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Is it possible for a new website to get into search engine rankings?

Is it possible for a new website to get into search engine rankings?

Why search engine ranking is important for SEO

Promoting your website on Google

Most people click on the organic results on the first page of the output and rarely make it to the second page.

This is why everyone wants to rank on the first page of Google. If you are on the second or subsequent pages, you can consider yourself invisible.

However, there are a few reasons why ranking on the first page doesn't guarantee much traffic.

Firstly, most organic clicks come from the first few positions.

Second, ads often push organic results lower in the search results.

Third, Google may show other features in the search results that are relevant to the query.

Because Google will already answer the question in the output, users don't have to navigate through the search results.

How to get to the search results

The output may look different for each query, but it always consists of the same basic blocks:

Adverts appear at the beginning of the search results, and sometimes after the organic results.

Both types of results are virtually indistinguishable, except that paid adverts are labelled accordingly.

Paid ads work on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis, meaning advertisers bid on keywords and pay Google for each click on their ad. Those that bid higher are usually placed first, although Google also takes into account other factors such as ad relevance and CTR.

Conclusion: if you want to appear in paid adverts, you're going to have to splurge.

Organic results

Since there can be thousands of relevant results, Google sorts them using ranking factors. As a result, the most relevant and highest quality pages usually appear on the first page of the search results.

Google doesn't divulge all ranking factors, but we know some of them.

For example, we know that it matters how many backlinks a page has.

Google typically uses a title, URL, and a descriptive snippet to display organic results.

You can tell Google what to show in search results by setting the title tag, URL and meta description tag on the page.

However, although Google will almost always display the title tag you specify, it may choose a different description than the meta description tag.

For pages with structured data, Google sometimes shows extended snippets next to the regular organic results.

If you want to appear in organic search results, you need to focus on creating the best and most relevant result for the query. You also need to make sure your pages are optimised for search and Google can index them.

Search Engine Display Features

Search engine placement features display non-traditional results. They can be promotional, organic, or pulled directly from Google's Knowledge Graph.

Although sometimes the purpose of search functions is to generate direct revenue for Google (e.g. through product listings), their main purpose is to provide the user with information directly in the search results and avoid the need to click on a link.

For this reason, search features don't have a significant impact on SEO.

According to recent estimates, more than 50% of search queries are fulfilled without clicks.

However, getting featured in giveaway features can also increase the number of clicks for your website.

It is possible to achieve showings in some rendition features, but the way in which you get featured will depend on the type of feature.

What are some search output features?

Google shows many search features in the results and is constantly testing new ones.

Let's talk about the most famous features, their data sources and how likely they are to appear in them to get more traffic to your site.

Advanced Snippets

Extended snippets show a snippet of content from one of the web pages in the top. They are usually displayed at the top of the search results, although sometimes other results may appear above them.

The main variations of snippets are:

text snippet

list

table

Not all advanced snippets consist of text. Sometimes Google shows videos (called recommended video snippets).

Is it possible to get into the extended snippets?

Yes. In most cases, Google pulls the snippet to display in the snippet from the content of one of the top 5 results.

If you are ranking in the top 5 for a specific query for which Google shows extended snippets, it may be worth optimising your page to appear in this feature.

Knowledge Card
Knowledge cards appear at the beginning of the search engine and offer a brief but comprehensive answer to the query. They can be in a variety of formats.

There are three main sources of data for Knowledge Cards: Google's Knowledge Graph, partner data providers, and other trusted resources such as Wikipedia and official government agencies.

Is it possible to get into Knowledge Cards?

Unlikely. Because data is pulled exclusively from resources Google owns or trusted third-party resources, it is not possible for most websites to get into the Knowledge Card.

Knowledge Panel

Knowledge Panels provide information about the main subject of a query. They typically appear near the top of the search box on mobile devices and to the right of it on desktop devices.

As with knowledge cards, most knowledge panel data comes from the Knowledge Graph and trusted sources such as Wikipedia and Wikidata.

However, Google sometimes also links to social media profiles and partners.

Can you appear in the Knowledge Panel?

Yes. Google shows branded knowledge panels for businesses in the Knowledge Graph. These usually include a direct link to the company's website and links to social media profiles.

Your company logo may also appear in your competitors' knowledge panels, although it won't lead to your website. If it is clicked on, a Google search for your company name will be performed.

Picture box

The image box displays thumbnail images that, when clicked, take you to the Google Images tab. They often appear at the beginning of the search results, but may appear lower down on the page.

Is it possible to get into the picture box?

Yes and no. Pictures from your website may appear in this block, but the link will always take users to the Google Images tab, not your website. But if a user goes to Google Images, they will be able to see a link to the source.