Useful 2013 SEO Study - Ranking Factors

ollie9009

ollie9009

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Top highlights of 2013
(THIS IS JUST the headlines from the report - click on the source for a detailed analysis).

1. Keyword domains and keyword links have lost relevance
2. Brands are the exception to many rules
3. Social signals continue to correlate very well with better rankings
4. Good content is always important: it comes to quality!
5. The number of backlinks remains immensely important
6. On-page technology remains one of the basics

More info (full study here): http://www.searchmetrics.com/en/services/ranking-factors-2013/
 
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1. Keyword domains and keyword links have lost relevance
Click to expand...

:D

I have a few websites holding the top 5 position in SERPs, that too in less than 2 weeks just because the domain has a keyword. Rest of the tips seem obvious.
 
keywords domain still rule. See 1st page, beside wiki, the rest usuallywith keywords in them.
 
Links important, content important, social signals important, on page important... so to summarize, your OP just tells us that to rank, we just get a new domain without our keyword in it, and then everything is same as usual?
 
I've said it once, I'll say it again.

Correlation does not equal causation.

The worse thing that you could possibly do is to try and rank a site with just social media signals alone, based on this study. Yes, they're useful. Yes, they probably offer some influence. However, just because the correlation is so strong does not mean that is the main reason behind a site's ranking.

Consider brands. Brands that rank 1 or 2 will have millions of social signals, which will skew the correlation in the signal's favour.

The biggest takeaway from this study, for me, is that the fact that links are still extremely strong.
 
I am actually quite surprised Google +1s have such a high correlation, when it was first out tested it a lot but not seeing consistent results. Some even says excessive amount of +1s in short amount of time may result in penalties. Will do more testing and see.
 
SkyrocketSEO said:
Really? I thought the quality of backlinks....but ok, if you say so
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That was a summary mate.... if you read the source you can see it states:

"However, factors around this metric are subject to evolution: not only are the quantity of backlinks important, but increasingly so is their quality! The backlink profile is nowadays regarded as a kind of conglomerate of very diverse quality factors that we discuss in detail in the study."

Also, please note, I didn't write this article - I was pointing it out for another "useful" source. Take the information as you wish... but don't try and make out that I was offering anyone advice about SEO and that I don't know what I'm talking about.
 
While an interesting read it's not exactly groundbreaking, it just tells me "carry on as you were" more than anything else.

Also - keyword domains bit is nonsense.
 
So basically this 6 point summary sums up that nothing has really changed. LOL
 
EDIT: Post deleted. Was made out of frustration at some of the community responses.

Nice share OP. Rep + Thanks given.
 
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Read the full study the most interesting thing to me is the increase in the words in text as a correlation factor. Which seems to mirror what a lot of people say about authority sites needing longer content.
 
crazedspyker said:
EDIT: Post deleted. Was made out of frustration at some of the community responses.

Nice share OP. Rep + Thanks given.
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're on the same wave length mate.... it's a real shame that you can't share a source for the community anymore, without "SEO experts" trying to rip it apart or calling the OP a "loser"....

BHW has changed a lot from when I joined; novices could ask questions, people could share useful links and experts could offer their advice, success stories and premium services.

If this study sums up what you've already been doing then take it as reassurance... not as a chance to try and act big behind a keyboard or promoting your own service.
 
ollie9009 said:
I'm glad you're on the same wave length mate.... it's a real shame that you can't share a source for the community anymore, without "SEO experts" trying to rip it apart or calling the OP a "loser"....

BHW has changed a lot from when I joined; novices could ask questions, people could share useful links and experts could offer their advice, success stories and premium services.

If this study sums up what you've already been doing then take it as reassurance... not as a chance to try and act big behind a keyboard or promoting your own service.
Click to expand...

Certainly wasn't what I was trying to say, can't speak for others. I was reassured that I'm doing things in the right way according to this. It's good that it backs up what I've learnt and read from here and other forums & SEO blogs. Thanks to OP for posting. It makes an interesting read as I said before.
 
Good Work op. Although there is nothing much out of the box, but you should be appreciated for this. Haters gonna hate
 
Keyword domain, Content and high quality links rules still. Thanks for the share.
 
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