SEO is an online battleground for brands in every industry. Some businesses feel they don’t have a chance to compete with larger domains or consign themselves to lower rankings since they ‘just can’t get ahead.’
But it’s not impossible to beat major players competing for page one. In fact, many websites fail to properly utilize Google’s prioritization hierarchy and miss out on the potential ranking opportunities. Understanding the elements of each factor involved can help spring your brand forward, giving it a better position in the marketplace and bringing in qualified traffic.
This guide walks you through everything you need to know about Google SEO prioritization, including how it works, what’s involved, and the steps necessary to make your brand stand out.
What is Google SEO Prioritization?
Before we jump into the process of prioritization, we need to define our terms.
Google SEO prioritization, also called ranking prioritization, is a process where search engines rank your content according to expertise, relevance, and trustworthiness.
There are five key features every search bot wants to see:
- Meaning
- Relevance
- Quality
- Usability
- Context
If your website, blog post, or article meets each of these criteria, it will appear as the first result in a user’s online search.
Outlining The Stops Of Google SEO Prioritization
Google’s search bots follow a step-by-step process to determine the quality, trustworthiness, and relevance of your website. There are six unique ‘stops’ they take on their path to ranking results, each of which have a powerful effect on SEO. These include:
- Title Descriptions: The title of your webpage according to HTML headers.
- Navigation Bar: Links to specific pages on your website, usually at the top of the page.
- Banner Text: The first text (usually a title) visitors see on a website’s homepage.
- H2s and H3s: Second and third subheadings on a webpage according to HTML code.
- First Paragraph: The very first paragraph of text on a webpage.
- Website Images: All images (including banner images) on a webpage.
Prioritizing keyword optimizations around all six ‘stops’ could make the difference between a highly-ranked or a poor-performing page.
How to Compete For Google SEO Prioritization
Now you know how Google surfaces websites to check for optimization. With this in mind, it’s time to put theory into action by implementing best practices into every ‘stopping point’.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Title Descriptions: Make sure your website’s H1 header is readable to Google. It must contain a keyword from the title tag and meta description.
- Navigation Bar: Your website’s navigation bar should be interactable (not embedded as an image). Plus, at least one or two key phrases from the title should be within a navigation item.
- Banner Text: Your banner text should be highlightable and contain a keyword from the title and navigation bar. For bonus points, consider naming the image behind the banner text with SEO-friendly keywords.
- H2s and H3s: Are they interactable? Do they have keywords? Most importantly, are they in the right order? In HTML, all headings must be counted in order from H1 to H6.
- First Paragraph: Aim to put a target keyword in the first sentence of the first written paragraph. Next, hyperlink that keyword with a relevant internal link.
- Website Images: All images should be renamed with relevant to the paragraph, header, or banner. Use lowercase letters, hyphens, and underscores for your naming conventions.
If you’re looking to boost your brand’s visibility to online searchers in your area, these tips are a great place to start. However, if you want to implement them effectively within a timely manner, it would be wise to contact a Google search marketing firm like Autumn Consulting. With decades of combined experience in best SEO practices, we remain an SEO expert for brands around the world.
If you’re interested in learning more about Google SEO prioritization with a best rated search marketing company in Naples, FL, don’t hesitate to reach out to Autumn Consulting today. We would be happy to audit your existing website and provide suggestions about your next steps.
