How long does it take to rank on Google?
It may seem like a simple question, but there are thousands of factors at play when it comes to Google rankings. In fact, we don’t even know what all of those factors are, because Google has never shared exactly what goes into its ranking algorithms. We do know that, through its ranking process, Google is doing its best to determine the most relevant, practical results for users and what they’re looking for.
On average, it can take anywhere from three to six months, with six months being the safer bet, to see your ranking start to increase. Google’s algorithms sort through billions of websites in an extremely short amount of time in order to provide the most practical results. So what is Google looking at when determining your rank?
DOMAIN AGE
The age of your domain, and therefore the length of your relationship with Google, plays into Google’s ranking process. When you purchase a brand new domain that has zero history with Google, you’re in it for the long game. Your new domain hasn’t established a history of reliability compared to an older domain that Google has verified.
CONTENT QUALITY
Publishing high-quality content on your website can contribute to earning a higher ranking. Content that is written for your target audience and is easy to read leads to people actually staying on your site to read what you’re posting, which Google likes to see. Blogging allows you to write about topics in depth, which can boost content quality and also show Google that you keep your content up-to-date. As you’re creating content, using strong images that draw the reader to the page can lead to more views.
SEO
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, contributes largely to your Google ranking. Strong, structured content (with headings and paragraphs) on your website is one thing that the Google Bots notice when they crawl your site. URLs that utilize strong keywords and summarize the content on the page are beneficial, as well as updating existing pages with new content.
Using different meta data for image titles, page titles and keywords communicates important information to Google Bots about the structure of your site, while including alt attributes on all of your images can help establish your site’s relevance.
Keeping your navigation and web design concise with the code of your website can also help your search rankings.
LINKS
When links to your site are being shared, your ranking could potentially increase. Links that are earned organically tell Google that the content on your site is worthy of being shared. The organic shared links tend to contribute to your Google ranking more than a spam or paid link. The more links you earn, the more you’ll see your ranking rise over time.
KEYWORD COMPETITION
If your website is full of high-competition keywords, Google is more likely to trust a more established domain, since it contains keywords that are often searched. Lower competition keywords can help build your online authority.
In addition to those discussed above, factors such as page views, total traffic to your site, and length of time on your site, along with hundreds if not thousands of other factors, play into your ranking.
While your goal may be to reach the number one rank on Google, Google’s top priority is bringing useful results to their users. Essentially, you want to show Google that your website is the most relevant and trustworthy in your area. Take a look at how Market Muscles can help with that! If you have any questions or are interested in getting started with us, just shoot an email to [email protected]!