Even though it’s obvious that blog content improves your SEO, publishing the right kind of blog content can be challenging if you don’t know where to begin due to Google’s frequent algorithm updates. There are some blog ranking indicators that have weathered the test of time, while others are viewed as “old-school.” Here are a few of the top ranking elements that can influence blog SEO both directly and indirectly.
1. Dwell Period
Although dwell time is an indirect ranking factor for Google, it’s crucial to the user experience, and we all know that when it comes to SEO, user experience is king. The amount of time a reader spends on a page of your blog is known as dwell time. The period of time between a visitor’s click and when they leave your website is referred to as dwell time.
This indicator infers from reader engagement with your content how valuable it is to search engines like Google. It seems sense that the content will be more pertinent to them the longer they are on the website. This statistic is an indirect signal for SEO, though, because it is wholly arbitrary. The algorithms used by search engines are unaware of your content strategy.
Your blog can be geared at quick reads that only require a few minutes. For the best reader experience and to ensure that readers spend as little time on the page as possible, you may also provide essential information at the beginning of your blog entries. So certainly, dwell time can have an impact on SEO, but if it doesn’t fit with your content strategy, avoid manipulating your content to modify this metric. With a free blog builder from HubSpot, you can create high-quality content that expands the audience for your brand.
2. Page Sizing
Although we already mentioned that your blog’s visual components can impact page speed, other factors can also have an impact. Overuse of plugins and unnecessary coding can both slow down blog sites. Your pages can load more quickly by removing unnecessary code, which can increase page performance. Check out HTML-Cleaner if you’re not sure how to identify and eliminate garbage code. It’s a simple tool that doesn’t call for coding expertise. It only displays the extra code for you to eliminate with the click of a button.
I also advise making a list of the plugins on your blog site. Choose which ones you require to maintain your blog operational on a daily basis and which ones were added as a temporary remedy. Page speed is threatened by plugins that have an impact on your site’s front end, and chances are you can delete more of these plugins than you think to speed up your entire site.
3. Mobile Adaptivity
Mobile devices account for more than half of Google’s search traffic in the US. Your web site can adhere to that pattern personally. There is no getting around the reality that optimizing your blog site for mobile devices will have an impact on your SEO numbers.
But what does it mean to “mobile-optimize” a website? Keep things simple is the general rule of thumb in the sector. The majority of pre-made site themes available today are already mobile-friendly, so all you’ll need to do is change the size of a few CTA buttons and fonts here and there. Then, run a mobile site speed test frequently and keep an eye on how your site is performing on mobile by looking at your Google Analytics dashboard.
4. Table Date
Search engines strive to deliver the most current, correct, and relevant information possible. The date a search engine indexes the content is one criterion it considers when assessing what is factual and relevant. Is the date the information was indexed the same as the date it was released, you might be wondering?
Yes and no, is the response. It’s likely that the day after a blog post is published for the first time, a Google crawler will index it. However, content can also be backdated for a number of justifiable reasons, such as information archiving or minor sentence updates. Implementing a historical optimization strategy is one way to have a positive impact on this SEO factor. On blogs that have been around for a while and have a decent amount of content already, this strategy works well.
Without adding a lot of net new content, you can greatly improve your blog’s SEO by adding fresh perspectives and data to these earlier entries. Site crawlers will reindex the page and give it another chance to compete in the SERP while taking into account the changed content. True win-win situation.
5. Recent Information
Blog entries should offer recent data, another indirect SEO ranking element. Visitors receive current and reliable information thanks to recent data, which improves the reading experience.
When you link to a reputable website with authentic, current information, you’re informing the search engine that this website is beneficial and pertinent to your viewers (which is good for that other website). Additionally, you are informing the search engine that the content you publish is somehow connected to this kind of data. Your viewers will grow to value the material over time, which may be seen in other metrics like higher time on page or a reduced bounce rate.
