5 non-SEO factors that can help you improve your SEO rankings

Fast Company

4 days ago

SEO used to be all about keyword stuffing and link building. However, as search engine algorithms grow more sophisticated, more and more factors contribute to effective SEO.
Directly and indirectly, every aspect of how you manage your digital presence, including your brand authority, bounce rate, and user experience, affects your SEO rankings. To fully take advantage of your website's potential, it's crucial that you understand these factors and how they can help you appear on top of the search results pages that matter.
WHAT IS E-E-A-T AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT SEO?
E-E-A-T stands for experience, expertise, authority, and trust. It is a generalized list of attributes that Google prioritizes when ranking websites. There are many different ways to build these four aspects of your business's brand and demonstrate them to Google.
This list highlights the shift in how search engines rank results. Rather than emphasizing technical ranking factors or keyword metrics, Google focuses on a brand's image, credibility, and reputation. This means that there are a variety of ways to establish E-E-A-T, all of which contribute to improved rankings and increased SEO success.
FIVE NON-SEO FACTORS THAT IMPACT SEO
In addition to traditional SEO techniques such as keyword research and technical SEO, there are several strategies that can help build your website's credibility with search engines. While they may not be direct ranking factors, these methods highlight your E-E-A-T and indirectly impact your rankings.
Here are five aspects of building a digital brand that you may not have considered in your SEO strategy:
1. BRAND AUTHORITY
Creating authority for your business contributes to your credibility, increasing your chances of being featured in search engine results pages (SERPs).
Brand authority can be demonstrated in a variety of different ways. Customer reviews, ratings, and engagement with your Google Business Profile all show search engines that your business provides reliable customer service and is a verified, currently active business. It's important to make sure that your NAP information (name, address, phone number) is accurate and consistent across your website, GBP, and any local business directories.
2. BOUNCE RATE
Bounce rate refers to the percentage of visitors who leave after only visiting one page and do not take any action on your site. Your website may have high rankings and be gaining organic traffic, but if the bounce rate is also high, your website probably has issues that are holding your business back. Search engines pay attention to the number of users who leave your site immediately and return to their original search, and this can negatively affect your rankings over time.
If you notice bounce rates increasing, investigate where and why users are leaving your pages. While bounce rates may not be a direct ranking factor, tracking them can highlight other issues with your site, such as mobile friendliness, content quality, or a complicated structure. These issues will not only reduce conversions but will also directly impact your SEO. Paying attention to bounce rate can help you improve your website overall, which will boost your rankings.
3. USER EXPERIENCE
While user experience is not a direct ranking factor, how users engage with your site ultimately determines whether they convert and become loyal customers.
A positive user experience tells potential customers that you prioritize convenience and usability and can manage your digital presence competently. This contributes to E-E-A-T, building your brand's reputation with customers and search engines. Optimizing your user experience requires a team with cross-functional expertise. It's important to audit and improve your content, page loading speeds, image optimization, alt text, navigation, URL structures, and code to create a website that is secure, clean, and fast.
User experience is particularly significant because it determines how much value your SEO efforts generate. If your site is ranking at the top of search pages but has a poor user interface and loads slowly, users will leave your site immediately. This will increase bounce rates and reduce conversions, ultimately hurting your rankings and lowering the impact of the resources you direct toward SEO.
4. STRUCTURED DATA
Many website owners do not have the technical expertise to implement structured data on their site. However, overlooking structured data means missing an opportunity to help search engines understand the content and context of your pages.
Structured data uses schema markup to label elements on your web pages using standardized code. This presents your website clearly to search engines and allows them to feature elements of your website and content in rich snippets. Rich snippets are entries on SERPs that feature extra information, such as ratings, reviews, addresses, and product information. Structured data allows you to provide more detailed information about your business to search engines and users, building your E-E-A-T and allowing you to target users looking for a business just like yours.
5. SOCIAL SIGNALS
Social signals are indications of the engagement and visibility that your page receives. If your pages are receiving likes and comments or being reshared, this engagement signals to search engines that your business is visible, credible, and popular.
To generate positive social signals, it's important to create high-quality content and optimize your website for mobile users. Integrate easily accessible sharing buttons on your web pages and make sure your social media pages correctly link to your website.
If you are ready to take your SEO campaign to the next level, it might be time to broaden your strategy. Developing an understanding of indirect ranking factors such as social signals, structured data, and user experience can empower you to optimize every aspect of your brand's digital presence. Indirect ranking factors are easily overlooked, but incorporating them into your SEO strategy can provide you with a competitive advantage.