{"id":1367,"date":"2016-10-19T12:41:45","date_gmt":"2016-10-19T12:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/10\/19\/guide-to-google-ranking-factors-part-7-site-level-signals\/"},"modified":"2020-02-25T17:17:04","modified_gmt":"2020-02-25T17:17:04","slug":"guide-to-google-ranking-factors-part-7-site-level-signals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/searchenginewatch.com\/2016\/10\/19\/guide-to-google-ranking-factors-part-7-site-level-signals\/","title":{"rendered":"Guide to Google ranking factors \u2013 Part 7: Site-level signals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last week we published the sixth instalment of our complete guide to Google ranking factors<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It concentrated on trust signals, authority and expertise<\/a>, paying particular attention to Google\u2019s Page Quality Rating.<\/p>\n

This week we move away from on-page content, and dive into site-level factors.<\/p>\n

1) HTTPS<\/a><\/h2>\n

HTTPS adds an additional layer of security to a standard HTTP protocol by encrypting in SSL<\/a> and sharing a key with the destination server that\u2019s difficult to hack.<\/p>\n

Google<\/a> wants to keep everyone safe on the Web, so it uses HTTPS as a ranking<\/a> factor. Here\u2019s Google\u2019s 2014 statement:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re starting to use HTTPS as a ranking signal. For now, it\u2019s only a very lightweight signal, affecting fewer than 1% of global queries, and carrying less weight than other signals, such as high-quality content.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

According to Moz, as of 2016, HTTPS websites account for 30% of all Google search results<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"moz-https-results\"<\/p>\n

2) Site speed<\/h2>\n

Check the size of your page sizes and their load time. You can use Google\u2019s own site speed test<\/a> to do this. Site speed is a ranking factor, so follow any improvements Google<\/a> recommends as closely as you can.<\/p>\n

3) Mobile friendliness<\/h2>\n

Ever since the initial \u2018Mobilegeddon<\/a>\u2019 update which debuted on 21st April 2015, mobile-friendliness has been a significant ranking factor in Google search results.<\/p>\n

There are many ways that Google recommends in making sure your website is mobile friendly<\/a>, and these are thoroughly explored in the linked article. However these elements are what you should pay attention to:<\/p>\n