Planet Asia believes that content is king. In February 2011, Google rolled out an update to its search algorithm called Panda – the first in a series of algorithm updates aimed at penalizing low quality websites. Panda has been updated several times since its initial launch, most recently in September of 2014.The latest Panda update penalizes sites that have content which offers little or no value to searchers.Consider text content as "search engine food". The more unique text content your website offers search engines, the more satisfied they become, and the higher you will rank for the keywords your page content references.Behind the curtains of well-ranking websites, there are 4 crucial elements that influence SEO...

Ingredients of SuccessBuilding a site that ranks in Google searches

Core Elementsof a ranking website

Meta dataContent

Keywords Architecture

Website

Core elements explainedPlanet Asia breaks down 4 things to work on before building web marketing campaigns:

Keywords: which search terms to rank for

Content: articles,

images, design

Meta data: micro content that supports

keywords

Architecture: SEO design,

internal links, speed, mobile

KeywordsDevelopment and promotion applications

Keyword PlanningDefine your business purpose

Keyword ResultsGoogle Analytics keyword selection results

ContentArticles, images, design

Ranking Page Structure• Minimum 500 words• One internal link• One external link to authority site• One compression sized • Alt tags and description in image

Text contentThe most important ranking factor

Bad SEO DesignFancy slideshow designs appeal to the eye, but the appeal is fleeting.

Slideshows use bloated scripts (slow page loads) and offer zero in support of SEO.

Badly Designed ContentAn example of bad SEO design

Good SEO Design•No slideshows (fast load times)•Keyword content at top of page•Separate view for mobile users•One h1 title tag on the page• Compressed images•Limited use of plugins•No 3rd party service connections (like Facebook feeds appearing on your site)

Well Designed ContentAn example of good SEO design

Meta DataPage titles, <h1> post titles, meta descriptions

These show up in search results and the browser bar, and are considered one of the most important on-site factors that influence rankings.

The title element is meant to be an accurate and concise description of a page's content. This element is critical to both user experience and search engine optimization. It creates value in three specific areas: relevancy, browsing, and in the search engine results pages.

Page TitlesVery Important Ranking Element

These don’t have big impact on search rankings, but have a huge impact on generating click-through rates. If people are compelled by your descriptions, there is a higher chance they will check out your site.

Meta DescriptionsNot important for SEO, crucial for CTR

H1 tags are meant to be the header of what a pages is about. Every page should have only 1 H1 tag, which should definitely contain your targeted keyword.H1 tags have influence on click through rates. It reassuring for users to click-through to a page with the same keywords prominently displayed.

<h1> Title TagsAnother crucial SEO factor

Conclusion

1. Prepare a keyword strategy2. Build a website; organize a content structure3. Write content with images4. Add metadata (titles, title tags, descriptions)5. Connect to Google Analytics and Webmaster tools; set both up based on your business goals6. Conduct a full technical audit of your site to ensure your architecture is helping, not harming your SEO efforts.7. Experiment with keyword variations based on Google Analytics data8. Begin building backlinks to your keyword targeted pages. Each page needs its own unique focus.

ConclusionHow to rank a website in Google