What exactly is RankBrain?

RankBrain is an artificial intelligence program that teaches itself what it needs to know. That doesn’t mean that it is a true AI program like what you see in the movies. Instead, it simply adapts to updates in real time instead of having to be told when and how to adapt by changes in the program.

How does RankBrain play into Google’s algorithm?

RankBrain is one of the newer signals in the Hummingbird algorithm. It is considered one of the core signals, which number around 200 in total. RankBrain isn’t a signal that plays a part in every webpage placement. Instead, it is only used in some of the searches that are performed.

What does RankBrain do?

This program gauges the overall usefulness of specific pages for searches. As the program crawls pages, it sets a ranking for the relevance of the information provided on the page based on the purpose or subject of the page. The program sends that information to Google, and it is then used as part of the overall search engine placement algorithm.

How important is RankBrain’s information for search engine placement?

RankBrain is the third most important signal that Google considers for search engine placement. Google won’t reveal what the top two signals are, but some speculate that they are other “named” signals. Even without knowing what the top two signals are, it is safe to assume that RankBrain’s information could make or break a website.

What are some of the “named” signals?

Two of the most commonly cited named signals are Penguin and Panda, both of which help Google to spot spam and devalue pages that are too spammy. Mobile Friendly helps to add more value for search engine placement to pages that have mobile formats, including Accelerated Mobile Pages. Top Heavy moves pages that are ad-heavy down in the rankings. Pigeon helps to improve local search results, and Pirate helps to combat copyright infringement. PageRank helps to assign credibility to pages that have high-quality inbound links.

What can I do to please RankBrain?

The most important thing that you can do for RankBrain is to make sure that each page of your website has accurate information that is presented in a user-friendly format. Don’t stuff keywords into the content on a webpage just to have them on the page. RankBrain is bypassing keywords because it helps Google to categorize webpages based on content so that searchers who search for related terms, even if they aren’t included on the webpage, could find the page.

RankBrain is just one more reason for domain owners to ensure they have well-written content that is informative. It is also a signal to domain owners that trying to game the system isn’t going to work like it did in the past.

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Photo by: Sean MacEntee

The content that is on websites and blogs are a key to search engine placement, but that content has to be natural and written for humans. That is a big change from what writers were expected to do years ago when keyword inclusion was more important than the actual message on the page.

Writers and domain owners have to focus more on providing a complete experience instead of only providing superficial experiences. Finding a content writer for your website that delivers user-focused content is critical to strong rankings today.

Are Keywords Still Important?

The use of keywords is still important, but those keywords have to be included in a manner that doesn’t make them seem forced into the content. Pages that are filled with keywords without having informative content aren’t going to rank high in search engine results.

Search engines have complex algorithms that they use to determine where websites are going to rank when users search for information. These algorithms aren’t made public; however, Google does keep webmasters up-to-date on some of the important updates to the algorithms. One recent update is that Google’s Penguin algorithm signal is now live.

Why Does Google Penguin Matter?

In the past, the information that Penguin provides to Google was only updated periodically. Now, Penguin provides that information in real time. This means that webmasters can see the fruits of their labor quickly instead of having to wait for a Penguin refresh.

Google Penguin is only one part of Google’s core algorithm. Penguin values pages based on the quality of information on the page. It devalues the page if there is spammy content or low-value content on the page. It also devalues pages based on the quality of the links on the page.

Is Google Penguin the Only Consideration?

The goal of websites now should be keeping readers engaged. On top of Google’s Penguin, the search engine giant also uses RankBrain and thousands of other points to help valuate pages. RankBrain is something that webmasters can’t optimize for. Instead, the page has to keep readers interested and interacting with the page. This can be by encouraging the reader to click through to other pages or to click through high-quality links.

How Can Websites Improve?

Domain owners should use a variety of media types to keep readers interested. Having valuable information broken down into easily digestible blocks won’t overwhelm readers and encourages them to keep reading. Rich graphics, videos, and other visual aids that bring written content to life can also help.

Websites must contain information that is credible. This means that the information is not only accurate and verifiable, but that it is grammatically correct and free of errors. Frequently updating the website and the pages can also help with search engine rankings. Many webmasters and domain owners are busy and simply can’t keep up with the necessary updates and keep the quality at the high level that is necessary to keep search engine placement. That is where having writers who are familiar with the current best practices for website engagement and search engine placement to handle the content creation for the pages.

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