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200+RANKI
NG FACTORS
 200+ Google Ranking
Factors
Hopefully by now, if you’ve gone through all the course materials, you
have an exhaustive understanding of what’s involved with SEO. You
might even be feeling a little bit overwhelmed, and that’s quite all right as
I’ve conveyed a great deal of information to you.

Considering that we’ve gone through all the various parts and
components that make SEO tick, the only thing left remaining is to
illuminate the 200+ ranking factors that are being used in Google’s
revamped Hummingbird search.

These 200+ ranking factors will be integral to your success as an SEO.

They encompass the full spectrum when it comes to both off-page
optimization and on-page optimization. They include everything included
in Google’s Webmaster Guidelines, and then some.

But before we move forward, I wanted to issue a light disclaimer notice

to you. Please keep in mind that Google doesn’t publish these 200+
ranking factors anywhere. These don’t come directly from the search giant.
Rather, they consist of an inferred group of factors.

Some of the items on this list are documented by Google, some have
been presented by its employees such as Matt Cutts, others have been
gleaned from patent filings, and still others are speculated based on a
variety of facts, figures, statistics, and analytics publicly available.
 We can also infer many things moving forward about Google’s search.
We know that it’s certainly heading towards a more mobile-friendly
search, as witnessed by the Google Mobilegeddon update. That’s only the
tip of the iceberg and there’s far more to come.

Eventually, Google’s search will be platform independent, and our

Websites and content must be able to fit that mold. Whether it’s on a
smartwatch or other type of wearable, or even delving into the virtual
reality world, search is likely to take on all shapes and we must adapt.

We adapt in order to survive. Just as we do in the physical world, we

must also do so in the virtual world. And you can almost be assured that
SEO will grow ever more complex as time goes by and more rules are
applied. But don’t let it frustrate or overwhelm you.

What you must keep in mind moving forward when doing anything
are the two concepts and principles at the core of SEO. As I’ve most likely
drilled them into your mind by now, and that is: in order to be successful
at SEO you must forge value and build trust.

So, keep that in mind no matter what you do. As you read and re-read
these 200+ ranking factors, remember that this all acts as a framework for
value, trust, and relevancy. How well you adhere to these many ranking
factors will dictate just how high you place on Google’s SERPs.
 On-Page Optimization
Factors

Content Quality

#1 – Reading level and word usage

What’s the reading level of the content? Is it basic with elementary words,
intermediate with moderately difficult words, or is it an advanced level
with university-grade words?

While producing elementary content is not recommended, you also

don’t want to go too far overboard. You want to appeal to the broadest
market by using a wide variety of words that are easily understandable to
most people.

#2 – Webpage load speed

How long does it take your Webpage to load? This is an important

consideration in search since it affects the user’s experience. Does the page
load quickly or does it take too long to load?
 You can use a number of tools to glean this information along with
generating recommendations for improvement. But, by far, you’ll find the
most important one located on the Google Developers Site.

#3 – Keyword density of content

What is the exact-match keyword density of the content? How many

keywords will you find in relation to the total number of words of content.
If you’ll recall, we discussed an optimal keyword density at 2%.

But, by 2%, we’re only referring to the total keyword density that
includes LSI-matched keywords and not just exact-match keywords. You’ll
want a ratio of around 30%-40% of exact match keywords and 70%-60% of
LSI-matched keywords.

#4 – Keyword in first paragraph

Is there an exact-match keyword in the first paragraph? One important

relevancy signal that you’ll find is that the exact-match keyword exists in
at least the first paragraph of the content.

#5 – Keyword in last paragraph

Is there an exact-match keyword in the last paragraph? This is another
important relevancy signal. Place the exact-match keyword in at least the
first paragraph of the content.

#6 – Stylized keywords

Are there stylized exact-match keywords? This could include bold, italics
and underlined stylizations of the keyword. This is a weak relevancy
signal, but one that could be leveraged to drive the keyword-centric
content home.

#8 – LSI keyword density of content

Similar to the exact-match keyword density, what is the LSI keyword

density of the content? How many LSI keywords exist within the content
versus the total number of words of content?

#9 – LSI keyword in first paragraph

Does the LSI keyword exist in the first paragraph? This is an added
relevancy signal and should be used in conjunction with the exact-match
keyword’s existence in the first paragraph.
#10 – LSI keyword in last paragraph

Does the LSI keyword exist in the last paragraph? Use this relevancy signal
in conjunction with the existence of the exact-match keyword in the last
paragraph of the content.

#11 – LSI stylized keywords

Are there LSI stylized keywords in the content? This is possibly a greater
relevancy signal than stylizing the exact-match keywords but should be
used sparingly and only in a natural and organic manner.

#12 – Duplicate content?

Is there duplicate content? Does this content duplicate a portion or the

entirety of other published content on the Web? You can use a resource
like Copyscape.com to check for duplicity.

#13 – Image optimization

Is the image optimized for high-resolution and clarity or is the image

blurry? Also, does the image correlate to the content? Don’t try to add a
non-relevant image to your content no matter how nice it is.
#14 – Image ALT tag keywords

Is the exact-match keyword or LSI-matched keyword being used in the

image ALT tag? This is an important relevancy signal. Remember, Google
can’t read images just yet. You have to tell it what your image is about.

#15 – Image name keywords

Is the image name using the page’s exact-match keywords or LSI-matched

keywords? Instead of doing a standard image name, try to use a
hyphenated version of the page’s primary keyword instead.

For example, instead of IMG176236.jpg we could do 200-plus-google-

ranking-factors.jpg as the image name. While this isn’t as important as the
image ALT tag, it is a weak relevancy signal.

#16 – Number of outbound links

How many outbound links are there on the content? How much link juice
is it leaking? Remember, an excessive number of outbound links in your
content will hurt its ranking, especially if they are irrelevant links.

However, this doesn’t apply to link resource pages that have a high
number of shares and organic links. If you’re developing a resource page,
it has to be high-quality and relevant links.
 But, for the most part, when you’re writing articles or curating excellent
content, stay away from creating a high number of outbound links, as it
will take away from the content’s ability to rank high on Google’s SERPs.

#17 – Quality of outbound links

What’s the quality of the outbound links on the page? Are they leading to
authority sites or are they leading to spammy sites? Keep the quality of the
outgoing links in mind anytime you’re curating content.

#18 – Theme of outbound links

Are the links relevant to the content in question? Or, is the purpose of the
links merely to build up some authority for the outgoing links in question?
Only add relevant outbound links that apply to the content.

#19 – Grammar and spelling

While a misspelling and grammar snafu here and there won’t kill your
rankings, if found in excessive numbers, it could reduce the relevancy of
the content. Always ensure you triple-check your work before publishing.

#20 – Syndicated content

Is the content syndicated content? As in, is the content being duplicated in
portion from another source without adding sufficient value? If so, it’s less
likely that the content will rank high.

#21 – Audio or video on page

Is there multimedia on the page? In general, relevant multimedia will help

your content to rank higher. That’s because relevant multimedia does a
better job of helping to explain things than just words and images alone.

#22 – Number of internal links to page

How many internal links are pointing to the page? A high number of
internal links will increase the relevancy of that page on the Website.
Google considers this factor when scoring the page’s authority.

#23 – Quality of internal links to page

What is the quality of the internal links to the page? Are the internal
linking pages high in quality or are the internal linking pages low in
quality?

#24 – Number nofollow or dofollow links on page

How many nofollow links are there on the page? How about dofollow
links on the page or links without the rel attribute? If there’s an excessive
amount of links on the page, nofollow links might work better.

However, you have to keep in mind that having too many nofollow
links might also indicate excessive link sculpting, something that Google
doesn’t like to see.

#25 – Internal link anchor text

What’s the anchor text of the internal links that are pointing to that piece of
content? Does the internal anchor link text help to highlight the relevancy
of the page? Is it keyword-driven anchor text or generic?

The goal, when doing any link building, is to ensure that it’s organic in
nature. You don’t want all of your links to the same page to have the same
keyword. Ensure that you mix things up a bit.

Google also knows that “mixing it up,” so to speak, is what generally

occurs when links are organic in nature. People won’t use the same anchor
text to link to a page repeatedly. There will be variety.

#26 – Internal link title attribution

Similar to the anchor text, is the TITLE attribute of the link being used to
help drive the keyword home? What are the title attributes of the links
pointing to your internal pages?
#27 – Number of broken links on the page

Broken links bring down the user experience. If you have broken
outbound links on your page, then your affecting the quality of the
experience of whoever’s reading your content.

#28 – Number of affiliate links on the page

A large number of affiliate links on a page that doesn’t deliver sufficient

value is not going to rank high on Google’s SERPs. Keep the number of
affiliate links in your content to a respectable amount and don’t overdo it.

#29 – Number of hidden affiliate links on the page

Hiding affiliate links will severely affect the quality of your page. Since
this decreases the user’s experience, if you do engage in this practice,
you’ll find your content demoted or possibly even de-indexed.

#30 – PageRank (PR) of the page

What’s the PageRank of the page? Higher PageRank will allow the page to
appear more relevantly in search results. PR is gained from a number of
mediums that includes trust through authority, age, and content.
#31 – Host Domain Authority (DA)

What’s the domain authority of the domain? As we’ve seen in the MOZ
bar, DA is an overall rank that’s akin to the average PR of the entire site.
Higher DA will mean that content (even brand new content) is far more
likely to rank relevantly at the top of Google’s SERPs.

#32 – Age of the page

What’s the age of the page itself? Is the page new or old? When did Google
first index the content? If the DA is high, this is less likely to matter. If the
DA is lower, then older content will generally rank higher.

However, there is freshness to take into account here. If the content

applies to information that is time-relevant, then older content might not
rank better unless it is continually building significant authority.

If people continue to like, share, re-tweet, and plus one a page, then
Google knows that the information is still relevant. However, if those
shares drop down and die off over time, Google knows there’s a loss in
relevancy.

#33 – YouTube video on the page

Is there a YouTube video on the page? Is that YouTube video relevant to
the content? Placing a YouTube video on the page, especially a relevant
one, can significantly improve the relevancy of a page.

#34 – Number of outbound links to bad link neighborhoods

How many outbound links to bad link neighborhoods exists in the

content? Click on each of the outbound links and ensure that the sites
you’re linking to are high-quality sites. Don’t link to spammy or low-
quality sites ever.

#35 – Over optimization of page content

Have you over-optimized your page content? Does your content sound
unnatural, forced, or spammy? Is your exact-match keyword being used
too often? Try not to over-optimize your content.

While this might sound difficult to understand at the outset, as you

write and write more content, you’ll get far better at this. Try to be
keyword-centric but not by sacrificing the overall quality or readability of
the prose.

#36 – Auto-generated content

While this used to be popular, it no longer is. But, never, ever, auto-
generate your content. Don’t try to “spin” your articles using automated
software that will rewrite articles into new content. This is a huge no-no.

Research-Related

#37 – Number of research sources cited

Remember that Google wants unique, well-researched, and well-written

content that delivers an exceedingly high amount of value. With the
research, ensure that you cite your sources and link to those sources.

#38 – Depth of statistical information provided

How much statistical information is provided to backup your content? The

more you focus on statistics and real factual data to help backup your
claims, the more relevant your content is going to be.

Content Length

#39 – Over 1000 words in length?

Today, in the extremely competitive online environment, content must add
value. To truly add value, it has to provide sufficient information that
delivers high-quality data.

Content that’s less than 1,000 words simply cannot achieve that. Focus
on a minimum of 1000 words that sounds natural and organic. Don’t try to
force the words. Rather, write high-quality content that meets this
guideline.

#40 – Over 2000 words in length?

In a study conducted by SerpIP, it was shown that the average first-page

SERP result is over 2,000 words. If you want to ensure reaching the first
page of Google, write content that falls within this range.
Engagement

#41 – Time spent on page

Greater time spent on a page reveals that the content is engaging and high
in quality. Less time spent on the page could signify that the content lacks
quality or is less relevant to a particular search.

#42 – Bounce rate

What percentage of visitors leaves the site after reading the content? This is
the bounce rate. Higher bounce rates could mean a lower-quality page,
unless combined with data from the time spent on the page.

If visitors are spending a lot of time on the page, but are leaving once
they’ve read the content, it could symbolize that the question the visitor
was looking for was answered.

The bounce rate only applies to a visit that only includes that particular
page as the first and last page of the visit. If the visitor moves to another
page, then the bounce rate moves lower.

#43 – Exit rate

What’s the exit rate from the content? Are readers clicking onto other
pages on that site? If so, that could signal a higher-quality page and site in
general. Your goal is to reduce the exit rate.

The exit rate applies only when the page in question was the last page
visited by the visitor. This also implies that another page was the first page
during the visitor’s session.

Freshness

#44 – Recent content or updated content

How recently was the content updated or originally written? Fresh content
is generally a good thing for certain categories but not all. If the
information is time-relevant, fresh content is generally better.

#45 – Magnitude of content updates

Have there been large updates to the page or just minor updates? Larger
updates could send a higher relevancy signal, as it shows the content
curator is trying to keep the content up to date with the times.

#46 – Historical updates to page

Google looks to the historical updates of the page. How many updates
have been made and how much has changed during each update. Yes,
Google keeps track of all of these things.

Thinness

#47 – Low word count

Low word counts can take away from your ability to rank on Google’s
SERPs. This is especially true if the content is below 1,000 words. Never
write content less than 1,000 words.
#48 – Low-quality content

Of course, if I’ve driven any point home during this course it’s been for the
necessity of forging value. You can’t forge value by delivering low-quality
content. If you do so, you won’t rank high on the SERPs.

#49 – Ads above the fold

How many ads are there above the fold? If this takes away from the user’s
experience, then it’s going to decrease the relevancy of the page and the
site. Don’t place too many ads above the fold.

#50 – Ads below the fold

Ads below the fold are okay, as long as they’re not done in excess. Ads
take server resources, as they need to load from external locations, slowing
things down for the user and reducing the user’s experience.

HTML & CSS

#51 – Keywords in page title

Does the page title contain the page’s primary keyword? Ensure that you
include your primary keyword in the page title as this is a major relevancy
signal.

#52 – Keywords starting title

Keywords that start the title tend to rank better than keywords located
elsewhere within the title. Do your best to start your page’s title with your
primary keyword if possible.

#53 – Keywords in Meta description

Does the page’s primary keyword appear in the Meta description? This
can send an important relevancy signal but isn’t required. Even if a Meta
description isn’t present, Google will find the relevant keyword in the
content on its own.

However, what Google displays for the Meta description, which is what
appears as the description in Google’s SERPs, might not be exactly what
you prefer. So, it’s best to craft your own Meta description.

If you have a system like Wordpress setup, then download and install
the free Yoast SEO Plugin, which will allow you to custom-tailor both the
Meta description and the page’s title for each post.
#54 – Keywords starting Meta description

While starting the Meta description with the keyword might be a natural
desire, it might send an over-optimization signal, so be wary of doing this.
What you want to do is at least ensure the keyword is in the Meta
description but not necessarily starting it.

#55 – LSI keywords in title

Does the page’s title have an LSI variation of the page’s primary keyword?
Sometimes, this might be an enhanced relevancy signal as it shows a more
organic nature to the content than the appearance of the exact-match
keyword.

However, Google combines this data with a slew of other data, so it can
really go a number of different ways. If you decide not to use the page’s
exact-match keyword in the title then certainly use an LSI-matched one.

#56 – LSI keywords starting title

Is the LSI keyword starting the title of the page? This could be a weak
relevancy signal, and is especially important if the exact-match keyword
isn’t present in the page title.

#57 – LSI keywords in Meta description

Are LSI keywords present in the Meta description? This could send more
of a relevancy signal than the exact-match keyword being present in the
Meta description.

#58 – LSI keywords starting Meta description

Does the LSI keyword start the Meta description? This is a weak relevancy
signal, which could be made stronger when other factors are either present
or not present when it comes to the exact-match primary keyword.

#59 – Keywords in H1 tag

Is the exact-match keyword present in the H1 tag? The H1 tag is usually

the heading provided for the content itself. In Wordpress the H1 tag is the
title of the article or page.

#60 – Keywords starting H1 tag

Does the keyword start the H1 tag? Similar to the title and the Meta
description, this could send a weak relevancy signal. Try to start your H1
tag with your primary keyword if you can.

#61 – Keywords in H2 and H3 tags

Are the keywords present in the H2 and H3 tags? While this might be a
weak relevancy signal, it could also be an indication of over-optimization.
Use keywords in H2 and H3 tags, but use them sparingly.

#62 – LSI keywords in H1 tag

Are there LSI keywords present in the H1 tag? Similar to the title and Meta
description, LSI keywords can send a relevancy signal depending upon a
number of different factors.

#63 – LSI keywords starting H1 tag

Does the LSI keyword start the H1 tag? Again, this generally denotes an
increased relevancy signal. Especially if you’re not using the exact-match
keyword here, start your H1 tag with the LSI keyword.

#64 – LSI keywords in H2 and H3 tags

You might want to employ LSI keywords as opposed to exact-match

keywords for your H2 and H3 tags. This might send a more organic
relevancy signal rather than a keyword-stuffing one.
Page Structure

#65 – Overall layout quality

What’s the overall layout quality of the site? Is it aesthetically pleasing to

the eye? Is it functional as well? How much content is present above the
fold rather than below the fold?

#66 – Sectioned content easy to read

Is the content sectioned off and easy to read? Are there headings that
separate the sections, making it easier to follow along with the content?
Are the paragraphs too big, too small, or just right?

#67 – Usage of bullet points and lists

Are bullet points and lists being used to deliver the content’s information
to the user? Bullets and lists help to deliver content in a more organized
fashion and users generally love posts with lists and bullets.

#68 – Wordpress tags

Wordpress tags are a weak relevancy signal. What Wordpress tags are
being used in the post or page? Combined with other data, this can signal
how likely a listing will be to relevantly appear in Google’s SERPs.

#69 – Priority of page in sitemap

How high up in the hierarchy is the page in the sitemap? Don’t have a
sitemap? Ensure you generate one immediately. Pages that are higher up
in a sitemap’s hierarchy indicate a greater importance.

Keyword Stuffing

#70 – Over usage of keywords

Are the keywords being over-used? If keywords are being stuffed and
there’s an unnatural occurrence of exact-match keywords, Google could
demote the content or completely de-index it.

#71 – Invisible text with CSS

Does invisible text exist on the page? Never try to create invisible text
using CSS with the hopes of stuffing keywords or even placing irrelevant
keywords on a page in an effort to rank.
#72 – Text placed a far distance from the page

Similar to the invisible text, hiding visible text a far distance from the
bottom of the page is another way to deceive search engines like Google
and it won’t score you any big points.

Website Architecture

#73 – Number of pages

How many pages are on the site? Deeper sites indicate higher quality and
value to the end users. Sites that are thin with few pages indicate newer
sites not as focused on delivering value.

#74 – Sitemap

Is a sitemap present? You should present both an XML and an HTML

sitemap on your site. The XML sitemap address can be updated in
Google’s Webmaster tools while the HTML one can be presented directly
on the site.

#75 – Website uptime

What’s the overall uptime of the site? Has it suffered from severe outages
or been adversely affected by hacking? This all works to decrease the
user’s experience and thus the potential for positioning on SERPs.

#76 – SSL certificate

As we saw with the SSL update, Google gives preference to sites that are
secured with an SSL certificate and HTTPS encryption. This is something
you absolutely should purchase and install on your site.

#77 – TOS and privacy pages

Do Terms of Service (TOS) and privacy pages exist on the site? Google
likes to see these pages, especially for sites that collect user data through
things like Website Cookies.

#78 – Breadcrumb navigation

Breadcrumb navigation assists with accessing information within tiers,

simply and easily, and thus it increases the user experience. Anything that
increases the user experience is beneficial to a listing on Google’s SERPs.

#79 – Easy to navigate

Is the site easy to navigate or is it confusing? If there are drop-down
menus, do they work across browsers and platforms? Are the mobile drop-
downs working similar to that on desktop and tablet?

#80 – Usage of Google Analytics

Does the site use Google Analytics? It’s been reported that Websites using
Google Analytics will receive a boost in Google’s SERPs since Google can
glean more information from the site’s activity.

#81 – Usage of Google Webmaster Tools

Similar to the usage of Google Analytics, is the Website using Google

Webmaster Tools? It’s also been reported that Websites using Google’s
Webmaster Tools will receive a boost in Google’s SERPs.

Duplicate Content

#82 – Duplicated site text or content

Has content been duplicated throughout the site? Is the content duplicated
from somewhere else on the Web? Duplicated content, even internally on
various pages, is not something you should engage in.
 Every page of content on your site should be unique. There’s absolutely
no need to duplicate content anywhere on your site whatsoever. If you
engage in this practice, it could send low-quality signals to Google.

#83 – Duplicated Meta content

Similar to the duplication of Website content, duplication of Meta content

also sends low-quality signals. Although this might be a weak relevancy
signal, doing it could cause demotion on Google’s SERPs however small it
might be.

Site Speed

#84 – Desktop load speed

What’s the desktop speed for the site? How long does the site or content
take to load on average across browsers on a desktop? To determine this
information, use Google Developers Page Insight Tool.

#85 – Mobile load speed

What’s the mobile speed for the site? How long does the site or content
take to load on average across browsers on a mobile device? To determine
this information, you would also use the Google Developers Page Insight
Tool.
#86 – Google Chrome load speed

How long does the site take to load on Google’s Chrome browser? The
search giant makes a distinction about how quickly pages tend to load on
their own browser as opposed to other browsers.

Page URLs

#87 – Canonical URLs

Is the URL a canonical URL? This is the URL that you want visitors to see;
especially if duplicate versions of the URL exists, considering that one
might be a friendly URL and the other might be a variable-laden URL.

#88 – Keyword in URL

Does the primary keyword for the page exist in the URL? This has a big
impact on relevancy for the Webpage. Generally, if you’re using
Wordpress, you can turn on the “postnames” option under the settings >
permalinks section.

#89 – Keyword starts the URL

This is a potential boost in relevancy as long as the URL contains high-
quality content on a site with high Domain Authority. Without that, it
could be considered an EMD, which is something we discussed in the
algorithm updates section.

#90 – LSI keyword in URL

Is there an LSI variation of the keyword present in the URL? This is a

relevancy signal that could be stronger based on a number of other factors
that involve the exact-match keyword, the PageRank and the Domain
Authority.

#91 – LSI keyword starts the URL

Does the LSI keyword start the URL? This could be a strong relevancy
signal since it indicates an organic signal, but is also combined with other
signals such as the PageRank and the Domain Authority.

#92 – URL length

How long is the URL? Google doesn’t like URLs that are too long, and it
doesn’t like URLs that are too short. It’s interested in URLs that are just the
right length.
 In general, it should be descriptive enough to give the visitor a general
idea of what to expect on the Website, but not be so long that it’s
superfluous.

#93 – URL path

What’s the path associated with the URL? Does the path help to reinforce
the relevancy of the content being presented? Stick with relevant paths for
all of your URLs by coding the .htaccess file.

#94 – URL string

Google won’t read past the first variable in a URL string. In short, don’t
use variables and strings in URLs. Focus on path-oriented URLs that are
made easily readable using the .htaccess file.

Mobile Friendliness

#95 – Mobile-friendly site?

Is the Website mobile friendly? Does it look good on mobile browsers?

Since the Mobilegeddon update in April of 2015, this is an important
consideration to take into account.
#96 – Mobile optimized?

Is the mobile load time optimized? Are the touch elements located far
enough apart? How long does it take the page to load on mobile devices?
These can be determined through the Google Developer Insight Tools.
 Off-Page Optimization
Factors

Link Quality

#97 – Domain age of linking domain

How long ago did Google index the linking domain? The general rule of
thumb is that the older the domain, the more Domain Authority it will
have, and the higher the resultant relevancy signal will be.

#98 – IP diversification of links

Are the links IP-diversified? Or, are all the links coming from the same few
sources? Google likes to see diversity in links and global authority rather
than all the links coming from one source.

#99 – Natural linking anchor text

Is the anchor text of the link natural and organic? Or, is the anchor text
spammy or keyword-forced? Google can tell the difference especially
when taking into account the surrounding content on the linking page.

#100 – Keyword in link text

Does the primary exact-match keyword exist in the link? If the keyword is
naturally occurring, then it sends a strong relevancy signal. If the keyword
is clearly dropped there on a profile page on purpose, it could send a spam
signal.

#101 – LSI keyword in link text

Does the LSI keyword exist in the linking text? This could be a stronger
relevancy signal than the existence of the exact-match keyword text,
especially when coming from high-quality and unique content.

#102 - .EDU or .GOV links?

Is the link an .EDU or .GOV link? These are beneficial, especially when
coming from the right type of content. You should go for natural and
organic links from these types of sites when you can.
#103 – Linking PageRank

What’s the PageRank of the linking page? Is it a highly shared and

trafficked page with lots of links, or is it a link without much authority
itself? The higher the PageRank, the more link juice it will pass to you.

#104 – Linking domain authority

What’s the domain authority of the linking page? The higher the domain
authority, the more link juice that will be passed to you. It’s best to seek
out links from sites with high domain authority.

#105 – Linking domain relevancy

How relevant is the linking domain to your domain. Is there some sort of
comparison that can be drawn between the two or are they completely
separate and opposite types of sites?

#106 – Linking page relevancy

How relevant is the page from the linking domain to the page on your site
being linked to? The relevancy of the content is important to the overall
level of trust that link will deliver.
#107 – Quality of linking content

Is the link coming from quality content? Is it coming from well-written,

well-researched, unique content that adds lots of value? Overall, the more
value that exists within the linking content, the better it is for you.

#108 – Link from competitors

Is this a link from a competitor? Links from competitors are an enormous

boost in relevancy. Getting links from competitors that are ranking in the
same SERP listing is extremely valuable.

#109 – Social shares of referring links

How many social shares are there of the referring links to your page? How
many Facebook shares, Twitter Tweets, and Google Plus Ones are there in
existence? The more shares, the stronger the relevancy signal.

#110 – Guest post link?

Is the link coming from a guest post link? While guest post links are still
good links to have, they don’t hold the same authority and pass the same
link juice as they once did.
#111 – Link from bad neighborhood?

Is the link coming from a bad neighborhood? Links from bad link
neighborhoods could adversely affect your search engine rankings. Use
the disavow tool to remove that link (but only if you really know what you’re
doing).

#112 – Nofollow link?

Is the link that’s linking to you a nofollow link? Although it might not pass
link juice, it does help your site’s relevancy and trust as long as it’s a
natural and organic link coming from high quality content.

#113 – Link type diversity

Is there diversity in the types of links or are they all the same style of links
such as forum posts or blog comments. The focus should be on
diversifying the inbound links as much as possible.

#114 – Sponsored link?

Sponsored and paid links won’t get you very far. In fact, they will most
likely result in some form of penalties especially when this style of linking
is heavily abused. Stay away from sponsored links.
#115 – Contextual link?

Is the link considered a contextual link? Is it a naturally occurring link

delivered in the form of high quality and unique content? Contextual links
will provide a significant relevancy boost.

#116 – Excessive 301 redirects

Too many links from 301 redirect pages are not a good signal for your site
and they end up losing much of their link juice.

#117 – Anchor text of links

What’s the anchor text of the links that are linking back to your page? Are
they contextual links or are they keyword links?

While keyword-driven anchor texts are good, more relevancy might be

found in the contextual links such as “click here,” or “on this page,” and so
on.

#118 – Title tag of link

What’s the title tag of the link that’s linking to your page? Is the title tag a
relevant title tag? Is it a keyword-rich title tag?

#119 – Location of link on page

Footer and sidebar links will be less likely to pass considerable link juice
than links that are coming from directly within content.

#120 – Poor review link or recommendation?

Is the link coming from a poor review or a recommendation? If it’s a poor

review, it’s less likely that the link will pass on much link juice.

If it’s a positive review, Google might take cues from the reviewer to
determine whether it’s a legitimate review. What’s the history of the
reviewer? What’s their social authority?

#121 – Link from top resource page?

Top resource pages can provide a significant boost in relevancy. You can
use the broken link method that we discussed in the SEO strategies section
to get links from top resource pages.
#122 – Link from authority site?

Is the link coming from an authority site? As you know, authority sites are
sites that have developed implicit trust with Google. A link from an
authority site will be far more potent than a link from a non-authority site.

#123 – Wikipedia link?

Wikipedia is huge. We looked at one way to get links from dead links on
Wikipedia, but it’s not foolproof. If you can get a link from Wikipedia, it
will bolster your PageRank enormously.

#124 – Link age?

How old is the link? In general, the older links will have more relevancy
than newer links.

#125 – Link from real site?

Is the linking page a real site or is it a site that was just setup in an effort to
rank for a particular keyword? Does the site have any authority?

#126 – Natural link?

Is the link a natural link? Or does it have some connotation of being
unnatural, spammy, or auto-generated by some software?

#127 – Reciprocal link?

Is the link reciprocal? Are there links going from each page to the other
page? Reciprocal links won’t receive as much link juice.

#128 – Links from 301 pages?

Links from 301 pages will receive less link juice than from links not coming
from 301-redirect pages.

Link Volume

#129 – Separate referring root domains?

Are the links coming in from separate referring root domains or are they
coming from the same domains?

#130 – Excessive low quality links?

Is there an excess of low-quality links coming into the site? Or, are the
links high-quality links?

Link Velocity

#131 – Positive link velocity?

Is the link velocity increasing from month to month? Are there more and
more links coming into the site each month? If so, it usually results in a
boost in the SERPs as long as the links are natural links.

#132 – Negative link velocity?

Is the link velocity decreasing? This can reduce SERP rankings as it can
indicate a decline in the popularity of the site.

#133 – Unnatural link velocity?

Is there an unnatural link velocity? Does the site go from 100 links one
month to 10,000 links the next month? Expect a major penalty if so.
Poor Links

#134 – Excessive paid links?

Is there an excessive amount of paid links associated with the website of

the linking domain?

#135 – Spammy link text?

Is there an excessive amount of spammy link text associated with the

website of the linking domain?

#136 – Poor-quality links?

Is there an excessive amount of poor-quality links associated with the

website of the linking domain?

Linking Content

#137 – Useful content from linking page?

Is there useful content coming from the page of the linking domain? Has
that content been helpful to others? Have people shared that content,
giving it a higher authority?
#138 – Content that provides value from linking page?

Does the content on the linking page provide value? Is the content well
written and well researched? Think back to all the tenets of forging value
that we discussed.

Your target is to go after links from content that delivers high amounts
of value on sites with high DA.

#139 – Content that provides unique insights from linking page?

Does the content in question that’s linking to your domain, provide unique
insights? Does it include statistics that help to draw conclusions and
support theories?

#140 – Contact us page on linking domain?

Is there a contact us page on the linking domain? The contact us page adds
legitimacy to any site.
Linking Authority

#141 – Link selling from linking domain?

Has the linking domain engaged in link selling in the past? Does the page
where you link is coming from have paid links to other sites?

#142 – Google Sandbox for linking domain?

Has the linking domain ended up in Google’s Sandbox, whether by

violation of Google’s rules that ensued in penalties or for some other
reason?

#143 – Age of the linking domain?

What’s the age of the linking domain? When was the domain first
registered?

#143 – Indexing date of linking domain?

When was the linking domain first indexed? When did Google first find
content or links associated with that domain?
#144 – Expiration date of linking domain?

According to a Google Patent, Google puts more trust into domains that
have longer expirations. Longer expirations generally imply greater trust.

Domain

#145 – Keyword in linking domain

Does the keyword exist in the linking domain? This could provide an
added relevancy signal.

#146 – Keyword in linking subdomain

Does the keyword exist in the linking subdomain? This could indicate
another added relevancy signal.

#147 – Keyword at start of linking domain

Does the keyword start the linking domain? This could give the linking
domain an edge, and higher link juice to the resultant link to your site.

#148 – Exact Match Domain (EMD)

Is the linking domain an EMD? EMDs are still good as long as they’re
high-quality EMDs.

#149 – Linking domain ownership history

Have there been many drop-offs in the domain’s history? If so, that could
signal frequent change of ownership and could devalue all prior links.

#150 – Public or private registration of linking domain

Public domains are given preference over private domains. If a domain is

private, it’s more likely that the owners have something to hide

#151 – Country top-level domain extension (TLD)

Does the domain have a country or top-level domain extension? If so, it

might be more likely to appear in SERPs and rank higher in the particular
country associated with its TLD.

#152 – Parked domain

Is the domain a parked domain? If so, it’s less likely to appear now in
Google’s SERPs.
#153 – Trustworthiness of linking domain

How trusted is the linking domain? The domain’s level of trust helps to
convey similar trust to your page. Highly trusted domains will convey a
good deal of trust to your domain.

Piracy

#154 – DMCA complaints about linking domain

Has the linking domain had many DMCA complaints? Google will
decrease the SERP ranking of any domain with many DMCA complaints,
thus making it a bad link neighborhood.

#155 – IP address flagged as SPAM of linking domain

Has the domain’s IP address been flagged for SPAM? If it has, then any
domain on that IP address can be negatively affected, subsequently
making it a bad link neighborhood.
Relevancy

#156 – Domain diversity on SERPs

Is there domain diversity coming from the links or are the majority of links
coming from the same sources? Google likes to see a wide variety of
domains linking to the site as it shows more relevancy.

When all the links are coming from the same few sites, especially if the
links are very spammy or don’t have quality content surrounding them,
Google could also interpret this as a link scheme.

#157 – Transactional searches for shopping-related queries

Does the search involve a knowledge graph or rich-snippet item on Google

that could be related to a transactional shopping-related search? If so,
Google could look for relevancy signals through this source.

#158 – Big brand relevancy

Is the search related to a big brand on Google? If so, big-brand related

search results will appear at the top of Google’s SERPs. The Vince
algorithm update way back in February of 2009.
#159 – Brand search text

Does the search include an anchor text related to your brand? If so, Google
will take that into account by looking at the anchor text. It’s far harder to
rank content for someone else’s brand because of this.

#160 – Brand with higher likes and shares on Facebook and Twitter

Google looks for a brand’s trust signals through social media shares such
as through Facebook and Twitter, and of course through Google Plus as
well.

#161 – Image results

Is the search related to a commonly searched image request? If so, Web

listings will be pushed down below image results.

#162 – Easter egg results

Easter egg results are related to Google games and oddities for certain
unique searches. For example, do a search for “<blink>” and watch the
word blinking on the page; or “do a barrel roll” and watch the page spin
on Google.
#163 – Single-site results from brands with multiple listings on SERPs

If the search is related to a company’s brand, it might bring up multiple

results from the same Website at the top of Google’s SERPs. This is another
brand-related relevancy signal.

#164 – Is it a legitimate business?

Google has ways for determining the legitimacy of a business. Are there
reviews? Is there contact information? How long has it been around? Are
there social media shares, likes, and followers?

The more legitimate a business is, the more likely it’s going to rank
higher on Google’s SERPs.

#165 – Verified brick-and-mortar business?

Is the business a verified brick-and-mortar business? For example, Google

Maps and Google Plus includes a business verification that can include a
postcard to a physical address to verify its location.

#166 – Tax-paying business?

Google might be determining whether a domain is associated with a tax-

related business.
#167 – Historical Panda penalties?

Has the site been hit with a Panda penalty? If so, the chances of appearing
relevantly in Google’s SERPs are far diminished.

#168 – Historical Penguin penalties?

Has the site been hit with a Penguin penalty? If so, the chances of
appearing relevantly in Google’s SERPs are far diminished.

#169 – Historical manual penalties?

Has the site been hit with a manual penalty? If so, the chances of
appearing relevantly in Google’s SERPs are far diminished.

Social

#170 – Site reputation

What’s the site’s reputation on social media? Are there reviews on

Facebook or Google Plus? Are there positive things being said about the
business or negative things?
#171 – Social media votes

Websites like Reddit, StumbleUpon, and Digg use a voting system, and
Google could be looking at the number of up-votes related to a particular
listing as a relevancy signal.

#172 – Social signal relevancy

What’s the authority of the social media account sharing a particular link
and is that link surrounded by high-quality text? Or, is it just a share from
a spammy account?

#173 – Site-level social signals

Have people liked and shared pages on a Website? These site-level social
signals might have an impact on the relevancy of search results.

#174 – Number of Tweets

The number of Tweets of a particular page might have an impact on its

visibility on Google’s SERPs.
#175 – Authority of Tweet uses

What’s the authority of the users that are Tweeting a particular link? Are
they spam accounts or are they high-authority accounts? This likely plays
a role in the impact of certain Tweets on PageRank and visibility.

#176 – Number of Facebook shares

How many shares on Facebook does a particular page have? Are there
many shares? Is the velocity of the shares increasing or decreasing? There
are numerous relevancy factors that are involved with Facebook share
signals.

#177 – Number of Facebook likes

How many Facebook likes does a page have on Facebook? Is there a

Facebook Page associated with the domain?

#178 – Authority of Facebook user accounts

What’s the authority of the Facebook user accounts? Are they spam
accounts, or are they real accounts that are engaging in actual dialog and
social interaction?
#179 – Number of Pintrest Pins

How many Pintrest Pins does the page have? How many Pins are related
to the pages site-wide?

#180 – Number of Google Plus Ones

Similarly, how many Google Plus Ones does a page have? Are people
interacting and sharing the content on Google Plus?

#181 – Authority of Google Plus users

What’s the authority of the Google Plus users sharing the content? Are
they real accounts? Do many others have them in their circles? Or are they
spammy accounts setup for the sole purpose of SEO?

#182 – Website has Twitter profile with followers

Does the Website have a Twitter profile? Does it have followers? Are they
real followers or are they fake followers?

#183 – Website with Facebook profile and fans

Does the Website have an associated Facebook page? Are there real fans
associated with that page? Is there engagement related to the Page’s posts
and shares?

#184 – Official LinkedIn page for the company?

Does an official LinkedIn page exist for the company? How long has that
listing been around? What other trust signals are associated with that
listing?

#185 – Employees listed on LinkedIn page?

Does the official LinkedIn page have employees that are listed? Are they
real people? Do they have a high number of connections?

#186 – News mentions of site?

Have news and media mentioned the site? Was it a positive mention or a
negative one? Was it an editorial review about the business? Depending on
the news or media outlet, this can be a significant relevancy signal.

#187 – Large number of comments or user interactions?

How much user interaction is there associated to the posts with a
particular site? Do a large number of people like, comment, share, Tweet,
and interact with the posts?

#188 – Number of Google Plus circles of users that share links

Reviews

#189 – User reviews? Yelp? TripAdvisor? BBB?

Are there user reviews associated with that business on sites like Yelp,
TripAdvisor or BBB? Are they negative reviews or positive reviews?

#190 – Social media review?

Are there reviews associated with that business on social media sites? Are
they positive reviews or negative ones?

User Specific

#191 – Country or region-specific search?

What’s the country or geographic region of the searcher? Is that relevant to
the search being conducted?

#192 – City or locality-specific search?

Does the city or locale of the user have an impact on the search? If the user
is searching for “best pizza restaurant,” for example, Google will look to
the user’s location to determine recommendations.

#193 – User’s browsing history

What’s the history of the user browsing? Do they frequently visit a

particular Website? If so, that could signal a relevancy boost to Google and
result in a bump in SERPs for a particular listing.

#194 – Safe search enabled?

Does the user have safe search enabled? If so, some keyword searches
related to adult-related content and curse words may not appear for that
user.
History

#195 – CTR for keyword search

What’s the historical click-through-rate for a particular listing on Google’s

SERPs related to a keyword search? Have users been more likely to click
on that particular listing in the past or not?

#196 – Average CTR for all keyword searches

What’s the average click-through-rate for all keyword searches related to

that domain? Are the SERP listings for that domain popular? Or, are
people less likely to click on them when they relevantly appear in SERPs?

#197 – Average bounce rate

What’s the average bounce rate? How many people arrive and leave from
the same page? While a high bounce rate might not be good, if people are
spending a lot of time on the page before leaving, their question might
have been answered.

#198 – Average exit rate

What’s the average exit rate of the page? Exit rate relates to when a user
enters from a different page but exits from the page in question. The goal is
always for a lower exit rate.

#199 – Amount of direct traffic?

Direct traffic can be a strong relevancy signal as it indicates to Google that

users are arriving to a site and finding out about it through another source,
giving it more relevancy in its eyes.

#200 – Amount of repeat traffic?

Repeat traffic can be a strong relevancy signal as it indicates to Google that

there’s some authority related to a domain since users are checking back
again and again.

#201 – Google Toolbar data

What information is associated with browsing data for users that have the
Google Toolbar installed? This helps Google glean much more detailed
information about a users activities on a particular site.

#202 – Average time spent on site

What’s the average amount of time that users are spending on a Website?
If users are spending more time on a site, it’s an indication of higher-
quality content and increased user experiences.