Source: https://moz.com/blog/ranking-factors-2015
After conducting Moz’s biannual Search Engine Ranking Correlation Study and Expert Survey, Moz has finally released the 10 ranking factors for 2015:
Moz’s 2015 search engine ranking factors
- Lower correlations between rankings and on-page keyword use.
- This may be caused by the fact that Google is smarter about what pages mean not relying on exact keyword phrases.
- Using HTTPS has a very low positive correlation.
- With the moderate association of page length, hreflang use and total number of links with Google rankings, the use of HTTPS has very low positive correlation. Factors that are negatively associated with this include server response time and total length of the URL.
- Google rankings and number of links to a given page
- Despite rumors to the contrary, data shows that google rankings and number of links to a given page has highest correlation.
- Exact-match domains and rankings
- While exact-match domains and rankings show decent correlation with each other, this may be due to the prominence of anchor text, keyword usage and other signals instead of algorithmic bias favouring these domains.
- Study shows little relationship with type of top-level domains and rankings in Google
- A reasonably strong correlation to rankings has been seen on the overall links to a site’s root and subdomains.
- Use of anchor text was another prominent feature of high-ranking results, with the number of unique domains linking with partial-match anchor text leading the way.
- Number of social shares a page accumulates shows positive correlation with rankings.
- Time until domain registration expiration was moderately correlated with higher rankings. On the other hand, private registration showed small negative correlation.
- For pages that has lower bounce rates, higher page views and better time-on-site is associated with higher rankings.