Authority + Trust + Relevance = Rankings

Here you go – the magic formula for ranking on Google. Yes, Yahoo and Bing still matter … even though the third most searched term on Bing is “Google”  – people trying to get back to Google, but they’re still relevant. It’s just easier to focus on Google as they lead the algorithm predator/prey dynamic.

What is Authority?

Online Authority is a measure of your online presence. Is your website a place people go to find out information? How many other websites reference or backlink to yours? It’s about the “strength” of your website over time that matters and how that compares to your competition.

What is Trust?

Trust is measured through a number of factors. How authoritative are the backlinks to your website? Where do they come from? Do you have a lot of small, useless websites linking to you or do you have big players that have noticed you? Having encryption is a must in terms of trust if you’re selling products. Additionally having a website that is frequently used increases its trust factor. A website that is growing means that people are putting time and effort into it, which is a trustworthy activity.

What is Relevance?

How relevant is the content on your website to the term being searched? That’s what Google is trying to figure out. Obviously matching the keyword to the main subject keywords on your website is the best way to distinguish relevance. Someone searching for “Gainesville Web Design” doesn’t want to be presented with a site focusing on the stringing habits of arachnids. The words on your site matter.

So there it is. The magic formula for rankings.

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