Popular websites get a great page ranking – at least that is what is generally believed. If a site is popular, it means there are things that people like about it, causing them to visit more often and be more likely to tell others, right? When it comes to SEO expert services in College Station Texas, this is only partially true. Websites yield value by being both popular and authoritative, both of which affect page rank although each aspect means something different. So the question arises: is a website at the top of the SERP’s because it is popular one – or is it viewed as an authority on its topic? Which one is better? That answer depends on a website’s purpose and its SEO strategy, among other things.

Website Popularity – A Definition

Popularity is somewhat defined by web traffic; however, there are other driving forces, many of which differ from those that create authority. Google deems websites as popular based on both how many visits they get, who visits them, and what visitors do on the page. The number of links that pages get also determines popularity and whether or not those links cover a broad range of topics or a more concentrated one.

What Is A Website Authority?

Expanding on the idea of popularity: being an authority does mean that a website gets a certain amount of traffic, the main difference being the broadness of the topic. Authority sites are frequently visited by fewer people yet have a higher percentage of links based on visitor numbers. The visitors are interested in the same basic topics and fewer topics are viewed – sometimes just one topic on the entire site according to information provided by SEO expert services in College Station TX.

Which Is Better?

Deciding whether it is better for a site to be popular or an authority depends on its purpose and goals. Websites that cater to a broader range of topics obviously want to attract as many visitors as possible on a broad range of topics. Since it is unlikely that authority will be gained very rapidly in this manner, popularity should be the goal. Conversely, resource sites that provide information on only one theme must strive to be an authority on that topic to attract the most attention.

According to SEO experts in College Station, Google considers the type of website, its visitors, and the visitors behavior on the website. Page rank for popular sites comes largely from higher traffic volume. Authoritative sites rank based on the value the site holds with its topic, which is determined by how long visitors stay, content authorship, types of inbound links, and how specific the anchor text is to the topic.

And The Answer Is . . .

College Station SEO expertshave discovered that SEO, social media, and other optimization methods can help a website become more popular. Authority is gained when users continue to return to a website for a relatively narrow interest field because of specific quality content, authorship, and incoming links. Without this, topical sites are more difficult to find in the SERP’s and higher traffic sites rank better. With such qualities and approvals, topical sites gain value and eventually overcome and surpass popular sites – all of which must be considered when planning search engine optimizationprojects.

What determines the title of being the “best” website is subject to interpretation. While Google does reward authority sites perceived as being more valuable, popularity gained by sheer traffic volume that allows a website to gain page rank because of its chosen search terms cannot be completely ignored. So the answer to which is better doesn’t have a definitive answer. For websites with a more specific topic, concentrating on increasing authority is recommended by SEO experts in College Station Texas. With the right marketing and search engine optimization, some authority sites can even become authoritative and popular!

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