SEO FAQ
We switched to HTTPS but Google continues to rank some pages from our old-HTTP version. What do I have to do?
When Google ranks you on the search engine results page it considers the indexed pages, not necessarily your current website. They may differ for a while. The shorter the better but cannot avoid such situation as you don’t control the process 100%. Guess you’ve already submitted your website to Google using the Fetch as Google functionality or by submitting your website’s sitemap.xml file, also implemented the proper Redirect 301 instructions. The Google bots crawl your website and help index your HTTPS version as soon as possible, also replace the old HTTP pages with the new HTTPS pages in the Google index. When this happens, your new HTTPS pages start ranking on Google. Until then, it’s perfectly normal for Google to take some time to recrawl your website and index the new versions of your pages.
How important is to have all my website’s pages indexed by Google?
First of all you have to know the number of indexed pages (URLs) is not so important for Google. And the reason it doesn’t matter so much is that Google focuses on relevance and impressions rather than on indexed URLs. Think of this: when an individual searches on Google for a specific query, Google will not provide that individual with all your website pages. But the one or ones that is/are relevant to that query and user. So there are (in most cases) 1-to-1 relationships query-URL displayed. There are also some exceptions, when an individual searches on Google for a specific query, Google might provide him with two or more pages from your website (a 1-to-many relationship – one query, many pages).
We have multiple links on Google but some of them are not reported in Google Search Console. Why’s that?
The data reported by Google in the Search Analytics section in Search Console is aggregated for the entire set of results corresponding to a query (organic links, Google Maps section, featured snippet box (rich answer box)). If you’re looking at impressions per query, impressions per pages per query, you have to take into account the data you see refers for the whole set of results. So, when you have multiple pages ranking independently for the same keyword in search then Google picks one of those pages (the top ranking one) and counts that one as impression, also uses that top ranking page for calculating the average position for that query.
Why search results are different when two people search on Google for the same keyword?
It’s not only about Google, this happens will all major search engines. The reason is they personalize the search results. Personalization takes into consideration the geographical locations of the users, previous websites visited by those users, user behaviour on those websites, keywords they search and many more factors; in a few words – how they navigate the web. Based on this information, the search engine shows different websites or different ranking according to how likely is the user to click on the links displayed.
Is there any way we can determine which part of the website is high-quality and which part is lower-quality?
There is no direct method in determining such qualitative aspects about your website but there is information that might lead you to a conclusion on this matter: see which queries people use on Google and make them come to your website, what pages they are landing on, how long people are staying on those pages and how they interact with your website further, also from a social perspective (likes, shares), that combination of information can help you conclude which part of your website is reaching its objectives and which part needs more attention and improvements.
What is Bounce Rate?
Bounce Rate is the percentage of website visitors that leave a website after viewing only one page on that site, bouncing back to the search results or to the referring website, or closing the browser tab or window.
How often does Google change his algorithm?
Google changes its search algorithm about 500 to 600 times a year. That’s more than once a day. As you can imagine, most of these changes are of minor importance, with less than 10 changes a year having a considerable impact over websites’ ranking. But together, their overall impact over a year period may be significant. You can read details on all major Google updated visiting this page: moz.com/google-algorithm-change
What is Content Relevance?
When an individual searches for a keyword on a search engine, he/she is provided with links to several webpages. Content Relevance measures how relevant the content on those webpages is to that search query. Increased relevance leads to a higher relevance score contributing to higher rankings. With Google currently evaluating the content according to its relevance more than to inclusion of individual keywords, the content relevance is of paramount importance. More information offered to the website visitor the better. But more is not only quantity, it’s also about quality and the level of detail of information provided is equally important as the length of the content. Regarding length, word count is still an important ranking factor. Studies show content exceeding 1000 words has a higher chance of ranking high on Google. On the other hand, more and detailed content may rank high for multiple similar keywords.
Is Crawl Rate a ranking factor?
No, it isn’t a ranking factor. Consequently efforts towards increasing the crawl rate will not necessarily lead to better positions in Search results (Google uses hundreds of signals to rank the results but crawl rate isn’t one of them). But crawling is essential to get indexed and on Google and a high speed website tells Google you’re on a healthy server and running a healthy website so Google bots can get more content over the same number of connections. As Google says: “Efficient crawling of a website helps with its indexing in Google Search.”
Where/how can I see the external links (backlinks) pointing to my website?
There are a lot of tools, free and premium, that can show you the backlinks. Ahrefs, Moz to name two of the most appreciated tools. You can also see links to your website in the dedicated section in Google Search Console. It’s free and it’s from Google so you can perceive it as first-hand. Still there are some things to consider if you go with Search Console to monitor your backlinks.
Should I add a blog to my company website?
Definitely, yes. Not all people come to your website to buy from their first visit. No matter how they find you (ranking high on search engines, paid advertising, social media marketing, traditional advertising) people will first try to know you before giving you their trust and eventually money for the products or services you offer. They will look for the About us section or dedicated page to get to know you better, will see your Contact info to make an idea about where you do your business, and eventually will read your blog. Making people read the content on your blog is only a first step. This helps building trust which, in turn, builds brand awareness and brand recall, ultimately making them loyal visitors of your website. Then you can try to interest them in different opportunities.
