What are the most important Google ranking factors?
Relevancy, Relevancy, Relevancy and content written in the regional language.
Is link building still relevant for SEO?
In some cases, yes, but who can build relevant backlinks? It's a rigged system, you're entering into a battle you can't possibly win.
What is the ideal keyword density for SEO?
There's none, topic relevancy is key.
How do I optimize my website for featured snippets?
With Schema Markup, research and lots of testing.
Does social media affect SEO rankings?
Only remotely, when it manages to send relevant traffic (but that's the exception to the rule).
What is the best way to do on-page SEO?
Write relevant content and use Schema Markup, avoid writing for keywords.
How does site speed impact SEO?
Only indirectly, when visitors stay on your pages and don't bounce off (UX benefits from high speed and indirectly impacts positive your traffic because Google picks up UX from Chrome and G.Analytics). It doesn't give you higher rankings but UX and time spent on page are strong positive signals that in - Google's time will rank you higher). I have optimized more than 150 websites and have yet to see speed being a traffic factor or better rankings factor.
How can I recover from a Google penalty?
With lots of work. You'll have to audit your entire content, website structure and link profile.
Note you CAN'T GET A PENALTY when following my CORS method because it exploits the basic principles of search engines and will be always 100% white-hat.
Google has been trying for years to make webmasters work the way my CORS method works.
Is duplicate content bad for SEO?
It's bad and unpleasant but not catastrophic. You can remove it, dilute it anything it takes.
How important are meta tags for SEO?
It depends what meta tags you are inquiring about.
Title, meta description and meta keywords are meta tags in a broader sense, but meta keywords is an outdated meta tag.
Title and meta description are very important because are ranking factors and show up in search results (UX).
Does domain age affect rankings?
My take is it does affect only in a small percent and has to do with domain authority.
That said you can't pick up a 30-year-old domain without looking at its stats and authority and rank your pages. It doesn't work this way.
Domain Age has nothing to do with my CORS method, BTW.
Is guest posting still effective for SEO?
I think it is, but there are no free sources and you will have to spend $60 per post.
For medium competition you're looking at 10-20K a year. My CORS method doesn't need any guest posts and it works with your content.
How do I find high-quality guest posting opportunities?
I have some sources but in general you should be very careful.
There are providers who are waiting to scam you, websites with jacked up stats (spoofed stats)
and simply opportunities that won't move the needle for you and you'll lose money.