I have always told my clients that no one really knows how ranking on search engines really work. All search engine algorithms are proprietary and as a result, no one can tell what factors really impact site ranking. However, as search engine optimization experts, we make really good guesses. The game is based on who can guess better. Ultimately, it is the results of the effort that counts.
I was reading an article that lists some factors that may impact your SEO ranking. The article lists 111 items, but here are some which I thought is not so obvious and rather debatable; while some are obvious (duh! factor). However, it provides food for consideration in website search optimization.
1) Position within a list (top being better).
2) Position on the page, eg, within 'editorial' content rather than a menu.
3) Number of words in the anchor text.
4) If you put your brand name in your title tag then put it after your keyword.
5) The words around a link
6) Social media will affect ranking.
7) Keyword at the start of page title tag.
8) Keyword in image alt attributes.
9) Keyword in H1 tag.
10) Use homepage for your most important target keywords where possible.
You can read the entire article here:
http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/smx-advanced-london-2010
#searchengineoptimization #SEO #searchmarketing #socialmedia