SEO ranking factors for 2014: Content continues to be the king, but user signals are vital!

All of us know how important SEO is for our websites, but very few people know the factors that affect the search engine optimisation. Of course content was the king and it still tops the priority chart, but there are other factors too which are proved crucial for the SEO.

According to the Searchmetrics, content is the king, but user signals are crucial too. In the SEO ranking factors 2014 released by Searchmetrics, there are a few factors that play important role in improving the page rank, which we were unaware of! So, now let us have a look at the factors and also at how they contribute in taking our websites to page one of the Google search…

1. Technology: Before we go into the content or other factors, the website itself should be proper. Everything should be taken care of, right from the proper navigation, site structure and short loading times to using relevant Meta tags and keeping the site up to date. Once you design and develop perfect website, you can look up to other factors.
2. Relevant Content: As all of us know, content is the king; you should know what type of content we are talking about here. Well, it should be relevant as well as plagiarism free. Only the fresh and relevant content contributes in taking your website to page one.
3. Keywords: The keywords that are searched the most by the users should be used in not only the description, but also in the title. Of course, it improves the rankings. However, it is advisable to avoid keyword stuffing.
4. Quality Backlinks: As far as off page SEO is concerned, the Backlinks are one of the most important factors that contribute in rankings. However, when it comes to Backlinks, give importance to quality, rather the quantity. Of course, the on page technology SEO is also equally important.
5. Social signals: The top URLs have more likes, comments as well as shares. Like, Facebook ranks number one; then the other websites follow; like  Twitter and Pinterest.
6. User signals: For the first time, it was measured and observed that the user signals are also included among the factors that improve ranking. There is relation between rankings and high click through rates.