How to Win the SEO Game With a Knockout Ranking Position on Google

Google just declared RankBrain to be the third most significant ranking factor after content and links. And every day, its significance grows. If SEO is important to you, you must optimize for RankBrain. In this article, discover all there is to know about Google’s RankBrain system.

Reducing spam is Google’s primary objective. The use of RankBrain, a machine learning-based search engine algorithm, was announced by Google on October 26, 2015. RankBrain is Google’s tool for processing search results to provide relevant search results to users.

Google RankBrain Explained

Google sorts the search results using an artificial intelligence (AI) system called RankBrain. RankBrain aids Google in interpreting and processing search terms. 

Originally Google’s search result algorithm was entirely hand-coded by Google’s engineers. Starting in 2018, Google introduced an AI to do the work of interpreting the search and ordering the results.

Now, RankBrain will change the weights given to factors like backlinks, content length, content freshness, domain authority, etc., based on keywords. The next section examines how users of Google interact with the updated search results.

The page that a search engine displays as a result of a user’s query is known as the search engine results page (SERP). Search engine results pages (SERPs) typically feature paid search and pay-per-click (PPC) advertisements in addition to organic search results.

You are shown a set of search results by RankBrain that it believes you would enjoy. One page in the results will move up in the rankings if a lot of people like it. When a page gets few hits, they’ll remove that page and insert a different one. And they’ll observe how it performs the following time they search for that keyword (or a similar term). When users abruptly leave a website to click on another search result, Google may notice this and suggest the page to fewer searchers.

What is RankBrain’s Job?

RankBrain’s job is to interpret your search terms and feed you results (SERP) while also measuring your satisfaction by considering things such as bounce rate and hang time.  Pages that artificially boost satisfaction (game the system) will be de-ranked, and pages with ads and popups. 

Ranking Factors

Here are some of the factors that RankBrain uses:

Bounce Time

When a searcher hits a website link on the SERP and then quickly (or within an arbitrary short amount of time) returns to the SERP without engaging with the website further, this is referred to as “bouncing” in SEO jargon.

Click-Through Rate

The Click-through rate is the proportion of website visitors who click on a link to a specific advertisement. A good Google Ads click-through rate is 6-7%+.

Dwell Time

The time a person spends studying a document after clicking a link on a search engine results page is called dwell time in the context of information retrieval. Dwell time is when a person clicks on a search engine result and navigates away from it or is otherwise seen to have left it.

Pogo Sticking

When a user goes back and forth from the search to a result, then back to the search, this is known as pogo-sticking. Pogo-sticking is when a searcher clicks on a link in a SERP, realizes it’s not what she’s looking for, and instantly clicks the back button to leave.

So your key goal is to increase dwell time and click-through rate and avoid bounce time.

How to Satisfy Rankbrain

If you think that the highest arbiter of page satisfaction is now a computer, you are right.  Your job as an SEO expert is to convince RankBrain that your page is the most satisfying page to the searcher. Pages that artificially boost satisfaction (game the system) will be de-ranked and pages with ads and popups. 

Going back and forth from a search engine results page (SERP) to a certain search result destination site is known as pogo-sticking. Pogo-sticking, in other words, is when a searcher clicks on a link in a SERP, realizes it’s not what she’s looking for, and instantly clicks the back button to leave. There are several different categories of search intent.

Informational

Starting with the informational purpose. People looking for information conduct a lot of online searches. You name it—information about the weather, child education, SEO, etc.—could fall under this category. People looking for information have a specific inquiry or desire to learn more about a particular subject.

Navigational

Informational intent will be discussed first. People seeking information conduct several internet searches. You name it—information about the weather, raising kids, SEO, or any other topic—could fall under this category. Information seekers have a specific query or want to learn more about a particular subject.

Transactional

Transactional intent is the third category of search intent. Many individuals shop online and search the internet for the best deals. When someone is looking to make a purchase right away, they are searching with transactional intent. This indicates that they frequently already have a clear idea of what they want to buy and want to go to the product page immediately.

Commercial

Some people use the internet to study products they plan to purchase shortly. Which washer would be the best? What SEO plugin is most beneficial? Although they also intend to transact, these individuals need more time and convincing. These kinds of search objectives are typically referred to as commercial investigating objectives.

Focus on Your Keywords

Your website’s SEO keywords are the words and phrases that enable people to reach your website through search engines. With SEO-friendly keywords that connect searchers to your site, a well-optimized website for search engines “speaks the same language” as its potential visitor base.

Even when utilizing the same terms or search queries on several search engines, each SERP is different. This is because almost all search engines personalize the user experience by providing results based on various criteria other than the user’s search keywords, such as the user’s geographic location, browsing history, and social settings. Even though two SERPs may appear identical and have many of the same results, they frequently have minor changes.

For a successful set of keywords, focus on dwell time and customer engagement – make the first 10 words of the page pack a punch. Be careful not to overdo it. Remember when we said Google does not like artificial content? Keyword packing is the practice of artificially stuffing your content with an excessive amount of keywords relevant to your topic.

To artificially boost a page’s ranking in search results and attract traffic to the site, keyword stuffing is the practice of putting a lot of keywords into Web content and meta tags. A keyword is an important phrase that is pertinent to the subject matter.

Keyword Research

Focus on a combination of medium-tail keywords and long-term keywords. Medium-tail keywords, often known as “chunky keywords,” are key terms with a relatively high level of competition and have two to three words.

Visitors are more likely to utilize long-tail keywords, which are longer and more specialized keyword phrases when they’re near to making a purchase or utilizing voice search. Compared to short or “head” keywords, most long-tail keywords have a lower search volume. At first, they seem a little counterintuitive, but if you know how to use them, they may be quite useful.

Finding a dependable, sustainable supply of long-tail keywords appropriate for you and your niche is the trick. 

Try generating a keyword list using these free tools: 

• ahrefs Free Keyword Generator
• WordStream Keyword Tool
• Semrush Keyword Magic Tool

How Google Continues to Change SERP Rules and How You Can Comply

Google continues to change its rules and regulations. Google’s latest update seemed to mostly affect three types of pages:

• Pages with thin content: low-value and surface-level text
• Pages containing keyword stuffing: excessive use of keywords that negatively impacts readability
• Pages with bad meta tags: duplicate tags or tags that were created by AI

Use of LSI to Handle Keyword Meanings

Latent semantic indexing, or LSI for short, is a technique used by Google and other search engines to examine and contrast the connections between various phrases and concepts. These keywords can be employed to increase SEO traffic, as well as visibility and search result rankings.

Optimize Your H2 for Click-Through Rate

Use your H2 titles to help optimize your Google rank. Use emotive language, numbers, and the appropriate amount of keywords. Using emotive language will engage your reader and improve the click-through rate. Make sure your titles are concise and accurate while still telling a story. 

Optimize your Paragraphs for Click Through Rate

Use simple and concise language for your paragraphs. Stuffing your paragraphs with run-on sentences and repeated information does no good for your reader and will likely lead to them merely skimming your article at best.

Try telling your story by using pictures. Pictures will help break up your article and keep readers engaged in the content as they scroll. This will help you optimize dwell time and improve your ranking.

Ways to Reduce Your Bounce Rate

First and foremost, make sure your page has a fast loading time. Studies show users expect their page to load in 2 seconds or less. Make sure your visitors can actually read your pages in a decent amount of time before you even consider looking at them.

Your page should be telling educating your reader and telling them something they don’t already know. Nearly all users will bounce if the page you’re delivering doesn’t properly address their search query. It’s crucial that you prioritize relevancy over all other factors because of this.

Make your content visually appealing. Even though you may want your entire page to be read by the visitor, you must make it easy to skim. Include and straightforward call to action. 

How to Evaluate and Test Your Results

To test these ideas on your page, you will need to wait 1-2 days for a new article and 7 days to edit an article to see if your rank has been affected. 

So this means – to keep generating new content and keeping track of what works. Once on SERP, wait 14 days and check analytics. But remember that analytics only works if you have 10 hits per day. Check on your page’s search intent. Are people landing on your page satisfied with their results, or do they continue searching?

Wrapping Up

Google continues to make it more difficult to rank high on its SERP page. But if you know how to comply with their rules, you should have no problem reaching plenty of readers using relevant keywords, posting quality content, and targeting the right audience.