Google Ranking Factors 2022 

I recently read an article recommending we blog four-five times/week. That’s crazy. I don’t know anyone who has the resources to produce four or more quality articles/week. I try to blog once/week, but we all know how that goes–sometimes it just doesn’t happen. 

Is publishing content related to ranking?

While I’ve always believed that the more you publish to the online space, the likelier you’ll show up in a search, I have no documented proof for this. But Google recently conducted an SEO hangout to discuss content and rankings. Specifically, “If I add content every day will I increase my rankings?” 

How do I rank my content?

Posting daily or at any specific frequency doesn’t help with ranking better in Google search results. But the more pages you have in the Google index, the more your content may show up in search results. The key equalizer is the quality of your content and getting that content indexed.

Ranking factors in SEO

Google bots are constantly crawling the internet and indexing content. They’re looking for your headings and subheadings, for H1 and H2 tags. But Google doesn’t crawl all content. If the content isn’t crawled, it’s not going to be indexed, which means it’s not going to get ranked. Part of the reason Google might not crawl that content is the overall quality of a website. 

I worked with a client who had a really awful website with terrible blogs that she copied and pasted from other sources. These blogs were maybe 300 words or so, not the 750-word count that we recommend. There were no images, no headings or subheads with the requisite H1 and H2 tags that Google looks for. She made no effort to insert snappy intros, opinions or experiences that would have personalized them. These were examples of content that is likely not being indexed. 

How long does it take for new content to rank on Google

For websites that have just launched, Google doesn’t know if the quality of that content is good. It could be a site with a big database and thousands of pages—Google does like quantity, after all. But Google will be cautious about crawling and indexing those pages until it’s sure that the quality is actually good. 

February 2022: Google’s John Mueller’s advice on getting content indexed

According to Mueller, “Internal linking is very important for us to understand what you would consider to be important on a website. For example, being linked from the home page is usually a sign that you care about these pages, so maybe we should care about them more.” He also suggested focusing less on quantity and more on the quality of content. “Making sure that it’s easy for us to recognize the important content on a website is really good.”

More from Mueller: “I’ve noticed that readers can become obsessed with discovering new content when they are highly engaged with a topic. In my opinion, content can be like eating popcorn when the reader has a strong engagement with the topic – they can’t stop reading and keep coming back for more. People who are engaged with a topic will click through when they see an article on their important topic in the search results.

Making sure your site can be crawled by search engines is key

There are tools that can analyze crawlability, including Screaming Frog. It will evaluate crawlability and metadescriptions. It can also find broken links and duplicate content–Google hates duplicate content. 

There’s more, of course. We’re content marketing specialists. Contact Top of Mind Marketing to talk about Google ranking factors and your website.  

What’s the Difference Between a Pillar Page and a Landing Page?

Pillar pages and landing pages have completely different functions, but they can work together to help generate leads and show up organically in search engines.

What is a pillar page?

A pillar page, or content pillar, is part of a larger pillar-page strategy that provides in-depth coverage of a topic. The pillar page strategy is supported by subpages and blogs that provide relevant information on the same topic. It’s hierarchical, with all content rolling up to the main pillar page topic. Search engine crawlers prioritize websites with this kind of topic-organized content. It can help you rank for important inquiries. 

What is pillar page SEO? 

Pillar page SEO means identifying keywords you want to rank for and using these throughout your pillar page strategy. This is what it’s all about. Use those keywords in your headings, subheads and other text. Be sure to assign H1 and H2 tags to these headings. Be consistent—use these words throughout all of your online accounts.

Landing pages focus on a single topic: Lead generation

Unlike pillar pages that provide comprehensive coverage of a single topic, good landing pages can focus on a single objective—lead generation. A landing page is a dedicated page on a website that you land on directly from an external source such as a paid ad or email. It’s highly targeted, persuasive in nature, designed to connect with a predetermined audience. Landing pages can be constructed for SEO purposes to capture organic search traffic. They can also be used with paid advertising through search engines or social media.

Landing pages in a marketing campaign

Landing pages are usually accessed by a link from a paid ad or email. Traffic from paid ads has high commercial intent and is usually ready to complete an action. The page must be ready to fulfill that need. 

A landing page should be providing:

• A unique proposition. Define what makes your product so appealing and enticing. Why should the user take action? Use the proposition in the headline to gain attention and encourage the user to read the supporting copy. Follow best practices for writing headlines and subheads. Short, crisp, attention-getting headers. Easy to read fonts. Use an image that’s descriptive, one that helps define your further your proposition. 

Just one thing. Make sure you’re promoting one thing. I see this a lot. It quickly becomes confusing and dilutes your messaging. Make sure you’re promoting one product or one service.

• Call to Action (CTA). The most important part of the page. Make your CTA button obvious and stand out. Include a CTA above the fold and repeat at the bottom of the page. 
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• Benefits of the offer. Don’t sell features, sell benefits. How will this make the user feel? How will it make their lives or jobs easier, save them money, etc. There must be a visceral appeal.
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• Social proof. Word of mouth and social approval offer trust. People are risk-averse and reviews are now a fact of life. None of us makes a purchase these days without reading the reviews. We’re reassured by others’ positive experiences.

Can a home page be a landing page? 

Theoretically, your homepage is a landing page. But it has too many functions to be focused on landing page conversion. The home page usually exists as the portal, enabling a user to navigate to other pages. Despite the trend toward minimizing navigation, I don’t get it. Why make it difficult for users to find what they’re looking for? 

Unlike your homepage, a landing page is designed to convert visitors into leads. Landing pages are the gatekeepers to your most valuable content offers. Landing pages map to the sales funnel. 

• Awareness
• Discovery
• Evaluation
• Intent
• Action
• Loyalty

Aside from delivering on the promise and intent of the query, the organic landing page must also make the brand and offer clear. 

Ask us about how a pillar-page strategy and landing pages work together to help improve your ranking in search engines. Contact Top of Mind Marketing. We’re writers and content marketing specialists.