A new Google search rankings factors study released by Searchmetrics today shares that while content relevance is gaining in importance with Google, backlinks are a declining ranking signal. Here are the key takeaways from the study:
- The URLs with the highest content relevance are those on positions 3 to 6.
- Desktop content is around a third longer than mobile content.
- In 2016, just 53 percent of the top 20 URLs included the keyword in their title.
- The Time on Site for the top 10 URLs is 3 minutes and 10 seconds.
- The average Bounce Rate for URLs on the first page of search results is 46 percent.
- The pages occupying positions 1 through 3 have an average Click-Through Rate of 36 percent.
- Almost half of webpages in the top 10 now use of HTTPS encryption.
- Eighty-six percent of the top 10 domains now use the .com TLD.
- Pages ranking for mobile are around a third smaller in terms of file size than their desktop equivalents.
- Mobile pages load around a second more quickly than desktop.
- The top 100 most visible domains all have mobile-friendly solutions for smartphone users. Outside the top 100, the rate is around 78 percent.
- 2016 saw a marked increase in the use of structured elements like lists and bullet points that create an improved user experience.
- The correlation between social signals and Google ranking has remained similar compared with previous years.
- Backlinks are now just one of many contributing factors. The correlation for backlinks remains high, but their importance is set to continue its decline.
Courtesy of SearchEngineLand
