indicates the relevance of the page and the corresponding in-depth on-page SEO implemented for the specific page.
33% of all sites in the TOP-3 have HTTPS
On the one hand, 66% of sites are still on the HTTP protocol, and they are the majority. However, looking at the graph, one can note a clear relationship between the presence of a secure connection and positions in the search engine.
Download 11
Previously, we considered the issue of the importance of the HTTPS protocol for a site and found that it is not one of the key ranking conditions. At the same time, its presence is critical for all e-commerce sites. We recommend that readers read our article , which discusses in detail the need to use a secure connection.
Conclusion
So, how to get into the TOP-3 of Google? The answer lies in all the points that we have listed above. Compliance with all the above requirements will definitely allow you or your clients to get into the TOP positions, and these requirements are almost exclusive for achieving good positions in the search engine.
Finally, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with additional information:
Check your competitors' traffic - you will surely find new sources of traffic for yourself.
How to get free traffic to an English-language site - another useful guide.
How to Double Your Website Traffic Without New Content - especially for those who don't want to create new content.
Improving positions and traffic without links and content - for those who don't want to do link building either.
This is a very complex question, to which there is no clear answer. Moreover, there are dozens of factors that can influence the position of a site in organic search. To study the influence of all these factors, as well as to test their impact on a specific site, it may take more than one month. And, perhaps, a huge amount of data will be needed.
Luckily, we have data that can help you (and your clients) answer the ranking criteria question.
We based the materials on our own observations, research by Matthew Barbee , the Ahrefs team , Search Engine Watch and Backlinko . Now let's move on to a direct consideration of the question of what needs to be done for successful website ranking.
Main results of the study
So, here's a quick rundown of the most important findings from the Google search results of a million pages:
Backlinks (external) play an important role. On average, the TOP-2 sites for a query own 38% of all links from the total number of all links of other TOP-10 results (from 3rd to 10th results inclusive) for a similar query. In other words, given that all TOP-10 sites have a total of 10,000 backlinks, the first two sites will have 3,800 links.
The closer to TOP-1 - the greater the link mass. On average, a site in position 1 for a query will have 168% more links than a site in position 5.
Pages with a secure connection (HTTPS) directly correlate with search engine rankings.
Anchor text is still an important ranking signal.
There is a tendency for shorter URLs of pages in the TOP-3 search results. In most cases, pages in the TOP-3 have URLs no longer than 8 words.
Web pages that contain keywords in their URLs rank better than those that don't.
More than 15% of the million pages studied that are in the first position have keywords in the title.
According to the results of the study of pages in the TOP-3, the ratio of the number of backlinks and referring domains is approximately 37:1.
Now let us look at each of these 8 research points in more detail so that our readers can be convinced of the accuracy of the research conducted.
More links = better ranking
We will not describe in shopify website design detail the importance of link mass for a site - there is a detailed article about this in our blog and it has been written about on many other resources. As a confirmation of the research position, we will provide a graph of the interdependence of link mass and site positions:
Download 4
The graph clearly shows an example of how sites in the TOP-2 for a query own 38% of all links from the total number of all links of other results from the TOP-10 (from 3rd to 10th result inclusive) for a similar query.
More domains = better ranking
What is better, to get 1000 links from one domain, or to get one link from 1000 domains? There is a clear answer to this question: the more referring domains, the better.
Download 5
This factor is one of the most important when considering ranking conditions. Research has proven that a page in the first position in search results has, on average, 168% more referring domains than a page for the same query, but in the 5th position.
Download 6
The graph also demonstrates another fact about the importance of having more referring domains. Thus, looking at the first page of Google in the search results, you can see that the site in position 1 owns 23% of the total number of referring domains in the TOP-10.
A visual example for the graph: assuming that the pages in the TOP-10 have a total of 1000 referring domains, then page #1 will have 230 referring domains, page #2 - 150, page #3 - 60, etc.
Hence the conclusion: the optimal ratio of the number of backlinks to the number of referring domains is 37:1.
Download 7
Anchors are important
Anchors have always been one of the most discussed topics in SEO. Numerous Google algorithms and updates have been aimed at reducing the importance of anchors and focusing on other factors, but at the moment anchors still play a huge role in search engine promotion.
In one of the SEO/SMM studies conducted by Hubspot , these data were confirmed. The TOP-100 best Google blogs were studied and it was determined that they have 80% more anchors with an emphasis on keywords than other blogs.
Download 8
In other words, the more keywords in anchors, the better it is for the site's position in search results. At the same time, we should not forget about the negative consequences that often arise as a result of incorrect work with anchors.
Short URLs and titles work best
Titles and URL length really do play an important role. Moreover, their importance often remains underestimated by many specialists, which in turn negatively affects the ranking of the site.
The importance of title length and page address has been tested in many SEO experiments. The most illustrative of these is the test of the relationship between behavioral factors and title/URL length using the example of the giant service Etsy .
A study of 1 million pages on Google showed similar results:
Download 9
The optimal length for a page title should not exceed 8 words. There are some explanations for this:
Google “cuts” titles that are too long in SERP. Accordingly, users lose some important information.
Shorter titles allow users to quickly navigate the information provided by a particular page. Accordingly, such pages are able to provide answers to user questions faster, which in turn improves interaction with the search engine.
Keyword content in titles is mandatory
As in previous cases, a relationship was also found between the ranking of a site and the presence of keywords in page titles. The results were expected - the presence of keywords in the titles is mandatory.
Download 10
There is no need to comment on this issue - the content of keywords in the title indicates the relevance of the page and the corresponding in-depth on-page SEO implemented for the specific page.
33% of all sites in the TOP-3 have HTTPS
On the one hand, 66% of sites are still on the HTTP protocol, and they are the majority. However, looking at the graph, one can note a clear relationship between the presence of a secure connection and positions in the search engine.
Download 11
Previously, we considered the issue of the importance of the HTTPS protocol for a site and found that it is not one of the key ranking conditions. At the same time, its presence is critical for all e-commerce sites. We recommend that readers read our article , which discusses in detail the need to use a secure connection.
Conclusion
So, how to get into the TOP-3 of Google? The answer lies in all the points that we have listed above. Compliance with all the above requirements will definitely allow you or your clients to get into the TOP positions, and these requirements are almost exclusive for achieving good positions in the search engine.
Finally, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with additional information:
Check your competitors' traffic - you will surely find new sources of traffic for yourself.
How to get free traffic to an English-language site - another useful guide.
How to Double Your Website Traffic Without New Content - especially for those who don't want to create new content.
Improving positions and traffic without links and content - for those who don't want to do link building either.