Ranking Signal vs Ranking Factor (Eli Schwartz and Jason Barnard)

Eli Schwartz talks with Jason Barnard about ranking signal vs ranking factor.

2 billion sites in the world: Less than 1% of sites using SEO versus those with just great content. Which does the Google algorithm favour?

That is just a taster! Just one of the dozens of delightful and super-interesting SEO topics in this conversation between the groovy Eli Schwartz and Jason Barnard. Eli moves from defining the distinction between Ranking Signals and Ranking Factors to the incredible power and importance of timeliness (with examples) to pieces of advice on getting on the right side of Google algorithms.

They also have the most amazing discussion of how machine learning works, how Michael Jackson inspired a massive Google update (surprising, to say the least), using specific user needs to drive product-led SEO … plus Eli’s anecdote of his bug discovery 😉

Eli is super delightful, smart and funny. This is an episode you won’t want to miss 😉

What you’ll learn from Eli Schwartz

00:00 Eli Schwartz and Jason Barnard
01:08 The Brand SERP for Eli Schwartz’s (with an incorrect knowledge panel)
04:48 Explainer: Ranking Signal vs Ranking Factor
08:02 Examples of signals and examples of factors
13:22 Ranking signals vs ranking factors, where do you focus?
15:12 Measuring the success of the algorithms. Should we look at the Metrics?
16:58 Great plugins vs great content for SEO
20:49 Answer bots, aggregators and arbiTRASH
23:14 What product-led SEO can do for specific user needs
26:48 Factors doesn’t fit into Google’s mission
28:57 Are Google’s data silos talking horizontally to each other?
30:28 Real-time signals vs Google Dance (is it back?)
32:37 What happens with Google My Business during Covid lockdowns?
38:40 Why Google need to be careful with the information it allows into its knowledge graph
39:15 How can we effectively focus on ranking signals in SEO?