Three SEO Factors You Need Right Now

For many ranking factor’s in Google’s SEO (search engine optimization), it requires consistent work for audience engagement, writing articles, and keeping up with social media.

In fact, most of Google’s SEO algorithm includes many of these variable-type ranking factors–factors that your business has entire control over.

But, did you know that there are some factors that your business doesn’t really have a lot of say in?

Think of it like your credit score–you can pay all of your bills on time but still not have a perfect score. Why is this? Because there are some things that you don’t have control over.

SEO Ranking Factors You Don’t Have Control Over

1) History

Just like in credit reports, the younger the site, the less authoritative it will come across and, unfortunately, the less higher your ranking will score.

And just like credit companies, Google isn’t sure of your past–how well you do in delivering the very best material to your audience–as they haven’t seen this yet.

“History” as a ranking factor isn’t anything new but it carries more weight than it has in the past. This means that if your website has a past of not adding great material to the page, now is the time to change this.

Why?

Because eventually today will become history and in effect, you’re changing your company’s history now.

2) Age of URLs

Unfortunately, time doesn’t just fall into the content category within SEO. It also falls into the URL factor.

And because we cannot go back in time to buy a domain best suited for our business (but can you imagine how nice it would be if we could?), now is the time to buy the domain(s) you see yourself needing in the future–whether that’s next week or years from now.

Google looks at how long your domain has been active. Now it the time to make your business active.

3) Stop Paid (Unnatural) Links

What is a Paid Link? Typically, a company who uses paid links are paying bloggers, articles, etc to link to their business website from the actual article they’re paying. This used to be done a lot in the days on Penguin (a previous big SEO update)–to pay directories and indexes to link to a website.

However, this method has been banned by Google for a while now, though there are times in which businesses believe that they can get around it–using less sketchy websites, blogs, and so on.

Unfortunately, the consequence of Google learning of this within your business far outweighs the perks in the short term.

In fact, there are many large companies who still have a hard time recovering from this (and many have questioned if they ever will recover.

Natural link building is a great method to increase visibility within Google. But let it be known that these should be based on how fantastic your content is… Not because you bartered for the credentials.

If you have any paid links, now may be the best time to stop with this particular method as it becomes a greater and greater penalty.

Now It’s Your Turn

Do you think there should be factors within the SEO algorithm in which you have no control over?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!