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What is the Perfect SEO Formula?

The answer to this question has changed over the years, largely depending on how Google changes their algorithms. Besides Google’s major algorithm updates which are announced ahead of times, there are constant small tweaks.

In the old days of SEO, content was king (and it is still most important). If you pumped out nothing but unique content day after day you would almost certainly be rewarded by Google with a high ranking. But things have changed.

The search engine behemoth now rewards websites which are optimized in various ways. Yes, content is still the #1 factor in good SEO. But other facets have been deemed more valuable than they used to be by Google in recent years.

In this article we explore how Google determines the value of a website and what factors are most important for Search Engine Optimization.

We have created a pie chart reflecting what we consider to be the perfect mix of where your SEO efforts should be applied. This is based on our 20+ years in the industry and is accurate as of 2024.

Here is a further breakdown of each category:

1 – Unique Content – Article or blog posts which offer relevant information as it pertains to your website. The content should be custom-written (not AI), be at least 500 words and contain links which point to other pages on your site as well as external websites.

2 – Domain Authority – This is a rating created by MOZ that essentially rates your site on how many quality inbound links you have pointing to your site from other domains. The thinking behind this ranking is that the more sites which link to your content, the more other people found it to be valuable and worth linking to as an authority reference.

3 – Website Speed – This has been a major push for Google in the last half-decade or so. Their goal is to create the best user-experience possible for their users. Nobody wants to click a link and wait 5 or 10 seconds for it to load. In fact, studies show that many people click away after only 2 or 3 seconds. Today’s attention span is a lot shorter than it was a decade or two ago.

4 – Website Layout – A website should have an easy-to-navigate layout so that the user-experience is smooth. Graphics should be well placed so as not to interfere with the ease of operation. Images should be size optimized – this goes for the pixel size on the page as well as data size.

5 – Images, Graphs and Videos – I realize that images, graphs and videos are considered content, but I wanted to give them their own category to stress their importance. I especially want to emphasize custom, unique, one-of-a-kind videos, graphs and images. If they are of the variety that others may take and use as their own, you may want to watermark them with your company name. Making your own videos and uploaded them to your Youtube page shows Google that you are actively creating custom content to share with their audience. They will reward you for your efforts.

We hope this article has been helpful in your SEO efforts. The world of SEO is one that is constantly changing but the core fundamentals remain the same. In the end, it’s all about giving your visitors the best experience possible.