Ashmanov and Partners‘ Search Analytics Laboratory has released the second installment of its extensive study on ranking factors for informational queries, focusing on the influence of link and text parameters.
This new report delves into the intricacies of text ranking, previously understood from commercial queries, and examines how this logic applies to informational samples, including the significance of different document zones such as main text, headings, links, and highlighted sections.
The study, spanning nearly 100 pages, offers an in-depth analysis of link-text parameters from both link and text perspectives. The key findings from the study provide valuable insights for webmasters and SEO professionals:
- Link Strength in Search Engines: Link factors play a crucial role in both Yandex and Google, though they differ slightly in impact. In Yandex, link parameter values decline sharply from the top positions to the lower tiers, while in Google, the decline is more gradual, with overall higher averages within the top 30 results.
- Site vs. Page Link Parameters: Site-wide link parameters are more influential than those at the page level. The relevance of links to the entire site carries more weight than the links pointing to a specific page.
- Internal Links Advantage: A higher number of outgoing internal links on a page is beneficial, with both the total number of links and those relevant to the query contributing positively to ranking.
- External Links Matter: Including links to external sources can enhance ranking, contrary to some traditional SEO beliefs.
- Site Competition in Ranking: For informational queries, the ranking process is less about the text itself and more about the competition between sites with sufficiently relevant content, particularly in Yandex.
- Yandex’s Two-Stage Ranking: In Yandex, text factors are more crucial for initially getting into the top results, but the competition for specific positions within the top is influenced more by the site as a whole.
- Impact of Main Text and Surrounding Elements: The main text of a page has the most significant impact on reaching the top, whereas surrounding text elements, like menus and related content, affect the final ranking position within the top.
- Query Word Density: A higher density of query-related words on a page is essential. Pages lacking sufficient query words may miss out on top rankings.
- Anti-Literalism Principle: For informational queries, it’s not about exact keyword matches but rather the presence of words related directly or indirectly to the query.
- Critical Document Zones: The most critical zone for ranking remains the page’s main text, but the presence of query words in other areas (e.g., headings, links, meta descriptions) is also significant.
- Google’s Focus on Headings: In Google, the title and h1 headings are particularly important, and the anti-literalism principle does not apply to them, making exact query matches in these zones more impactful.
The report also highlights that the third part of this study, expected in September, will address the challenging question of whether commercial sites can rank highly for informational queries. The first part of the study, released in May, explored the research methodology and examined the influence of site characteristics such as IKS, age, and size, as well as the EAT-factor complex, which was found to be more prominent in Yandex than in Google.
This ongoing study by Ashmanov and Partners continues to shed light on the complexities of search engine ranking, offering valuable insights for optimizing website performance across different search platforms.
Source: Ashmanov and Partners Press Release