Google Rankbrain: The Definitive Guide

If you are a digital entrepreneur, the existence of RankBrain and its functionality is of great importance to understand how Google ranks the pages. With the announcement made by Google last year that RankBrain is the third most important parameter in the ranking factor, every business wants to learn more about this and find how it impacts their search results. RankBrain is a machine language algorithm which is a type of Artificial Intelligence used by Google to sort out the search results. This algorithm is the key for Google to understand the search queries and for processing them.

 

 

Machine language algorithm
If you are wondering what an algorithm is; it is nothing but a software code used to solve problems. Google often encounters challenges like which web pages should rank first of all the millions of web pages available in the cyber world. Machine learning algorithm is the self-thinking software which is not coded by developers. It tweaks its own algorithm in the background and posses much higher processing power.

 

Unlike the normal perception that RankBrain has taken over the Google’s search algorithm, in reality, it is only a part of the overall function. RankBrain usually utilizes the keyword preference to increase or decrease the backlinks, domain authority, and content length to find web pages that should rank higher for the given query.

 

Artificial intelligence
RankBrain takes into account how users interact with the search results. If users like the current algorithm better, the search results stay or else algorithm is reverted back to old one. For example, if you search for a keyword and click on the first result but bounce back due to irrelevant content and stay back on the third result for a longer duration, RankBrain takes that information into account to rank the pages better. So basically RankBrain is concerned with how many people click on the search result and the bounce rate for a specific page. Dwell time is a key ranking signal used by Google to rank pager higher or lower.

 

Keyword search
Before RankBrain, Google found it hard to obtain search results based on keywords. Google algorithm would just search for the keywords mentioned in web pages. But RankBrain is an Artificial Intelligence algorithm which would understand accurately what the user is looking for and display the search results. RankBrain goes beyond the simple keyword search and tries to search for the pages based on the concept.

 

Is this ranking system accurate? (UX signals)
Developers started to wonder if the RankBrain ranking system works well. They found that the results were accurate as RankBrain can tweak its own algorithm based on the user interaction. For example, when the user enters the keywords in search, RankBrain turns the keywords into concepts and displays relevant web pages. If the user likes the pages and dwells them, they stay higher in ranking and if the user bounces off the page quickly, the page ranking drops. Basically, it uses artificial intelligence to understand the user behavior to rank the pages and it is called user experience signals.

 

The power of medium tail keyword
If you are still wondering how long tail keyword affects the search results, the answer is obsolete. Medium tail keywords are getting high volumes of search results than traditional long tail keywords. It is better to optimize your keywords to medium tail and see how RankBrain works around it. Since click-through results are the basis for RankBrain ranking signal, you need to optimize the titles and description tags to match it. Including brackets, parentheses and even numbers in titles help you to get through Click through results.

 

Optimization strategies for RankBrain
Research has found that use of power words will help your content to stand out and get more clicks. Another important component to focus on is the reduction in bounce rate. All you need to do is to push your priority content to the first line for users to see. If a user can look at the answer he was waiting for in the top lines, he is likely to stay on your page and go through it. Always keep the priority content above the fold to intrigue the user. It is also better to keep your intros short as it is what catches the attention of the users. The intro is the place to sell your content and keep your audience from bouncing off.

 

Irrespective of the length of your content feed, cut your content into small pieces to allow users to go through them effortlessly. No one likes reading even a 500-word article without any gaps. Increase in the brand awareness also helps your site to rank higher. As more number of people gets familiar with your brand, they click your site first and it helps RankBrain algorithm to take it to a higher ranking in the search result.

 

Author’s Bio: I’m currently working as Content Manager with SEO Experts India. I have a great passion for digital marketing and I help small and medium-sized businesses improve their online presence and grow their revenue by formulating effective digital marketing strategies for them. Apart from Digital Marketing, I have a keen interest in Entrepreneurship, Online Reputation Management, Quality Link Building Tech Consultancy, etc.

 

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