Search Engine Ranking: What It Means and How to Optimize It
Are you still creating or are you already ranking? We will show you what search engine ranking is all about and how you can improve it for your site.
- What is search engine ranking?
- Types of search engine rankings
- These ranking factors decide about the placement
- Ranking factors in detail
- How to improve your search engine ranking
- 5 tools for SEO measures
- Conclusion: This is how search engine ranking works
Hardly any factor is as essential for your online success as your search engine ranking. After all, a large part of the traffic for your website is generated by people stumbling across your Internet presence on Google, Bing and Co. For this reason, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the most important details about search engine ranking and know which measures can positively influence your position. Everything you need to know about this, you will find in this article.
What is search engine ranking?
The search engine ranking is a crucial factor for the success of a website on the Internet. It refers to the positioning of your website in the search results of a search engine, when users* search for certain Keywords. The ranking is influenced by various factors, which are taken into account by search engine algorithms.
The importance of search engine ranking lies in the fact that it has a direct influence on the visibility and reach of a website. The higher the ranking of your website in the search results, the more likely it is that users* will click on it and visit the website. Thus, a good positioning in the search results can have a significant impact on the traffic and success of your website.
On the other hand, the probability of users* clicking on your site, when it appears in the second or third position of the search results, decreases exponentially. As soon as your website does not appear in the top 10 results (and thus on the first page of the search engine), the likelihood of a click is almost 0.
The search results pages (short: SERP, for engl. Search Engine Result Page) of a search engine are usually divided into two areas: the organic search results and the paid search results. The organic search results are those that are selected by the search engine because of their relevance and quality. The paid search results, on the other hand, are ads that companies pay to appear at the top of the search results.
The relevance is thus clear for you: A good positioning in the search results can increase the traffic and visibility of a website and thus contribute to a higher success. It is therefore of great importance to understand the factors influencing the ranking and to develop strategies to improve the positioning.
Types of search engine rankings
As already mentioned, the search engine rankings can be differentiated between organic and paid results.
Organic search results are those selected by the search engine because of their relevance and quality. They are not influenced by advertising or payment and are selected based on various algorithms and ranking factors. The organic search results are usually displayed below the paid search results and are characterized by their natural placement and appearance.
Paid search results are ads that companies pay for to appear at the very top of the search results. The paid search results are usually displayed above the organic search results and are labeled as "advertisement" or "sponsored". Companies can bid for certain keywords and influence the positioning of their ads in the search results.
There are different types of paid search results. One of them is Pay-per-Click (PPC) advertising, where companies pay for each click on their ad. Another type is Cost-per-Impression (CPM) advertising, where companies pay for each ad shown to a user. The costs for paid search results can vary depending on the search engine and keyword. The higher the relevance of a search on term, the more expensive the placement usually is.
These ranking factors decide about the placement
The search engine ranking is a complex process controlled by search engine algorithms. These algorithms take into account a variety of ranking factors to evaluate the relevance and quality of websites and position them in the search results.
The ranking factors include on-page factors like the quality of the content, the structure of the website and the use of keywords. Off-page factors like backlinks and social media signals are also considered. Technical factors like the loading time of the website and mobile optimization are also important. Therefore, improving all these aspects should be part of your comprehensive SEO strategy.
The search results aim to reflect the search intent of the users* as accurately as possible. For this reason, the search algorithms are constantly updated. In this way, the aim is to ensure that the results are of high quality and relevant. Google, for example, updates its algorithm several times a year to ensure that the search results meet the needs of the users. It is therefore important for websites to update their content and their search engine optimization regularly to stay in the ranking.
The algorithms used vary from search engine to search engine. Google, for example, uses the PageRank algorithm, which takes into account the quality and number of backlinks of a website. However, the company also has other algorithms like the Hummingbird algorithm, which considers the semantic context of keywords.
Also, the weighting of the influencing factors on the search engine ranking varies depending on the search engine and algorithm. Some factors, like the quality of the content, are generally more important than other factors like the number of keywords on a page. For your content, the basic rule should be: create added value for your target group.
In total, the search engine ranking is a complex process driven by algorithms that take into account a variety of ranking factors. In addition to relevant and high-quality prepared content, technical aspects, such as the loading time, are also important.
Ranking factors in detail
At this point, we will look in more detail at the 3 types of ranking factors, which can be divided into on-page, off-page and technical aspects:
On-Page Factors:On-page factors refer to the elements of a website that are directly present on the page. These include the content, the optimized meta-data, the URL structure, the use of keywords and the internal linking. On-page factors are highly relevant for your search engine ranking, as they can be directly influenced by you as a webmaster.
Off-Page Factors:Off-page factors include those elements of your internet presence that are outside the actual website. These are, for example, backlinks, social media signals (e.g. likes, shares or comments) and the general online reputation of your website. Off-page factors also have a high relevance for search engine ranking, as they show how relevant and trustworthy a website is for other users*. A website with many high-quality backlinks and a positive online reputation has a higher likelihood of ranking higher in the search results. Off-page factors can also be influenced by you to a certain degree. This includes, for example, the active finding of backlinks.
Technical Factors:Technical factors refer – surprise! – to the technical infrastructure of your website and its performance. Important aspects are accordingly the loading time, the mobile optimization, the security and the general structure of the website. They have a fundamental influence on the user experience and should therefore also be optimized for a good search engine ranking. Positive user signals like a low bounce rate are finally also taken into account by search engines in the placement in the search results.
How to improve your search engine ranking
The magic word to improve your rankings is: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). As SEO involves extensive measures and processes, we can only touch on the topic here. If you want to delve deeper into the topic, check out the SEO and Content Topics from OMR Education.
A successful SEO strategy includes the optimization of on-page factors such as the quality of the content, the use of keywords and the internal linking, as well as off-page factors such as the number and quality of backlinks and the online reputation. Also, technical factors like the loading time of the website and mobile optimization are important aspects of SEO.
It is important to note that SEO is a long-term process and that it takes time and effort to achieve results. A successful SEO strategy requires continuous monitoring and adjustment to ensure that your website meets the current ranking factors and thus achieves optimal positioning in the search results.
Here you can find more interesting articles on the topic of SEO:
5 tools for SEO measures
There are many techniques and tools that can help with SEO, such as the use of relevant keywords, the creation of high-quality content, optimizing meta tags and improving the user experience. We have brought a few of them here for you. Other providers can also be found in the SEO category on OMR Reviews.
Conclusion: This is how search engine ranking works
Search engine ranking should be a central size for you when optimizing your online presence. After all, your positioning on Google and Co. tells you how useful your content is for your desired target group. Which measures you can take to optimize depends on various factors. At the end of the day, however, you should focus on creating added value for your readers* and creating an ideal user experience.
Nils ist SEO-Texter bei OMR Reviews und darüber hinaus ein echter Content-Suchti. Egal, ob Grafik, Foto, Video oder Audio – wenn es um digitale Medien geht, ist Nils immer ganz vorne mit dabei. Vor seinem Wechsel zu OMR war er fast 5 Jahre lang als Content-Manager und -Creator in einem Immobilienunternehmen tätig und hat zudem eine klassische Ausbildung als Werbetexter.
