If you want to make your equine business show up on Google, you need to understand how Google ranks websites. Whilst getting a website to rank in Google Search can seem like witchcraft, the principles behind SEO are simple: Google wants to provide value to its users. Therefore, focusing on the value provided by your website is at the heart of getting it to rank in Google Search.
This blog outlines the basics of how to make your website show up on Google and aims to explain how Google ranks websites.
This article covers the following SEO basics:
Google Ranking Factors
Google Search uses an algorithm to determine which websites rank - and where - for any given search query. It works by using a range of factors to determine how relevant, valuable or useful a piece of content is likely to be to the person making the query.
The Google Search algorithm uses a number of factors to determine whether and where to rank content. Some SEO experts speculate that there may be over 200 Google ranking factors!
We won’t go into detail on each and every ranking factor in this article, but we will quickly cover the most important factors. According to research conducted by First Page Sage, a leading US-based SEO agency, the top Google ranking factors in 2023 are as follows (in descending order of weighting):
Consistent publication of engaging content
Keywords in SEO titles
Backlinks
Niche expertise
User engagement
Trustworthiness
Mobile friendly / mobile first website
Internal links
Page speed
Site security / SSL certificate
Structured data
Keywords in URL
+ 20 other factors!
Of all of the factors listed above, the consistent publication of engaging content carries the most weight in determining a website’s Google Search ranking.
What does this mean?
Regularly updating your website, publishing blog articles and creating new landing pages all contribute to your website’s SEO. Google wants to see new, interesting, useful content being regularly added to your website!
Google E-E-A-T
EEAT stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. These are the four things that, according to Google, demonstrate quality content. Whilst they are not ranking factors, Google uses the EEAT criteria to manually assess whether its algorithm is returning the most useful search results.
We will look at Google EEAT in more detail in another article, but for now it's important to note the emphasis on demonstrating experience, expertise, authority and trust in your content.
How to Make Your Website Show Up on Google
The point of Google EEAT and the ranking algorithm is to ensure that Google Search is providing value to its users. By giving users the content they are looking for, Google ensures people will always return to its search engine whenever they require information, instructions, products or services. In turn, having a biggest slice of the search engine market allows Google to make more money from its paid advertising platform - Google Ads.
When you understand the logic behind Google’s algorithm, you can begin to understand that at the core of SEO for Google Search is providing value. Therefore, producing useful, educational, entertaining and informative content should be a central pillar in your SEO strategy.
Having an easy-to-use, up-to-date website that provides useful information in the form of blogs and other website content is key to making your website show up on Google.
Equine Business Marketing | Purple Horse Marketing
Regularly publishing new, engaging content to your equine business website is a core element of an effective SEO strategy. However, this takes time, skill and experience to do properly. Content creation is also just one of the many ranking factors used by Google to determine where to rank your website.
For reliable, skilled SEO consultants who are experts in getting equestrian businesses found online, look no further than Purple Horse Marketing. Our equine marketing specialists are the experts in SEO for equestrian businesses. We work with a range of independent equine businesses across the sector, including veterinary, horse wear and racing. Book your free equine marketing consultation today and discover how we can help your equestrian business grow online.