Search Engine Optimization or SEO, is continuously evolving. It is why companies are investing more in SEO services to stay at the top of the ranking and remain relevant. And among the different SEO tools and services at your disposal, Google SEO remains one of the most sought-after skills in marketing. Google dominates the search engine market share at 91.75% (StatCounter, 2020), staying at the top of the ranking in organic searches.
But what happens when somebody searches for something on Google and the search engine returns very accurate results? You can thank Google’s Rankbrain, the machine learning and artificial intelligence aspect of the search engine’s algorithm.
What is Google Rankbrain?
With content and backlinks, Rankbrain is one of the three most important ranking signals used by Google’s algorithm to help determine search results. In addition, Rankbrain uses machine learning and artificial intelligence to provide every search query’s most relevant and valuable results.
So how does it work? Rankbrain is the machine learning system of Google that uses artificial intelligence to understand complex searches and compares them with previous searches. It helps sort out searches that Google is not familiar with by relating them with known words or phrases similar in meaning based on the intent.
Essentially, Rankbrain imitates the human cognitive ability by analyzing user profiles to understand the most relevant result to the user. So how can you harness this tool’s power?
How to Use Google Rankbrain for Your Business?
While your website cannot directly be optimized for Rankbrain, there are ways you can still optimize with the use of other SEO services and tools to be better read by the system. Here is how:
- Content Will Always Be King
As one of the top three most important ranking signals, improving your content is still one of the best ways to help increase your website’s rank in search engine results pages. You must never forget to produce in-depth and comprehensive content covering your subject matter and providing value to your target audience. In addition, you can add visual content to the written material to engage your users. Remember, quality always beats quantity.
- The E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) Signal
In a May 2019 update, Google has made EAT one of the determining factors for page quality. If your website is proved to have a beneficial purpose and can impact a person’s health and finances based on the YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) guidelines, and if your content or website follows best practices, then Google will determine its rank better.
Simply put, Google is looking for content written by an expert on the topic with the necessary credentials. The content should also be written by someone who is a generally recognized Authority or seen as a leader in the industry and whose words are seen as a good source of information. The content creator should also be trustworthy and users can trust the information given to be true, honest, and accurate.
- Use Natural Language
Apart from the content itself, the tone of your content would also be helpful in Rankbrain’s evaluation. For example, content written in a natural style would be better understood by Rankbrain’s system and help your website rank better.
- Strengthen The Intent and Relevance of Your Target Keywords
The intent is a significant factor when it comes to ranking and being recognized by Rankbrain. Because machine learning is slowly understanding the context behind search queries, you must strengthen the target keywords that you use for your content. For this, you must understand what your users might be looking for and not just what you want to offer.
For example, you offer “the best plumbing service” in your area. While you might think that users might want the best service, the truth is most of the time, they want to compare services from different businesses, and this is what Rankbrain understands and would provide results for.
When you have made sure that the target keywords you use can answer the user’s intent, your next step is to provide content that will be relevant to the search query. You can do this by providing a comprehensive range that will answer all aspects of the search query. By doing this, your content will rank for multiple keywords and phrases, which Rankbrain will recognize and increase your chances of ranking higher.
- Improve Your Old Content
If you’ve had your website for some time, your content might be outdated and needs to be rewritten to make it more relevant in the present. You might also want to merge old content that may cover the same topic and create a more comprehensive range that will be more relevant and contain more keywords, backlinks, and metatags. Again, this will be recognized more by Rankbrain and help you increase your visibility and ranking.
Nowadays, Rankbrain is one of the most important ranking signals that continue to change the SEO ranking game. Because Google aims to provide the most helpful and relevant content and experience in general to its users, it is time that you and your business align your SEO strategies to harness the potential of Google Rankbrain.
