Best 31 Tips and Techniques for Improving Page Ranking in Google (as of November 2024)

In 2024, Google’s search algorithms are more sophisticated than ever. With frequent updates and increasingly sophisticated ranking signals, SEO and digital marketing engineers need to stay on top of these changes to improve page ranking. Below are the 31 most effective and updated tips and techniques for improving your page ranking, along with legacy methods that are now outdated.

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1. Focus on E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

• Updated: Google’s E-A-T remains a critical ranking factor, especially for “Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) pages, such as health, finance, and legal websites. Google evaluates the expertise of the content creator, the authoritativeness of the website, and the trustworthiness of the content and domain. Practical Tip:
  • Hire qualified experts or well-known authors for your content.
  • Link to reputable sources and ensure your content is accurate.
  • Regularly update your content to ensure it remains relevant and valuable.

Outdated Legacy Method: Relying on keyword density alone or using generic content creators without real expertise.

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2. Optimize for User Experience (UX) and Core Web Vitals

• Updated: Google’s Core Web Vitals are now a significant ranking factor. These metrics (Largest Contentful Paint, First Input Delay, and Cumulative Layout Shift) measure how fast, responsive, and stable your pages are. Practical Tip:
  • Ensure fast load times by optimizing images, using a content delivery network (CDN), and employing lazy loading.
  • Make sure your site is mobile-friendly and offers an intuitive user interface.
  • Test your pages using tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights to identify and fix issues affecting page performance.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring mobile-first design or optimizing only for desktop experiences.

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3. High-Quality Content Creation

• Updated: Content quality is the backbone of SEO success. Google now prioritizes long-form, well-researched, and authoritative content that answers user queries comprehensively. Practical Tip:
  • Create in-depth content that answers the searcher’s query in a complete and detailed manner.
  • Include multimedia (videos, images, charts) to enrich the content.
  • Aim for content freshness—update outdated posts regularly.

Outdated Legacy Method: Focusing on keyword-stuffed content without considering the value it offers to the user.

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4. Mobile-First Indexing

• Updated: Google has switched to mobile-first indexing, meaning the mobile version of your site is now the primary version Google uses to rank pages. Practical Tip:
  • Ensure your mobile site is fully optimized—fast load times, mobile-friendly layout, and a user-centric design.
  • Use responsive design to make sure your site adapts to all screen sizes.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring mobile optimization or creating separate mobile sites with limited content.

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5. Structured Data and Schema Markup

• Updated: Schema Markup helps search engines understand the content of your pages and provides rich results in SERPs (e.g., stars, ratings, FAQs). Practical Tip:
  • Implement JSON-LD structured data for product, review, and FAQ schema.
  • Use Google’s Structured Data Testing Tool to ensure your markup is correctly implemented.
  • Leverage FAQ schema for commonly asked questions to enhance the visibility of your pages in featured snippets.

Outdated Legacy Method: Relying solely on standard text content without leveraging schema to enhance visibility.

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6. Keyword Research and Optimization

• Updated: Keyword research continues to be foundational, but now with a focus on intent and semantic search. Google prioritizes user intent over exact match keywords. Practical Tip:
  • Focus on long-tail keywords that capture user intent.
  • Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find keywords with low competition and high search volume.
  • Include LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords to improve relevance.

Outdated Legacy Method: Over-optimization and keyword stuffing.

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7. Improve Internal Linking Structure

• Updated: Google values sites that have a strong internal linking structure, making it easier for crawlers to index your pages. Practical Tip:
  • Regularly link to relevant internal pages from new and old content.
  • Make sure your internal linking structure is logical and organized.
  • Use anchor text wisely to guide users and search engines.

Outdated Legacy Method: Having a few internal links scattered throughout the content or using irrelevant anchor text.

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8. Backlink Strategy and Link Building

• Updated: Backlinks are still a major ranking factor, but Google now focuses more on the quality of backlinks rather than just quantity. Natural backlinks from authoritative sites carry more weight. Practical Tip:
  • Create shareable, valuable content that naturally attracts backlinks.
  • Engage in guest blogging or strategic partnerships to get backlinks from relevant sources.
  • Avoid link farms and low-quality directories.

Outdated Legacy Method: Buying links or engaging in manipulative link-building schemes.

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9. Voice Search Optimization

• Updated: As voice search becomes more prevalent, Google places more emphasis on natural language processing (NLP) and conversational queries. Practical Tip:
  • Optimize for question-based keywords and long-tail phrases (e.g., “How do I fix a broken link?”).
  • Ensure your content is structured in a Q&A format to be featured in voice search results.
  • Focus on local SEO if your business has a physical location, as voice searches often have a local intent.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring voice search optimization or treating it like traditional search.

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10. Improve Website Security (HTTPS)

• Updated: Google prioritizes websites that use HTTPS as a ranking factor. This is part of Google’s effort to ensure safe browsing for users. Practical Tip:
  • Secure your site with an SSL certificate (convert from HTTP to HTTPS).
  • Regularly monitor your site for security issues, such as malware or vulnerabilities.

Outdated Legacy Method: Using HTTP and disregarding the security implications for SEO.

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11. Optimize for Featured Snippets

• Updated: Featured snippets are the boxed information that Google sometimes displays at the top of the search results. Google uses these snippets to quickly answer users’ questions. Practical Tip:
  • Format your content using bulleted lists, numbered lists, and tables.
  • Aim to answer common questions directly within the first paragraph.
  • Use concise, authoritative answers to increase the likelihood of being selected for a featured snippet.

Outdated Legacy Method: Relying only on traditional rankings without optimizing for rich snippets.

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12. Page Speed Optimization

• Updated: Faster loading pages are crucial in 2024, as Google continues to prioritize speed in rankings. Practical Tip:
  • Compress images using tools like TinyPNG.
  • Minimize JavaScript and CSS files.
  • Implement lazy loading for images and videos.
  • Use a content delivery network (CDN) to serve content from the closest server.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring page speed or focusing solely on the desktop experience.

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13. Local SEO Optimization

• Updated: Local SEO has become more important with Google’s emphasis on location-based search results. Practical Tip:
  • Optimize your Google My Business profile and keep it up to date.
  • Include local keywords and location-based content in your website.
  • Encourage reviews from customers and respond to them promptly.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring local signals and relying solely on national SEO tactics.

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14. Content Personalization

• Updated: Google favors content that provides personalized experiences based on user data, such as past searches or location. Practical Tip:
  • Use dynamic content on your website that adapts based on the user’s behavior and location.
  • Use A/B testing to determine which content resonates best with different audiences.

Outdated Legacy Method: Serving the same generic content to all users without considering personalization.

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15. Video Content Optimization

• Updated: Google is placing increasing importance on video content, especially with the rise of YouTube and video-rich results. Practical Tip:
  • Optimize your YouTube videos with relevant titles, descriptions, and tags.
  • Embed videos on your website and ensure they’re mobile-friendly.
  • Use video transcripts for better indexing by Google.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring video content or not optimizing video metadata.

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16. Social Media Signals

• Updated: While social media signals (like shares, comments, and likes) don’t directly impact SEO, they can indirectly affect rankings by driving traffic and increasing content visibility. Practical Tip:
  • Share your content across

social media channels to increase visibility.

• Engage with followers and encourage them to share content.

Outdated Legacy Method: Relying solely on organic search traffic without leveraging social media.

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17. User Intent Optimization

• Updated: User intent is critical for ranking in 2024. Google is increasingly better at understanding whether users are looking for informational, transactional, or navigational content. Practical Tip:
  • Analyze search intent using keyword research tools.
  • Tailor your content to fulfill specific types of user intent—whether it’s to inform, entertain, or purchase.

Outdated Legacy Method: Focusing only on keyword rankings without considering the user’s search intent.

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18. Crawlability and Site Architecture

• Updated: Google values a website that is easily crawlable by its bots. A well-structured website with a clear, logical architecture helps search engines index your pages efficiently. Practical Tip:
  • Use XML sitemaps to guide Google’s crawl.
  • Optimize your robots.txt to ensure Google can access key pages.
  • Ensure all important pages are within 3 clicks from the homepage.

Outdated Legacy Method: Having complex site structures with hard-to-find or duplicate content.

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19. Clean and Optimized URLs

• Updated: Clean, descriptive URLs that include target keywords are favored by both users and search engines. Practical Tip:
  • Use short, readable URLs that describe the content of the page.
  • Avoid using unnecessary parameters or session IDs in URLs.

Outdated Legacy Method: Having long, complex URLs filled with numbers or random characters.

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20. Reduce Bounce Rate

• Updated: A high bounce rate can indicate poor user engagement, which may negatively affect your ranking. Practical Tip:
  • Focus on creating engaging and valuable content that keeps users on your site longer.
  • Improve internal linking to guide users to other relevant pages.
  • Use clear calls to action (CTAs) to encourage further interaction.

Outdated Legacy Method: Ignoring user engagement metrics or having irrelevant content that leads to high bounce rates.

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21. Leverage Long-Form Content

• Updated: Long-form content continues to perform better in search rankings because it provides comprehensive, in-depth information. Practical Tip:
  • Create pillar content that covers a topic exhaustively and serves as a comprehensive resource.
  • Include relevant internal and external links to add depth.

Outdated Legacy Method: Writing short, shallow articles that don’t cover topics in depth.

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22. Regular Content Updates

• Updated: Google favors fresh content, especially for queries where recent information is important (e.g., news, trends). Practical Tip:
  • Regularly update your older content to keep it current and relevant.
  • Add new insights, statistics, and examples as they become available.

Outdated Legacy Method: Writing one-time content and forgetting to refresh or update it over time.

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23. Optimize for Image Search

• Updated: Image search continues to grow as users look for visual content. Optimizing your images can increase visibility and drive traffic.

Practical Tip:

• Use descriptive file names and alt text for images.
• Optimize image sizes and formats for faster load times.

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24. Social Proof and Reviews

• Updated: Positive user reviews and social proof can improve trustworthiness and, in turn, rankings.

Practical Tip:

• Collect genuine customer reviews across platforms like Google, Yelp, and TrustPilot.
• Respond to reviews and engage with your community to enhance brand reputation.

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25. Keep Up with Google’s Algorithm Updates

• Updated: Google frequently updates its algorithms, and staying informed is critical.

Practical Tip:

• Follow SEO blogs, industry forums, and Google’s own update announcements to stay updated on new ranking factors.
• Make necessary changes to your SEO strategy based on updates.

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26. Optimize for Local Search (Google My Business)

• Updated: Local SEO continues to be a crucial ranking factor for businesses targeting local markets.

Practical Tip:

• Claim and optimize your Google My Business listing.
• Encourage customer reviews and add accurate business information to local directories.

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27. Use Data Analytics for Actionable Insights

• Updated: Using tools like Google Analytics to track user behavior, conversions, and performance can help guide SEO decisions.

Practical Tip:

• Set up custom goals and events in Google Analytics to track key user actions on your site.
• Use the insights to optimize content and user experience.

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28. Stay Active on Forums and Community Discussions

• Updated: Participating in industry forums, Q&A sites like Quora, or communities like Reddit can help build your brand authority.

Practical Tip:

• Share your content and answer questions relevant to your niche in forums and online communities.
• Include links to your content where applicable.

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29. Utilize Web Stories for Mobile Optimization

• Updated: Web stories are gaining popularity, and they help create visually appealing, short-form content that engages users.

Practical Tip:

• Create interactive web stories on your site for better mobile engagement.
• Integrate stories with rich multimedia to enhance user interaction.

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30. Focus on Core Product and Service Pages

• Updated: Product and service pages are key conversion points for e-commerce sites.

Practical Tip:

• Optimize your product/service pages with relevant keywords and high-quality images.
• Write persuasive, user-focused descriptions to improve conversion rates.

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31. Build a Strong Brand Presence

• Updated: Building a strong brand presence improves direct traffic, brand searches, and ultimately rankings.

Practical Tip:

• Focus on building brand awareness through PR campaigns, social media, and influencer partnerships.

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By implementing these updated tips and techniques, you’ll be well-equipped to rank higher in Google’s search results, improve user engagement, and drive more targeted traffic to your website. Always remember to stay updated with SEO trends and focus on delivering real value to your users.