Index
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High ranking in search engines is extremely beneficial to the success of websites and companies.
Most users pay little attention to the search results listed below. However, the field of search engine optimisation (SEO), is constantly evolving. Therefore, new strategies and measures are constantly needed to really position oneself at the top of the search results.
So, what specific measures are particularly important to achieve top positions in search engines today?
The following article outlines current trends and developments that companies should be aware of:
Most users pay little attention to the search results listed below. However, the field of search engine optimisation (SEO), is constantly evolving. Therefore, new strategies and measures are constantly needed to really position oneself at the top of the search results.
So, what specific measures are particularly important to achieve top positions in search engines today?
The following article outlines current trends and developments that companies should be aware of:
Core web vitals
Google has further stressed the importance of user experience by introducing Core Web Vitals.
These metrics measure a website's loading time, interactivity and visual stability. Fast loading times, fluid interactivity and steady visualisation are fundamental for a positive user experience. In a little bit more detail, we are talking about:
1) Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures the loading time of the heaviest element to be uploaded on a website and therefore acts as a page loading speed index. Ideally the value should be under 2.5 seconds.
2) Interaction to Next Paint (INP) (replaced the previous metric First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024)
INP regards the time spent before a user visualises the result of their interaction on screen. Unlike the previous FID, this metric doesn't count the time spent before the server starts to elaborate input; it counts the time spent until the processing is completed. The scope is to better measure a website's usability and mirror it in the Core Web Vitals.
All kinds of targeted user activities continue to be counted like interactions, including mouse clicks, taps on touchscreens and keystrokes on keyboards. Mouse movements or scrolls, however, are not included.
The INP used to evaluate a website is the longest delay encountered by the user during their time spent on a page. Outliers are ignored.
3) Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Even pages that constantly change during the upload are detrimental for a user. This is due to the often asynchronous loading of heavy content blocks like images or videos. This allows for content to skip on different positions while the user is already trying to read or visualise them. CLS expresses the visual stability of a page and describes when it changes during the uploading process.
Websites that obtain good results in this area are heavily favoured in search results. Therefore, website owners should above all ensure that their websites upload rapidly, are intuitive and do not present distracting layout changes.
These metrics measure a website's loading time, interactivity and visual stability. Fast loading times, fluid interactivity and steady visualisation are fundamental for a positive user experience. In a little bit more detail, we are talking about:
1) Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)
LCP measures the loading time of the heaviest element to be uploaded on a website and therefore acts as a page loading speed index. Ideally the value should be under 2.5 seconds.
2) Interaction to Next Paint (INP) (replaced the previous metric First Input Delay (FID) in March 2024)
INP regards the time spent before a user visualises the result of their interaction on screen. Unlike the previous FID, this metric doesn't count the time spent before the server starts to elaborate input; it counts the time spent until the processing is completed. The scope is to better measure a website's usability and mirror it in the Core Web Vitals.
All kinds of targeted user activities continue to be counted like interactions, including mouse clicks, taps on touchscreens and keystrokes on keyboards. Mouse movements or scrolls, however, are not included.
The INP used to evaluate a website is the longest delay encountered by the user during their time spent on a page. Outliers are ignored.
3) Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)
Even pages that constantly change during the upload are detrimental for a user. This is due to the often asynchronous loading of heavy content blocks like images or videos. This allows for content to skip on different positions while the user is already trying to read or visualise them. CLS expresses the visual stability of a page and describes when it changes during the uploading process.
Websites that obtain good results in this area are heavily favoured in search results. Therefore, website owners should above all ensure that their websites upload rapidly, are intuitive and do not present distracting layout changes.
Mobile-first indexing
Mobile-first indexing means that Google uses a mobile version of a website to index and classify it. Initially, Google used a desktop version for this purpose, but due to the increased percentage of mobile users, a transition towards a mobile version has been taken. With this switch in 2021, Google is showing the importance of a good user experience on mobile devices.
A significant change came into effect on July 5th, 2024: from this date, Google doesn't index any pages not accessible from mobile devices. This update represents a final passage of a strategy centred around mobile that has been consistently implemented over the last years.
Websites that cannot be visualised on mobile devices are not indexed anymore. Accessible but not intuitive pages or with limited functionalities on mobile devices have started to experience a decline in Google's positioning.
This can cause a significant loss of visibility and, consequently, a minor number of visitors. Hence, if your website is not optimised for mobile devices, the time has come to redesign it!
Websites cannot be simply optimised for mobile devices in general but specifically for users.
A significant change came into effect on July 5th, 2024: from this date, Google doesn't index any pages not accessible from mobile devices. This update represents a final passage of a strategy centred around mobile that has been consistently implemented over the last years.
Websites that cannot be visualised on mobile devices are not indexed anymore. Accessible but not intuitive pages or with limited functionalities on mobile devices have started to experience a decline in Google's positioning.
This can cause a significant loss of visibility and, consequently, a minor number of visitors. Hence, if your website is not optimised for mobile devices, the time has come to redesign it!
Websites cannot be simply optimised for mobile devices in general but specifically for users.
Rich snippets
Rich snippets are advanced search engine results that provide extra information and offer users a rapid overview of a website's content. They appear in SERPs (search engine results pages) and are designed to assist users to grasp relevant information at first glance.
With an ever-increasing number of online content, it is becoming more and more difficult for companies to distinguish themselves from competitors. Rich snippets offer a way to visually stand out from other search results and attract more attention.
By using the Schema.org markup, website owners can provide search engines with extra information on their websites' content. There are several types of rich snippets that can visualise specific information on search engines. Here are some of the most important ones:
With an ever-increasing number of online content, it is becoming more and more difficult for companies to distinguish themselves from competitors. Rich snippets offer a way to visually stand out from other search results and attract more attention.
By using the Schema.org markup, website owners can provide search engines with extra information on their websites' content. There are several types of rich snippets that can visualise specific information on search engines. Here are some of the most important ones:
- Reviews: display star ratings and users' sent reviews.
- Products: show product information like pricing, availability and ratings.
- Events: view information on upcoming events, like dates, locations and ticket prices.
- Recipes: display information on recipes like preparation time, caloric content and a list of ingredients.
These are just some of the rich snippet examples; depending on the type of website, many others can be used.
E-E-A-T
Content quality remains a key SEO component. Google now puts specific emphasis on experience, expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-E-A-T).
Before the term was being extended to 'experience' in December 2022, 'E-E-A-T' was known as 'E-E-T'. It was then introduced by Google to improve search engine results' quality and to provide users with reliable and high-quality information. E-A-T was mentioned for the first time in Google's Search Quality Raters Guidelines in 2014 and has become, since then, an important ranking factor.
Let's see the E-E-A-T principles more in detail:
1) Experience
'Experience' refers to a website's proven track record in its field. This means that it offers relevant and useful information that meets the needs of users. The experience referred to here is to be distinguished from expertise in that the domain manager himself has already gained experience in the fields and texts mentioned, and does not merely reflect specialist knowledge.
2) Expertise
A website's ‘expertise’ demonstrates its competence in its field. This can be demonstrated through high quality content, certifications, awards or the competence of its authors. Authors must possess demonstrable knowledge in their field: it is not enough for ‘anyone’ to simply copy information from ‘anywhere’ on the web. Guest posts by experts can also contribute to competence.
3) Authoritativeness
The 'authoritativeness' of a website indicates that it is recognised as a reliable source in its field. This can be demonstrated through backlinks from other authoritative sites, citations in the media or a strong online presence. Authoritativeness is something that not only accumulates knowledge in itself, but also requires validation of that knowledge by third parties, i.e. notoriety or ‘branding'. In contrast, an author may, of course, possess a wealth of knowledge but be largely unknown, thus being an expert but not an authority in his or her field.
4) Trustworthiness
The trustworthiness of a website refers to its ability to provide reliable and credible information. This can be achieved through clear privacy policies, secure payment methods, customer reviews and testimonials.
To rank well in search results, content must be well-founded, well-documented and from reliable sources. Author information, source citations and high-quality backlinks are important factors contributing to high trustworthiness.
Before the term was being extended to 'experience' in December 2022, 'E-E-A-T' was known as 'E-E-T'. It was then introduced by Google to improve search engine results' quality and to provide users with reliable and high-quality information. E-A-T was mentioned for the first time in Google's Search Quality Raters Guidelines in 2014 and has become, since then, an important ranking factor.
Let's see the E-E-A-T principles more in detail:
1) Experience
'Experience' refers to a website's proven track record in its field. This means that it offers relevant and useful information that meets the needs of users. The experience referred to here is to be distinguished from expertise in that the domain manager himself has already gained experience in the fields and texts mentioned, and does not merely reflect specialist knowledge.
2) Expertise
A website's ‘expertise’ demonstrates its competence in its field. This can be demonstrated through high quality content, certifications, awards or the competence of its authors. Authors must possess demonstrable knowledge in their field: it is not enough for ‘anyone’ to simply copy information from ‘anywhere’ on the web. Guest posts by experts can also contribute to competence.
3) Authoritativeness
The 'authoritativeness' of a website indicates that it is recognised as a reliable source in its field. This can be demonstrated through backlinks from other authoritative sites, citations in the media or a strong online presence. Authoritativeness is something that not only accumulates knowledge in itself, but also requires validation of that knowledge by third parties, i.e. notoriety or ‘branding'. In contrast, an author may, of course, possess a wealth of knowledge but be largely unknown, thus being an expert but not an authority in his or her field.
4) Trustworthiness
The trustworthiness of a website refers to its ability to provide reliable and credible information. This can be achieved through clear privacy policies, secure payment methods, customer reviews and testimonials.
To rank well in search results, content must be well-founded, well-documented and from reliable sources. Author information, source citations and high-quality backlinks are important factors contributing to high trustworthiness.
Voice search
With the emergence and growing popularity of voice assistants such as Alexa and others, voice search is gaining in importance. This is accompanied by an increase in search queries made using natural language. For search engine optimisation, this translates into the need for optimisation to take into account long-tail keywords and voice queries.
Voice search is particularly popular in searches from mobile devices. It is often used to get directions or find local businesses. This makes it particularly useful for websites with high mobile traffic and a local focus.
Website content should answer typical questions and use natural language. FAQ pages and structured data help optimise content for voice search.
Voice search is particularly popular in searches from mobile devices. It is often used to get directions or find local businesses. This makes it particularly useful for websites with high mobile traffic and a local focus.
Website content should answer typical questions and use natural language. FAQ pages and structured data help optimise content for voice search.
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