The PRET Model Shows You How to Design for Google and for Users
Effective search engine optimization must cater to Google’s algorithm to achieve a high rank, but that should not mean ignoring the user experience. Over the years, Google has worked hard to analyze search trends and find out what people are truly searching for in order to give them the best results. Google also works to eliminate the impact of sites built just to attract search engine attention without providing real value. So, what makes a site connect with users and rank highly on Google? The answer lies in the PRET Model, which was designed by industry experts to check all those boxes. PRET stands for Popularity, Relevance, Engagement and Trust.
Is Your Page Popular?
Inherent popularity helps to lift you up in the search results, in turn, leading to more visibility and feeding back into the cycle. Indicators of popularity include overall traffic, links from other authoritative sites and the amount of people talking about it, perhaps on social media. When a site or a page gets shared frequently and traffic grows on its own, Google understands that this is content that satisfies readers, and it makes it easier for them to find.
Is Your Page Relevant?
Naturally, your page has to satisfy the search terms that the person used, showing that it is relevant content. Google itself has a stake in this. The search engine’s popularity is due to returning accurate results, and this must be upheld. To do it, Google looks at things like on-site content, page titles, meta tags, on-page images, themes and much more. An effective site will address SEO on every level.
Is Your Page Engaging?
Engagement starts on Google’s end. When your page comes up in the results, how likely are users to click on that link? The next question is simple: How long do they stay there? If a user clicks the link and then backs out after just a second or two, that’s an indicator that the page did not give them what they wanted or the click was an accident. Either way, it’s not positive engagement. As such, you must have pages that actively address exactly what readers want. The more valuable the information, the better your rank.
Can People Trust Your Site?
Trust is built over time. One of the best indicators of a trustworthy site is longevity. You prove that your site can check off the other boxes and give people popular, relevant and engaging content. Trust may also depend on what webservers you use, what sites you link out to and, for corporate sites, whether or not the company itself has been verified through Google My Business. Trust is very important to Google because it determines how much people will trust the search engine itself.
The Right Content
When creating any type of content for your site, keep the PRET model in mind. Focus hard on these four areas. Work with professionals who can give you content and site designs that connect with both Google and the end user. Taking a long-term SEO approach that builds up credibility helps you rank highly for years to come.
