Adams suggests 'outside agitators' involved in NYC influencer Kai Cenat riot

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Saturday suggested that the riot involving thousands of young people that unfolded in Manhattan’s Union Square could have been driven by “outside agitators.” 

Asked about the incident – sparked by what intended to be a PlayStation giveaway organized by Twitch influencer Kai Cenat – during an unrelated press conference, Adams referenced Cenat, noting that the influencer “had a substantial number of followers” and “people came from outside of the city to be there.” 

“We are further looking into where there’s some even outside agitators. You don’t come to get free Game Boys and bring smoke bombs and bring M80s and bring other disruptive items,” Adams said, mentioning a different video gaming system. “We believe there were some outside influencers that may have attempted to aggravate this situation.”

Cenat, a 21-year-old social media influencer who boasts more than 13 million followers across platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Twitch, had advertised a giveaway of a PlayStation and other electronics in Union Square. The NYPD said thousands of kids and young people showed up, and the Friday afternoon event produced chaos. 

WHO IS KAI CENAT? TWITCH STREAMER CHARGED WITH INCITING RIOT, UNLAWFUL ASSEMBLY AFTER NEW YORK CITY CHAOS

Video that circulated online showed some young people jumping atop vehicles, hurling bottles and throwing punches. Other footage showed crowds chanting vulgar anti-NYPD slogans. 

During the news conference, Adams also issued a warning on the negative impact of social media on young people, and spoke to his own experience as the father of a now 27-year-old son. 

“It is difficult being a parent now with so much weight and so many obligations they are facing,” Adams said. “Our children cannot be raised by social media. Our children cannot get their values, their beliefs from social media and other outside entities. And it’s about being aware that the things that my mother needed to raise me is different from the things that parents need today. Our children are being inundated by influencers, by those who consider themselves to be credible messengers.”

Adams praised the NYPD for how they handled the volatile situation.

“I cannot say enough for the police department yesterday, I don’t think people realized the level of discipline that was showed to take a very dangerous, volatile situation and to be able to bring it to a level of resolve without any loss of life or any substantial damage to property, and without young people harming themselves,” he added. 

At a prior press conference Friday night, NYPD Chief Jeffrey Maddrey said 65 people were arrested, 30 of them juveniles. Speaking to both the power and danger of social media, Maddrey said how the giveaway event, which was not sanctioned or permitted, grew “exponentially, rapidly, fast” from just about 300 attendees to thousands in a short time frame. 

NEW YORK CITY PLAYSTATION GIVEAWAY DEVOLVES INTO STREET CHAOS AS POLICE OFFICERS DODGE FLYING PROJECTILES

“We wanted the kids to just comply with us and leave, but we were met with a lot of resistance. We were attacked,” Maddrey said. “My older brother just called and said he saw video of me getting hit in the head with an object. It was a very tough situation out here, and I really have to commend the women and men of this department, the level of restraint they showed in addressing these young people.” 

Maddrey said young people destroyed NYPD vehicles, including his own, damaged food carts, and grabbed plates from people outside on the street dining and threw them at officers. At least one person, a 17-year-old, was at Bellevue Hospital with injuries determined to be from fireworks debris. 

“When you have M80s and heavy-duty explosives being thrown around a crowd of thousands of people you’re talking about a very dangerous chaotic situation. We can’t let this happen here. We can’t let this happen with our young people,” Maddrey said. 

“I had thousands of kids out there. I needed thousands of parents out there,” he added, thanking the few parents who did show up or call. “We don’t want to do this. We want our young people to come out and gather and have fun, but when it gets to the point when they’re disorderly, we want the parents to come and take control.” 

Cenat is facing multiple charges, including at least two counts of inciting a riot, unlawful assembly and others, Maddrey said. The influencer was released early Saturday from police custody after being issued a desk appearance ticket, which police issue to require a suspect to appear in court to answer charges. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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Marketing Funnel Stages: How To Get More Leads and Sales at Each One

Do you know what your marketing funnel looks like?

If not, you’re likely losing out on leads and sales. According to data from Salesforce, 68 percent of companies have not even identified their marketing funnel. Those that do stand to see results, though. For example, according to Semrush, 72 percent of marketers who create “how-to” guides as a top-of-funnel strategy see success.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss the different stages of the marketing funnel and what you need to do to increase leads and sales at each one. Plus, we’ll cover marketing funnel tips to help you convert more leads.

What Are the Marketing Funnel Stages?

Many brands have their own versions of marketing funnel stages. For example, HubSpot’s Flywheel model has gained popularity in recent years.

For the purpose of this post, here are the main stages of the marketing funnel:

  1. Top of Funnel: Awareness/Attention
  2. Middle of Funnel: Interest/Consideration
  3. Bottom of Funnel: Intent/Action
  4. Post Funnel: Loyalty/Advocacy
diagram of marketing funnel stages

1. Awareness/Attention

Awareness is the first stage of the marketing funnel, and it’s an important one. According to a Content Marketing Institute survey, 88 percent of marketers feel content marketing is most effective for brand awareness.

Brand awareness is when potential customers become aware of your brand or product. For example, they may see one of your ads on social media or come across your website in the search results.

At the awareness stage, you want to focus on getting your brand in front of as many people as possible. You can do this through activities like content marketing, search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and paid advertising.

2. Interest/Consideration

The second stage of the marketing funnel is interest or consideration. In this marketing funnel stage, potential customers are aware of your brand and are starting to learn more about it. They may have read one of your blog posts, watched a video about your product, or visited your website.

At this stage, you want to continue providing potential customers with valuable content to help them learn more about your product or service. You can do this through blog posts, videos, infographics, case studies, ebooks, and webinars.

3. Intent/Action

The third stage of the marketing funnel is intent or action. In this marketing funnel stage, potential customers are interested in your product or service and considering making a purchase. They might add your product to their cart or request more information in the form of a demo.

4. Loyalty/Advocacy

The fourth and final stage of the marketing funnel is loyalty or advocacy. Per the Content Marketing Institute Survey, 78 percent of marketers think one of the most effective uses of content marketing is brand loyalty.

At this stage, customers have made a purchase and are now using your product or service. At this stage, it’s important to continue providing your customers with valuable content and support. This will ensure they remain loyal advocates for your business.

4 Top of Marketing Funnel Strategies

The top of the marketing funnel is where you generate awareness and interest in your product or service. These are often called TOFU strategies (top-of-funnel).

According to Semrush, 95 percent of marketers focus on TOFU strategies, making this stage of your marketing funnel the most popular.

breakdown of marketing focus in marketing funnel stage

The goal at this stage is to reach as many potential customers as possible and get them interested in what you have to offer.

Top-of-funnel KPIs include:

  • traffic sources
  • organic sessions
  • ad impressions
  • ad frequency
  • pages per session

Some of the best content types for this stage are blog posts, social media content, videos, and paid digital ads.

When creating content for the top of the marketing funnel stages, focus on generating awareness and interest. This means your content should be educational and informative. You can also use humor and storytelling to capture attention.

Remember, the goal at this stage is not to sell your product or service, but rather to get people interested in what you have to offer. By creating interesting and informative content, you’ll generate more leads and sales at each stage of your marketing funnel.

1. Share Your Brand Story on Social Media

Your brand story is the foundation of your marketing funnel. It is the narrative you want people to associate with your products, services, and marketing.

Studies show brand stories drive ROI. Data from Headstream found 55 percent of people are more likely to buy from a brand if they like its story. On top of that, 44 percent will share that story with others in the future.

Sharing your brand story can take a variety of formats You can write blog posts or create social media content that tells how you were founded. You can also make videos or podcasts that show off your brand’s personality.

When sharing your story, make sure it’s authentic, relatable, and interesting. Share stories that highlight your company culture, values, and mission.

For example, Patagonia is a brand known for its commitment to environmental causes. Their story is one of adventure, exploration, and conservation.

This brand story has helped them attract a customer base that is passionate about the outdoors and cares about sustainability.

People buy from them not just because their products are good, but because they believe in who Patagonia is as a brand.

Patagonia's brand story used for marketing funnel

2. Become an Advocate for Causes Your Brand and Customers Care About

A study by Edelman Earned Brand found values-based communication is as effective as product-based communication in driving purchase intent.

This means when you advocate for causes your customers care about, you’re more likely to earn their business.

For example, Toms is a company built on the idea of giving back. They invest 1/3 of their profits into grassroots organizations focused on driving sustainable change.

Toms has become a billion-dollar company by marketing to people who want to make the world a better place.

Marketing Funnel Stages - a graph showing impact driven companies with patagonia and toms leading the pack

You can do the same thing by finding causes your target market cares about and supporting them through marketing initiatives.

It could be anything from environmentalism to social justice.

The important step is to align your marketing efforts with causes your target market feels passionate about and show you care, too.

This makes it more likely they’ll do business with you and improves the likelihood that they’ll become brand advocates and promote your business to their friends and family.

Do you know what causes your target market cares about?

3. Run Paid Ads

Paid ads are an essential part of your digital marketing funnel. Not only do they help you to reach a wider audience, but they can also target specific demographics, interests, and even locations.

In fact, research from eMarketer found paid advertising is a failsafe way to increase your brand awareness.

There are a variety of paid ad options for your top of funnel marketing strategy, including:

  • ads on podcasts
  • YouTube ads
  • ads on social media
  • Google ads

When choosing which platforms to advertise on, consider where your target audience spends their time online. This research will ensure you’re not wasting your marketing budget on ads that no one engages with.

For example, if you’re targeting young adults, then focus your paid ad strategy on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram. However, if you’re targeting an older demographic, Facebook and LinkedIn would be better options.

Once you’ve determined which platforms to use, design your ads with brand awareness in mind.

This might mean creating an ad that tells a story or using emotionally-driven language. The goal is to get potential customers interested in your product or service so they move further down your marketing funnel stages.

4. Build SEO-Rich Blogs

Studies show 60 percent of customers say blog posts are valuable in the early marketing funnel stages.

Marketing Funnel Stages - graph showing different content types and how they affect early stages of marketing funnel

Blogs are an effective way to generate leads because they allow you to show off your industry expertise and attract readers who might not be familiar with your brand.

To make your blog posts more effective, include relevant keywords throughout the content.

This will improve your search engine ranking so people will find your blog when they’re looking for information on the topics you write about.

In addition, include calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your blog post.

A CTA is a prompt that encourages readers to take a specific action, such as visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a white paper or e-book.

By including CTAs, you can guide readers to the next stage in their buyer journey, moving them down your marketing funnel stages.

To improve your blog ranking further, check out these tips on how to rank a blog.

4 Middle of the Marketing Funnel Strategies

The middle stage of your marketing funnel is all about nurturing leads and getting them closer to a purchase decision. It’s also about filtering out leads that aren’t a good fit. This stage is also referred to as MOFU (middle-of-funnel).

At this point, your KPIs focus on cost efficiencies. You don’t want to throw content at someone who isn’t interested, so your placements need to be more personalized.

Middle funnel KPIs include:

  • direct message replies
  • app installs
  • downloads
  • lead volume

You’ll also want to think about ways to keep customers coming back for more.

Some strategies to use during this stage include:

  • Creating lead magnets, such as ebooks or white papers that require an email address for download.
  • Offering free trials or demos of your product.
  • Developing email marketing campaigns to keep leads engaged.
  • Creating retargeting ads for people who have visited your site but haven’t converted.

Here are four strategies you can use to get more leads and sales in the middle stage of your marketing funnel.

1. Create FAQ Content

Frequently asked questions are crucial for content marketing in the middle stage of your marketing funnel.

Not only do FAQ pages address user concerns and hesitations, but they can also be a great way to target specific keywords in search.

To find questions your target customers are asking, you can use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest.

You can also look for questions being asked on social media and forums related to your industry. Searching popular industry hashtags will help you find those questions. Google’s “people also ask” questions are another source of inspiration.

Once you’ve compiled a list of questions, start brainstorming related questions your target customers are likely to ask at this stage.

From there, you can create blog posts, infographics, or even videos that answer these questions. You can also create a stand-alone FAQ page on your website.

Not only will FAQs attract leads further down the marketing funnel, they can also help you attract organic traffic from search engines.

2. Include Case Studies on Your Website

According to HubSpot, 13 percent of marketers say case studies are one of the main forms of content that are used in their marketing strategy.

This makes case studies the fifth most popular type of content, only behind visual content, blogs, and ebooks.

If you’re not already using case studies on your website, now is the time to start.

Case studies nurture customers in the middle of your digital marketing funnel by providing real-world examples of how your product or service helps businesses achieve their goals.

This establishes trust and credibility, which are essential if you want to convert leads into customers.

You can also use case studies in paid ad campaigns to further increase conversion rates.

Check out the video below to learn more about crafting effective case studies.

3. Leverage Retargeting

How can you find interested leads if they haven’t contacted you first?

Remarketing (or retargeting) is a marketing technique that shows your ads to people who have already engaged with your brand in some way. Maybe they’ve visited your website or followed you on social media.

To leverage this strategy, you’ll need to install a pixel from an ad platform on your website that allows you to track visitors as they move around the internet. Here’s how to get started with Facebook retargeting and Google Ads retargeting.

Once you have the pixel installed, you can create targeted ads that will follow your leads as they surf the web.

For example, you could create an ad promoting your product to people who visited your website but didn’t make a purchase.

Or, you could offer a discount to people who visited your website in the past week.

Installing a pixel on your website is an extremely effective way to keep your brand top-of-mind in the middle of your funnel. It can also increase the chances leads will come back to your website and convert into customers.

Marketing Funnel Stages - bar graph showing primary goals of remarketing campaigns

As you can see, remarketing can be used at any stage of the marketing funnel.

4. Showcase Customer Stories

Research shows 40 percent of customers follow brands based on recommendations from friends or family. As well, 91 percent read online reviews before making a purchase.

That is the power of social proof. One of the best ways to show social proof is through customer stories.

These can take the form of testimonials on your website, or reviews on product pages.

You can also create more in-depth case studies showing how your product or service helped a customer achieve their goals.

For example, ClearVoice has a dedicated Customer Stories page on its website, which features in-depth interviews with customers about how they use the platform to drive results.

Marketing Funnel Stages - clearvoice customer story aimed at mid stage marketing funnel

This strategy not only builds social proof but also increases your credibility and authority.

Not to mention, when prospects see you’re a credible and trustworthy company, they’ll be more likely to do business with you.

4 Bottom of the Marketing Funnel Strategies

Bottom-of-funnel strategies (or, BOFU) are all about conversion.

At this stage, your goal is to get prospects to take the desired action, whether that’s signing up for a free trial, subscribing to your email list, or making a purchase.

KPIs at the bottom of the marketing funnel include:

  • conversions
  • sales
  • store visits
  • customer lifetime value

Here are four strategies you can use to drive conversions at the bottom of your marketing funnel.

1. Create a Demo of Someone Using Your Product

​​Once your customers reach the bottom of your marketing funnel, they should have a very clear idea of what value you deliver.

They are likely interested in trying your product but may be hesitant to commit to a purchase without seeing it in action first.

One way to ease their concerns and increase the likelihood of conversion is to create a demo of your product in use.

This could be a video or an interactive tool that simulates the experience of using your product.

For example, if you’re selling a clothing item, let your customer see what it looks like on their body. Gucci did this using Snapchat’s AR filters to show customers what their shoes would look like on their feet.

Marketing Funnel Stages - snapchat AR filter showing virtual shoes on customers feet

You can also try creating an interactive tool that allows users to see what a product would look like in their own home.

IKEA Place lets users place virtual furniture in their own homes to see how it would look.

By giving customers a realistic preview of what your product looks like and how it works, you can increase the likelihood that they’ll make a purchase.

2. Publish Highly-Targeted Blog Posts

In the bottom stages of your marketing funnel, you should be focused on providing as much value to your audience as possible.

One way to do this is by publishing blog posts that are highly targeted to their needs and interests.

For example, if you sell software that helps marketing teams track their customer data, you could write a blog post about the importance of data tracking in marketing.

This would be a great resource for marketing teams considering your software, and it would help you generate leads and sales from this stage of the funnel.

You could even take it a step further and speak to direct ways your product has answered a customer pain point.

By providing value to your audience and addressing their specific needs, you can increase the likelihood they’ll make a purchase from you.

Not to mention, data shows marketers who make blogging a priority are 13 times more likely to see positive ROI.

3. Offer Coupons or Discounts

Coupons and discounts are often offered in the middle of your marketing funnel as a way to increase conversions.

Data shows 6 out of 10 free trials convert to paid subscriptions. For B2B businesses, this close rate is even higher, around 66 percent, or 2 in 3 trials converting. B2C tends to sit around 57 percent.

marketing funnel stages - subscription business free trial chart

However, what happens if your customer hasn’t had enough time with your product to convert?

Should you cancel the discount and force them off, even if staying longer might result in a purchase?

Of course not.

There’s nothing wrong with extending a coupon or discount if you think the customer may just need a little more time.

It’s better to keep them in your marketing funnel (and eventually convert them) than lose them entirely.

Extending coupons and discounts can be a great way to increase conversions, but only if it’s done at the right time. If you extend too early, you risk losing potential profits.

If you extend too late, the customer may have already made their decision and moved on.

Finding that perfect balance is key to maximizing your marketing funnel’s effectiveness.

4. Make Pricing Clear and Customizable

Once your customer reaches the bottom stages of your marketing funnel, they’re going to be looking for pricing information.

This is where things can get a little tricky. Pricing can make or break a conversion. If a customer feels your price is too high, they may move on to a competitor.

On the other hand, if your pricing is too low, they may question the quality of your product.

The best way to combat this issue is to be as transparent as possible with your pricing.

Make sure all prices are listed clearly on your website or marketing materials. If you offer discounts or free trial options, be sure to list those as well.

You should also give customers the option to customize their order, so they can get exactly what they need.

Designing your pricing page from high to low has also been shown to increase conversions, according to data from the CXL Institute.

Here’s an example of this from WPForms.

marketing funnel stages - guide wpforms pricing page showing pricing from high to low

The last thing you want is for a customer to reach the bottom of your marketing funnel only to be confused or turned off by your pricing.

Being upfront and honest about your prices helps prevent potential issues and increases conversions.

Learn how to create a pricing page that converts in this blog.

4 Post Marketing Funnel Strategies

Once customers have converted, your work isn’t done. At this stage, your focus should be on making sure customers are happy so they come back for more—and recommend you to their friends.

Here’s four strategies that help build long-term growth.

1. Use Surveys to Learn More

One of the best ways to improve your marketing funnel stages is to learn how and where your customers get stuck.

Including surveys in your strategy, either on your website, through email marketing, or after a conversion, can give you valuable insights into customer behavior.

For example, a post-purchase survey can measure customer satisfaction and let you know what works in your marketing funnel.

A drop-off survey, say when a customer cancels their subscription or asks for a refund, can help you learn what went wrong so you can improve the customer experience.

You can also use a post-visit survey to see how a customer’s in-store experience went, like in this example from Nordstrom Rack.

Marketing Funnel Stages - nordstrom rack post visit survey request sent by email

You can also use surveys to segment your audience and create marketing personas.

This way, you can target your marketing more effectively and see better results from your campaigns.

Find online survey creator options here.

2. Implement Session Recordings

If you want to know more about how to improve the customer experience on your site, consider implementing session recordings.

Session recordings show you how customers interact with your website, so you can identify any areas of confusion or frustration.

To get started, all you need is a recording tool like HotJar or Mouseflow.

Once you have recordings of your website traffic, you can begin to analyze them to improve your marketing funnel.

For example, if you want to know how your checkout page is performing, you can create a segment of all users who visited the page and then watch their behavior.

Maybe they get frustrated when they see your shipping prices. Or, maybe they have a hard time finding the coupon code input field.

Identify these issues, then make changes to improve your marketing funnel and increase conversions.

3. Create a Referral Program

At this stage of your marketing funnel, your customers are likely already using your product or service.

A great way to encourage them to continue doing so is to incentivize them with a referral program.

For example, you can offer them a discount on their next purchase for every new customer they refer to your business.

You could also offer a loyalty program that rewards them for continued business.

This is a win-win situation for both you and your customers because they get rewarded for spreading the word about your business, and you get more leads and sales.

This type of program not only keeps your customers coming back, but it also helps you acquire new customers through word-of-mouth marketing.

Check out this referral example from Canadian phone company Koodo, which offers an upfront payment, plus yearly savings for both referral and referee.

marketing funnel stages - phone company koodo referral program banner offering $25 per referral

4. Make Customer Service a Priority

Once your customers convert, you may think your work is done.

That’s not the case.

You need to ensure they are happy with their purchase, and this is where customer service comes in.

If you offer excellent customer service, your customers are more likely to do business with you again—and recommend you to others.

On the other hand, if you have poor customer service, you’ll likely lose customers and damage your reputation.

In fact, 68 percent of customers are willing to pay more for products or services that offer good customer service.

Eighty-six percent of customers say good customer service interactions turn them into long-term brand champions.

That’s why it’s so important to make customer service a priority, especially if you want to increase leads and sales from your marketing funnel.

Here are a few ways to improve your customer service:

  • Train your employees on how to handle customer inquiries and complaints.
  • Respond to customers in a timely manner.
  • Offer multiple channels for customer support, such as phone, email, live chat, etc.
  • Take feedback from customers seriously and use it to improve your products or services.

Following these tips will ensure your marketing funnel is running smoothly and your customers turn into long-term brand advocates.

Marketing Funnel Stages Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a sales funnel and a marketing funnel?

A sales funnel takes a customer from marketing efforts to a conversion. A marketing funnel is the process of converting a potential lead to a paying customer.

What content types work for all marketing funnel stages?

Content like blogs, explainer videos, ebooks, and webinars can be used at any stage of the marketing funnel.

How long does it take to create a content marketing funnel strategy for each stage?

It can take anywhere from six months or longer to create a comprehensive content marketing funnel strategy. Each stage should be built out separately and then combined to encompass the full funnel.

How many stages are there in a marketing funnel?

There are generally four stages in a marketing funnel: Awareness/Intention, Interest/Consideration, Intent/Action, Loyalty/Advocacy.

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Conclusion: Marketing Funnel Stages

Now that you understand all of the digital marketing funnel stages, it’s time to start crafting your strategy.

The first step is to understand who your customers are, what they want, and how you can deliver the experience they want.

From there, start creating content that will guide them through each stage of the marketing funnel.

Remember to tailor your marketing message and strategies to each stage of the marketing funnel for maximum impact.

The sooner you start, the sooner you can generate more leads and drive sales.

What tactics have you found useful in your marketing funnel stages?

11 Critical Google Ranking Factors That Will Drive More Traffic

The number one search result on Google receives more than 39 percent of all clicks. This means if someone searches for your targeted keyword phrase, four out of ten people will click the first result and ignore everything else.

Imagine what an impact it would have on your business if you could rank first for a few of your desired phrases.

The goal of this guide is to help you understand the most important Google ranking factors so you can implement them on your website and get more traffic.

What Are Google Ranking Factors?

Google ranking factors are the elements of your website that the Google search algorithm takes into consideration when deciding what webpages to show in the search results for a given search query.

When someone searches for a phrase relevant to your business or service, you want them to find you and not your competition, right?

To truly understand how to get your website ranked in Google search results, you need to understand Google ranking SEO. There are hundreds of ranking factors, some of which can have a significant impact, while others matter less.

In this guide, we’ll cover the factors that matter most, so you know which SEO strategies to spend the most time and money on.

Why It’s Important to Know the Google Ranking SEO Factors

While the ROI on SEO can be a bit fuzzy, a study by Intergrowth gives it a little more clarity.

The first five organic results amount to 67.60 percent of all clicks. After that, the percentage of clicks drops to 3.73.

Let’s say you rank number one for a keyword with 1,000 searches per month at a 30 percent click-through rate. That would drive 300 new visitors to your site each month. If you convert only one percent of those visitors, it would still mean three new customers every month for a year.

Simply ranking number one on Google for a single keyword can bring 36 new customers per year to your business.

Implementing some of the steps in this guide to rank for a handful of keywords can have a significant impact.

Top 11 Google Ranking SEO Factors

Let’s take a look at some of the most important Google ranking factors so you can learn how to increase your SEO ranking on Google.

1. Mobile-First Optimization

In the fourth quarter of 2021, mobile traffic accounted for 54.4 percent of global traffic. The majority of people surfing the web on their smartphone expect your site to work perfectly on their device, and if it doesn’t, they’ll likely bounce from your site.

This is why mobile friendliness is one of the most important Google ranking factors. If your site doesn’t function properly on mobile, Google is knocking you down a peg.

If you don’t believe me, you can read about it directly from Google. As of summer 2019, they began mobile-first indexing, which means your functionality on mobile is what determines your ranking. Desktop performance is second in importance.

To rank in the Google search results, you need to make sure your site functions the same on phones, tablets, and computers. Make sure the theme or template you select is mobile responsive. Next, ensure all your images are displayed clearly, check whether any words fall off the screen, and limit giant walls of text, which might look fine on desktop but on mobile can cover the entire screen.

Make sure the site loads properly by reducing the number of changing video URLs and limiting the amount of “lazy-load” content on your site.

2. Core Web Vitals

Top Google Ranking SEO Factors - Introducing Core Web Vitals

Google introduced Core Web Vitals as yet another important ranking factor in May 2020. These refer to the overall health of your website in terms of the experience it provides for users.

The vitals are broken down into three categories:

  • LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)
  • FID (First Input Delay)
  • CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

A 2021 study revealed only four percent of websites scored well in all three Core Web Vitals categories.

Let’s break each of these down so you can understand how they impact your rankings.

Largest Contentful Paint: Google expects your site to completely load its first page within 2.5 seconds. This reduces the number of people who will click away, and it impacts Google ranking SEO.

You can improve your overall page loading speed by reducing the number of complex elements on your site, shortening pages, limiting redirects, and fixing any broken external or video links.

First Input Delay: Google expects your site to react quickly to users when they interact with something. You have 100 milliseconds or less for a button or window on your website to respond to a user when they click it.

The best way to improve FID is to use Page Speed Insights. To give you an example, I ran a test on neilpatel.com.

Top Google Ranking SEO Factors - Testing Core Web Vitals

Cumulative Layout Shift: Google expects your site to load predictably and not change once it’s loaded. Have you ever clicked a link on a site as it’s loading, and then it jumps halfway down the page taking you to a different link? This factor plays into overall page experience, which is important for Google ranking SEO.

example of poor google ranking factors

This occurs when items on the page load at different speeds resulting in layout changes. The best way to prevent this is by ensuring all images are the same size, new content isn’t inserted above old content, and animations load at the same speed.

3. Value-Packed Content

According to SEMRush, 55 percent of brands experienced better results due to the improvements they made to their content.

There is no room on the internet for poor-quality content. I consider this one of the single most important Google ranking factors simply because it doesn’t require anything tricky or fancy. Write great, thorough, and value-rich content, and Google will work in your favor.

What do I mean by value-rich?

I mean write content people want to read, content that helps, and content that provides more than the competition. A great place to start is researching questions your customers have and creating content that provides the answers. To find common questions, use keyword research tools like Ubersuggest, question forums like Quora, and monitor chatter among your target audience on social media.

If you can create high-quality content that also incorporates the more technical elements we discuss in this guide, you have a great chance of improving your SEO and eventually, your bottom line.

4. Domain Age and Authority

Unfortunately, domain age is one of those Google ranking SEO factors you can’t necessarily control unless you’re purchasing seasoned domains.

Domain age refers to the amount of time your domain has been registered, and authority is essentially your reputation with Google.

Even though the “King of Search” John Mueller himself said domain age does nothing, I still have to believe it plays a role in your overall site authority.

john mueller on twitter talking about google ranking factors

If you want to improve your authority you need to focus on something called E-A-T, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

A few ways to improve your E-A-T score are involving subject matter experts and giving them bylines in your blog posts, including interviews and reviews by industry experts, leveraging social proof across your website, and increasing your website’s security.

Keep in mind that E-A-T isn’t a direct ranking factor, but it does impact SEO indirectly. In fact, after Google’s 2018 medic update, monthly traffic to YMYL sites with a lack of E-A-T dropped from 2 million to around 4,000 by 2020.

5. Links

More than 90 percent of web pages receive no traffic, often because they don’t have any backlinks.

And yes, links are still important for Google ranking SEO. Inbound links, outbound links, and internal links are all important ranking factors because they increase the overall authority of your site and help your site prove itself as a valuable resource.

Inbound or “backlinks” are links that come from someone else’s site to your content. These increase authority by showing Google your content is so great that someone wants to link to it.

Outbound links show authority by providing additional relevant resources to visitors to your site. For example, you should be including outbound links to help readers learn more about something or back up any facts and stats you include in your content.

Internal links are links within your own website that tie ideas together. Having a web of internal links is crucial to Google ranking SEO because it shows Google you are a complete A to Z resource on a subject.

6. On-Page Experience

Bounce rate is one Google ranking factor that can significantly impact where Google ranks you in search results. One study found the average bounce rate is around 49 percent. Most believe a 50 to 60 percent bounce rate is acceptable. If your bounce rate drops much below that, it signals to Google that your page probably doesn’t give users what they’re looking for, meaning your page is less likely to appear in search results.

Click-through rate and dwell time are other important on-page experience Google ranking factors. They tell Google whether someone likes what they see when they click to your site from the search results for their search query.

You can improve your on-page experience metrics by ensuring your content aligns with your target keywords, metadata, and title tag. This ensures that when someone clicks through to your site, they get what they’re looking for.

7. Technical SEO

Technical SEO is still an important Google ranking factor. Technical SEO includes things such as:

  • keywords in page titles and title tags
  • keyword-optimized header tags
  • properly optimized meta description at 110 to 150 characters
  • keyword-rich alt text and tags
  • proper schema markup

A study on technical SEO found the following:

  • every fourth website has link errors
  • 13 percent of websites have errors in their sitemaps
  • 63 percent of websites “abandon” meta descriptions
  • more than 20 percent of websites have a low site speed

Thankfully, technical SEO could be one of the easiest things to adjust on your website. Make sure you’re using relevant keywords in all headers and metadata. The key to doing this is having a quality keyword research tool that provides you with complex competitor data and keyword gaps. You can also run an SEO audit, and this guide explains how.

As for header tags, you want to ensure you’re using keywords in the headers of your articles whenever possible. When Google crawls your site, headers are a big indicator of what your article is about, and they’re important for overall Google ranking SEO.

Your meta description and title tag are what display in the SERPs when someone searches for a relevant keyword. You want to use keywords in both the meta and title tag—but make sure it’s natural and not forced.

8. Social Signals

Top Google Ranking SEO Factors - Social Signals

While this study may be a bit dated, it still provides context to the importance of social media in SEO.

The graph and study performed by cognitiveSEO show how the number of social shares impact the overall ranking of a web page. As the shares go down, the ranking goes down. Of course, this factor alone won’t make a tremendous impact on your ranking, but in the heat of competition, this can set you apart.

Keep in mind that a social presence is also a significant trust factor. If visitors can find you on social media and see that you’re active and present, they may feel more inclined to purchase from you.

9. Content Relevancy and Authority

This Google ranking factor can be separated into three main categories:

  • search intent
  • content hubs
  • topical relevance

These are three incredibly important factors going forward in Google ranking SEO. Google is paying much closer attention to the actual content that people are producing and putting a lot of weight on whether a website actually provides solutions to people or if they’re writing entirely for the search engine.

Surfer did an incredible case study and found that out of 37,000 keywords, about 12 percent of them changed intent, with many shopping-related keywords turning informational. This means that people who were once searching for something to buy are now searching for information to help them make a purchasing choice.

Think of content hubs as a destination where someone can come and find everything they need to know about a subject. If your site provides an exhaustive look into something, Google sees you as an authority. By creating these hubs on your website, you’re showing Google you can provide everything from A to Z.

10. Real Business Information

This Google ranking factor is one I would consider somewhat new but falls into the category of trust signals. As more and more people turn to the internet for nearly everything, you need to translate the in-store experience to your website.

What does this mean? It means people are expecting to be able to pick up the phone and call you, they want to see where you’re based, and they expect you to be there to answer their questions in real-time.

Getting a Google Voice number, creating an “About Us” page with real pictures, and even adding an address to your website can help increase authority and show Google you’re a real business.

11. Content Length

It’s been debated and tested time and time again, but it’s always proven that longer content performs better.

Top Google Ranking SEO Factors - Content Length

Longer content yields more social shares and more unique pageviews. Longer pieces of content also tend to hold their position longer.

Now, that doesn’t mean go and throw up a 15,000-word salad and expect it to rank. You still need to provide a ton of value, resources, and incredible information with those words. However, if you can put together a more comprehensive article that is longer than the competition, you have a better chance of ranking.

Possible Future Google Ranking Factors

Where do we see Google ranking SEO going in the future? Based on experience and research, I see five main factors as most important in the coming years (Google also tells us these factors are important):

  1. high-quality and highly relevant content
  2. honest and relevant keyword research and placement
  3. flawless user experience and site functionality
  4. mobile and voice optimization
  5. strong backlink profile

What do these five things tell us about what Google is looking for? Google wants you to provide users with a good experience when they land on your site.

This study performed by Content Science makes the importance of content relevancy clear as day. To sum it up, they state that while it’s great to have a lot of traffic on your site, and it looks good to Google, to actually generate goal completions, content relevance is key.

User experience and site functionality go hand-in-hand with content relevancy. No matter how great the content is on your site, you need to have a site that performs well and checks a lot of the technical boxes Google expects.

If you take a look at its mission statement page, it’s spelled out.

Our company mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. That’s why Search makes it easy to discover a broad range of information from a wide variety of sources.

Google Ranking Factors Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important Google ranking factor? 

I will always think that the key to Google ranking SEO is high-quality and valuable content.

Does Google release a list of its ranking factors? 

While it’s not necessarily a list, it’s a solid explanation of what factors are most important. You can see the focus is primarily on user experience.

How do I improve my Google search ranking? 

Improve your ranking by implementing all of the Google ranking factors in this guide.

How many Google ranking factors are there? 

There are likely hundreds if not thousands of factors ranging from small to large. Google has a rigorous process to determine what factors are most important.

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Conclusion: Google Ranking Factors

While there aren’t any foolproof ways to rank your content, adding these Google ranking factors can certainly increase your chances of ranking for your chosen keywords. Of course, hiring a qualified agency is another great way to rank higher.

If you’re going at it alone, you don’t have to do everything at once. Start with the most important factors and work your way down. It may take a while, but Google is a merciful and honest leader who rewards those who put in the work.

What factors do you think are most important for Google ranking SEO in the coming 5 to 10 years?

New comment by rezendi in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (April 2022)"

HappyFunCorp | Software Engineers | Remote | Full-time or freelance | https://happyfuncorp.com

We seek excellent web and mobile developers, currently especially senior and versatile engineers who are comfortable doing architecture / technical oversight / big-picture solution development in collaboration with clients. Much of our work these days is in JavaScript (especially React/Next) but we’re pretty polyglot.

We’re very comfortable with non-traditional employment configurations. Are you an entrepreneur who wants to allocate 50% of your time to your own startup; a tinkerer who spends 1-2 days/week on side projects; or a traveler who seeks to work full-time for six months, travel the world for a bit, then return and repeat? We explicitly support and approve of all those things, no awkward explanations or uncomfortable compromises required. If you’re good enough to context switch like that successfully, HFC is the place for you.

We do web and app (and occasionally blockchain) development for clients ranging from startups to the Fortune 500. We’ve shipped hundreds of projects, have won various awards including “App of the Year” from Apple, and are currently probably best-known for having built Bookshop.org.

New comment by saramaman in "Ask HN: Who is hiring? (January 2022)"

Hi my name is saram aman i’m looking for jobs as a front-end, back-end, full-stack software developer

if anyone hiring please contact me, i’ll share my resume with them

Email: saram.chaudharyaman2408@gmail.com

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Cade's Ceiling, LeBron Injury Ripples, Trade Talk, and Poku Corner With Ryen Russillo

The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Ryen Russillo to discuss top NBA draft prospect Cade Cunningham after Oklahoma State’s loss to Oregon State in the NCAA tournament (2:30), LeBron James’s ankle sprain and his unprecedented durability over the years (26:00), updated NBA MVP odds (47:45), the upcoming NBA trade deadline (1:19:00), and more.

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