Google’s 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List and How to Rank Better in Google

Google Ranking Factors are the criteria used by search engines to evaluate websites by topic and relevance and to structure pages in the search engine index. Google has declared that it is using over 200 ranking factors to produce the best possible ranking of results for user queries. Among those is the RankBrain algorithm, which uses artificial intelligence to learn the best results for any given search.

In this article, we will go over the top 10 known Google Ranking Factors and explain the concept of RankBrain. At the end of the article, we will provide a complete list of all 200 known ranking factors, as well as a few tips on how to use them in your SEO strategy. With this knowledge, you can optimize your website and content to rank higher in Google’s search engine results.

What are the main ranking factors of Google?

1. Content

Search engine optimization is a complex process, but one thing is certain: content plays a critical role in how well your website ranks in Google. Content that is in-depth, covers a broad spectrum of its subject, provides real value to the user, and incorporates engaging visual content will rank better than content that is short, not well-written, or does not provide value to the user. When content is optimized to match user intent and is tailored to specific keywords, it can help increase visibility and increase website rankings.

When content is optimized with the correct keywords, Google’s algorithm is able to more accurately match your content with related search queries. This increases your website’s visibility and can help boost your rankings. Furthermore, when content is engaging and useful, users will remain on your page longer, leading to higher website engagement and better rankings. Finally, by incorporating related LSI keywords into your content, Google can better understand your content and the context in which it is being searched for. This can help increase your website’s rankings as well.

In conclusion, content plays an essential role in how well your website ranks in Google. By optimizing your content to match user intent, incorporating the right keywords, and using LSI keywords, you can ensure that your content is helping to boost your website’s rankings.

2. On-Page Optimization

On-page optimization is the process of optimizing a website to improve its visibility in search engine rankings and increase its organic traffic. This involves a variety of strategies and tactics, such as optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, H1 tags, page loading speed, keyword density, ALT tags, and more. On-page optimization also includes aspects like content length, content relevance, content formatting, and user-friendly layout, all of which can affect the website’s rankings and organic traffic. When done correctly, on-page optimization can give a website a significant boost in its rankings on Google, and thus, increase its organic traffic and revenue.

3. Backlinks

Backlinks are essential for Google to assess a website’s authority, and thus its rank in search results. The more backlinks a website has, the more “SEO juice” it will gain from search engines as it implies that others trust the website’s content and consider it an authority in its space. Link quality is also an important factor, as links from high-authority, relevant websites will generate more SEO juice and provide more value than links from low-authority websites, or even multiple links from several low-authority websites. Furthermore, the anchor text used to link back to the website, as well as the context of the surrounding text, will affect the link quality and thus the website’s rankings. The bottom line is that the more backlinks a website has from high-authority, relevant websites, the higher its ranking in Google search results.

4. Mobile-Friendly Website

Google now rewards mobile-friendly websites with higher rankings on the search engine results page over those that are not mobile-friendly. Google has implemented mobile-first indexing, which means that the mobile version of a website is considered to be more important and useful than the desktop version. This is done to ensure that users who search on their mobile devices receive the best possible experience. To do this, websites must be mobile-optimized with a responsive design that adapts to the user’s device, reformatting and restructuring based on device and screen size. Web developers and designers must also pay attention to factors such as responsive viewports, button sizes and positions, and text size when creating a mobile-friendly website. If a website fails to meet Google’s mobile-friendly standards, it may be penalized and suffer a drop in ranking on the search engine results page.

5. Website Security

Google’s ranking algorithm has long been a mystery, but one thing is for certain: website security is a major factor in where a website ranks in the search engine results pages (SERPs). In 2014, Google announced that page security, or HTTPS, would become a ranking factor. This means that websites that are not secure – meaning they don’t have a valid and updated security certificate (SSL) – are significantly less likely to rank well in search engine results. Websites without an SSL certificate will also be labeled with a “Not Secure” warning in the user’s browser, which could undermine the trustworthiness of the website.

To make sure your website is secure and ranking well, it is essential to have an SSL certificate installed and active. An SSL certificate can be purchased from a provider such as Let’s Encrypt, and it encrypts any sensitive information, such as customer credit card numbers, that is passed between the user and the website. Additionally, it is important to optimize each page on the website with header tags, title tags, alt text for images, internal and external links, and more. The site should also be fast, responsive, and mobile-friendly.

Ultimately, website security is a crucial factor in Google’s ranking algorithm. If your website is not secure, it is likely to be penalized and have a much harder time ranking on the search engine results pages. Therefore, it is essential to ensure that your website is secure by obtaining an SSL certificate and following all of the other steps necessary for optimal page security.

6. The Quality of the Site

The quality of a site has a direct effect on its ranking in Google. Sites with a higher quality are likely to rank better in Google search results than sites with a lower quality. This is because Google takes various measures to determine the quality of a site. These include the presence of contact information, content that provides value and new insights, trustworthiness, site architecture, presence of a sitemap, long-term site downtime, location of the server, a valid SSL certificate, presence of legal pages, unique metadata, use of breadcrumb navigation, mobile optimization, user-friendliness, bounce rate, domain authority, user reviews, and site reputation. On the other hand, a site can have a lower ranking if it includes low-quality content, links to bad neighborhoods, multiple and sneaky redirects, flagged server IP addresses, distracting ads and popups, popups that are spammy and difficult to close, over-optimizing the site, gibberish content, use of doorway pages, lots of ads above the fold, hiding affiliate links, low-value content sites, keyword stuffing in meta tags, compute generated content, and following all outbound links. Therefore, it is important for website owners to ensure their sites are of good quality, with value-adding content, in order to achieve a higher ranking in Google search results.

7. Social Media Presence

Social media presence plays an important role in a website’s ranking on Google. The number of shares, likes, and other social signals can help boost a website’s ranking by showing Google that its content is valuable and worth sharing. A strong social presence also acts as a trust factor to potential customers, making them more likely to purchase from the website.

In order to maximize this effect, businesses must focus on building a strong social presence. This can be done by posting daily, using images, creating competitions, building partnerships with other brands, and monitoring the content’s performance with tools like Hootsuite. Additionally, having a strong brand presence on social media can help businesses rank higher on Google. This includes things like having a Twitter profile with followers, a Facebook page with likes, branded searches, brand + keyword searches, and an official LinkedIn page.

All of these, combined with other SEO ranking factors, can help a website rank higher on Google and reach a wider audience.

8. Technical SEO & Infrastructure Trust Factors

Technical SEO can have a significant effect on rankings, both positively and negatively. It sends notifications when a website isn’t mobile-friendly, which means that to score points with Google, website owners must work on their mobile usability. As Google also prioritizes sites with reliable contact information, it is important to make sure the contact details on the website match the WhoIs information. TrustRank is another factor that can influence rankings, which means that sites should strive to create content that offers value and unique insights. Site architecture, a sitemap, site uptime, server location, an SSL certificate, terms of service and privacy pages, and duplicate meta information can all affect rankings as well. Breadcrumb navigation, mobile optimization, YouTube presence, and site usability can also play a role in a website’s ranking.

9. The Quality of the Content

The quality of your website and blog content is an essential factor when it comes to ranking in Google’s search engine. High-quality content is more likely to rank well than low-quality content, as the former offers real value to the user and provides answers to their queries. Google’s Panda and Fred algorithm updates are designed to penalize websites that offer less value, even if they produce a high volume of content.

To create content that ranks well, it should be in-depth and cover a broad range of topics related to the subject. Furthermore, it should be accompanied by engaging visuals to make the content more interesting and engaging for the user. Additionally, the content should be written for people, not just for search engine optimization, as this will help to ensure that readers find the content more valuable.

When it comes to ranking in Google’s search engine, creating quality content is essential. Quality content is more likely to provide value to the user and stay up-to-date with the latest algorithm updates. Furthermore, it should take into account the intent of the reader and the keyword research conducted. By doing so, you can create high-quality content that will help to improve your SEO and, in turn, your bottom line.

10. User Experience (aka RankBrain)

User experience (UX) is an incredibly important measure of how visitors interact with your website, and it has become even more important for SEO with Google’s Page Experience Update. UX design focuses on providing users with a smooth and intuitive experience, which can lead to a longer dwell time and a lower bounce rate. Good UX design should ensure that users are able to navigate the website easily and find what they are looking for without any confusion.

In 2021, user experience is a critical factor when it comes to Google ranking. User experience is one of the most important ranking factors, second only to content and links. This is because Google looks at user behavior to measure how users feel about a specific page, and if the user experience is positive, the page will be rewarded with higher ranking on SERPs.

Google’s RankBrain helps to assess user experience by using machine learning to evaluate signals that indicate user satisfaction. Factors such as page speed, responsiveness and stability are all taken into consideration by RankBrain. Moreover, a good UI/UX design also plays a big role in SEO success. By removing visual clutter and creating a clean, user-friendly interface, websites can maximize user experience and get a competitive edge in search engine rankings.

11. The Author’s Expertise

The author’s expertise has a major impact on the ranking of Google pages. Google’s algorithm looks for content written by subject matter experts, such as people with formal training in the subject and those with a reputation in their field that is recognized by others. To be successful, a website should have content that is of the highest quality and authoritative, demonstrating expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. This is why the E-E-A-T (Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) guidelines are important for a website to rank well with Google. If a website is unable to demonstrate a level of expertise, authoritativeness, or trustworthiness, Google’s algorithm will not give it a high ranking, and it won’t be seen on the first page of search engine results.

12. Images and Graphics

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical aspect of improving the visibility of your website in search engine results. Images and graphics play a major role in SEO since they can help improve the overall user experience of your website as well as its ranking on Google.

Using relevant alt text for images is an important best practice since it allows Google to “see” the image and provide better context for content. Similarly, compressing and resizing images will help reduce page loading speeds and make it more likely for users to stay on your page and read the content, both of which can affect your ranking. Additionally, using graphics and visuals that add value to your content can help to keep users engaged, driving up user engagement metrics which can have a positive effect on your rankings.

Finally, including keywords in image file names, as well as using schema markup, can help to further optimize your website’s images for SEO. Overall, by following these best practices, you can ensure that your visuals are optimized for Google’s ranking algorithms and giving your page a higher chance of appearing in search engine results.

13. The Volume of the Social Media Posts

The volume of social media posts has a direct effect on the ranking of a website in Google’s search engine results. According to a study by cognitiveSEO, the more social shares a web page has, the higher it will rank. This is due to the fact that social signals are similar to backlinks, in that they show Google that your content is valuable because it is being shared by others online. Therefore, it is advisable to engage in social media marketing practices such as posting daily, using images, creating competitions, building partnerships with other popular brands, and monitoring your content’s performance on social media with tools like Hootsuite. Additionally, longer pieces of content tend to hold their position longer and generate more social shares and unique pageviews, so when creating content for SEO, it is important to create comprehensive, engaging pieces that are longer than the competition. Finally, using plugins like Smash Balloon and OptinMonster can help to amplify those social signals and make it easier for people to share your content, further boosting your rankings.

14. Videos

Video content has increasingly become one of the key components of Google’s search engine ranking algorithm. The more engaging and informative the video content, the higher it is likely to rank in Google’s search results. Videos offer multiple opportunities to create value for viewers, allowing them to see and learn more information than they would just by reading text. Videos also provide an opportunity to generate more organic traffic and increase engagement with viewers. When videos are optimized for search engines, they can help improve SEO performance and increase overall website visibility. Video content can also be shared across multiple social media platforms, allowing companies to reach an even wider audience. Overall, videos can help increase brand awareness and help companies rank higher in Google’s search engine.

15. Google’s Penguin and Panda Updates

The Penguin and Panda updates are two major changes to Google’s overall ranking systems. The Penguin update was designed to combat link spam, while the Panda update was designed to ensure high-quality and original content appeared in Google’s search results. Both of these updates have been incorporated into Google’s core ranking systems, so they now affect the ranking factor. The Penguin update penalizes sites with suspicious or low-quality links, while the Panda update rewards sites with high-quality and original content. Both of these updates can significantly impact a website’s search engine ranking, so it’s important to be aware of their implications.

16. Mobile Searches

Mobile searches have a huge impact on the ranking of Google. Google shifted from desktop-first to mobile-first indexing, which means they mainly use the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking content. If a website doesn’t have an appropriate version for mobile users, it will be penalized in terms of ranking. This is because mobile traffic now accounts for 54.4 percent of global traffic, and people expect websites to work perfectly on their devices.

Google has implemented mobile-first indexing, which means that the mobile version of sites is more important and useful than the desktop version. All sites are now subject to mobile-first indexing, meaning that even if the desktop version of a site is flawless, its search engine ranking could take a major hit if it isn’t optimized for mobile. As such, it is essential for websites to be mobile-friendly and mobile-responsive in order to rank well in Google search results.

17. Geo-Targeted Search Queries

Geo-targeting affects Google ranking factors in two ways. First, it helps Google determine the location of a user and serve them more relevant results. By including location information on your site such as local server IP and country-based domain name extension, you can improve your chances of appearing in SERPs for local searches. Secondly, it can also be used to improve personalization based on user searches. For instance, if someone searches for “recipes” followed by “keto diet,” Google is likely to show search suggestions related to keto diet recipes for future searches. Thus, by geo-targeting, you can have a better chance of appearing in search engine results and provide a more personalized online experience to users.

18. Mobile-Friendly Site

Google has shifted to a mobile-first approach, prioritizing mobile visitors as the primary target of web design. This means that mobile-friendly sites are more likely to be ranked higher in Google’s search results. Mobile-friendliness is one of the most important ranking factors, as Google rewards sites with a responsive mobile site and penalizes sites that don’t have one. Google now uses mobile-first indexing, basing its assessment on the mobile version of a site rather than the desktop version. Factors such as responsive viewports, button sizes and positions, text size, and loading speed are all taken into consideration when assessing a site’s mobile usability. Failing to create a mobile-friendly site can result in a lower ranking in Google, impacting the visibility and success of the website in the long run.

19. Bounce Rate

The bounce rate is a significant indicator of how users are interacting with a Google property and can affect its ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs). If a page has a high bounce rate, it indicates to Google that the page is not providing what users are looking for, and therefore is less likely to appear in the SERPs. On the other hand, a lower bounce rate demonstrates that users are finding the content on the page relevant and useful, thus allowing the page to rank higher in Google. To improve the bounce rate and achieve a higher ranking, it is important that a web page’s content aligns with its target keywords, metadata, and title tag. Page speed is also a key factor, as users expect a quick and effortless browsing experience. Additionally, Google’s RankBrain algorithm uses artificial intelligence to measure the user-friendliness of a web page, taking into account factors such as click-through rate, dwell time, and pogo-sticking. If these metrics are high, the page is likely to receive a good ranking.

20. Google’s RankBrain Algorithm

Google’s RankBrain algorithm is an AI system that was released in 2015 and significantly updated in 2016 with the purpose of improving search query results. It is a confirmed ranking factor and uses artificial intelligence to analyse the user experience and measure the user-friendliness of each web page. RankBrain looks at three main factors: click-through rate, bounce rate and dwell time. If users are clicking through to the website and staying there, this is an indication to Google that the content is matching their search intent and the page will be rewarded with higher rankings. On the other hand, if users are visiting the page and then bouncing back to the SERPs, or not clicking onto the website at all, RankBrain will assume the website is user-unfriendly and this will result in a lower ranking. The Multitask Unified Model (MUM) is a more powerful version of the Google algorithm BERT and is used for detecting personal crisis searches. Ultimately, Google’s ranking algorithm is becoming more focused on user experience and less on technical factors.

21. Domain Authority and Presence

Domain Authority (DA) may not be a direct ranking factor, but it does influence organic search visibility and website rankings on Google. DA is created by Moz and uses particular signals that are similar to Google’s ranking factors. This includes having more trusted sites linking to yours and having content that ranks well, which in turn increases your rankings. Additionally, domain age and domain power can also affect rankings – exact-match domains still carry a lot of weight and domain age can give established sites a higher ranking.

To improve your website’s ranking, you should focus on developing your E-A-T (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) score by involving subject matter experts, providing reviews from industry experts, leveraging social proof across your website, and increasing your website’s security. Additionally, focusing on other site-level factors such as the presence of a contact us page or appropriate contact information, content that provides value or new insights, website updates for freshness, using breadcrumb markup, optimizing for mobile and being user-friendly, as well as focusing on branded searches and social signals can further improve your SEO and rankings.

22. Keyword Optimization

Keyword optimization is an important factor in achieving higher rankings in Google search results. When done correctly, keyword optimization can lead to higher visibility for your website, as Google’s search engine algorithm takes into account the frequency and relevance of the words you use in your content. The more relevant the words you use, the higher the chances of your content being seen by potential customers.

When optimizing for keywords, it is important to use them in an organic and natural way in any content you create. Spamming keywords throughout your content, known as keyword stuffing, can actually hurt your rankings, as Google will recognize this as an attempt to manipulate their search engine results and penalize you.

It is also important to include LSI (latent semantic indexing) keywords, terms related to the main keywords that people are searching for. This context helps Google’s search algorithm understand which results it it should show. Additionally, the content should match the user’s search intent, providing the information they are looking for in order to satisfy their query.

Aside from keywords, there are other factors that can affect a website or page’s ranking, such as placing keywords in meta title tags and header tags, offsite mentions of your brand, and anchor text keyword density. Getting the code right is an essential part of optimizing content for better search engine rankings, although most marketers can focus mainly on keyword optimization for the best results.

23. Site Architecture

Site architecture has a significant impact on Google rankings, as it plays an integral role in user experience and SEO. It affects how users find what they are looking for and how search engine crawlers find more pages on a website. Proper site architecture should be easy to use, with pages and navigation laid out simply. It should take a user only three to four clicks to find any page on a website. Additionally, Google’s Page Experience update has placed an even greater emphasis on site architecture, with factors such as a contact us page, trustrank, and a sitemap all impacting rankings. Schema markup is also necessary for informing search engines of the content of a website, making it easier for them to find and rank pages. When done correctly, site architecture can help improve rankings and increase organic sessions, pages per session, and conversions.

24. Mobile-Friendly Site

Having a mobile-friendly site has a direct impact on the ranking of a Google property. Google now prioritizes mobile-responsive websites in their search results, meaning that those sites that are optimized for mobile devices are more likely to rank higher than those that are not. Furthermore, Google has implemented mobile-first indexing, which means that the mobile version of a website is more important than the desktop version. This means that websites must also be optimized for mobile in order to perform well in Google’s search engine rankings. Additionally, having a website that is optimized for mobile can also improve user experience, as most people now access the internet through their mobile devices. If a website’s mobile experience is poor, users are more likely to leave the site, which can affect the website’s rankings in the long term.

How to use the list of Google’s ranking factors?

1. Identify the ranking factors for your target keyword.

Step 1: Identify Your Keywords

The first step in identifying the ranking factors for your target keyword is to use keyword research tools to find out what your ideal audience is searching for. Look for words related to the topic you’re writing about and the industry you’re in. You should also search the keyword on Google itself to make sure you understand what users are seeking when they perform that search.

Step 2: Analyze Your Competition

Once you have identified your target keyword, you need to analyze your competition. Use a tool like SEMrush to type in your domain and see what keywords you’re currently ranking for. You can also use their keyword position tracking tool to track the exact keywords you’re trying to rank for.

Step 3: Optimize Your Content

The next step is to optimize your content for the target keyword. This means making sure that your content is trustworthy, readable, and fresh. Use the keyword naturally and interchangeably with related keywords. Additionally, when writing, try to incorporate user intent into the content.

Step 4: Check Your Ranking

Finally, the last step is to check your ranking on Google itself. Make sure to browse incognito so Google’s personalization feature won’t skew your results. Type in your target keyword and see where your page ranks in the results. Compare this to the pages that rank higher than yours and adjust your strategy accordingly.

2. Implement the ranking factors on your website.

Step 1: Start by creating quality content. Quality content is one of the most important ranking factors for Google, so make sure your content is well-written, relevant, and thorough.

Step 2: Incorporate keywords throughout your content. Optimize your page title tags, heading tags, and other elements on the page to include keywords you want to rank for.

Step 3: Optimize your images. Make sure to use descriptive file names and alt text for images, as they are searchable by Google.

Step 4: Structure your URLs in a readable format. Include keywords in your URLs as well to help search engines understand the context of the page.

Step 5: Improve your page speed. Research your page loading times and address any issues you find. Make sure to use caching and optimize your code for the best performance.

Step 6: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly. Google now uses mobile-first indexing, which means it will primarily look at the mobile version of your website when it comes to ranking.

Step 7: Improve your website’s core web vitals. This includes elements such as page load time, interactivity, and visual stability.

Step 8: Improve your website’s architecture. A well-organized website makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index.

Step 9: Secure your website with HTTPS. Using a secure connection will help you rank higher in search results.

Step 10: Focus on building quality backlinks. Backlinks from other websites are still one of the most important ranking factors for Google. Focus on building links from high-quality websites in your niche.

3. Monitor your website’s progress in Google’s rankings.

Monitoring your website’s progress in Google’s rankings is an important part of the SEO process. To ensure your SEO efforts are effective, use the following step-by-step instructions to monitor your website’s progress in Google’s rankings:

1. Use Google: The simplest and quickest way to check your ranking on Google is to browse incognito and type in the keywords your customers might be using. This will help you see where your page ranks in the results. If you want to be sure the search doesn’t include local results, use isearchfrom.com to emulate a national search.
2. Use SEO toolset: Google Search Console is a great free SEO tool, however, if you have the budget for something with more robust features, you can use industry-standard paid platforms like SEMRush, Ahrefs, and Moz. Using any of these tools, you can enter your domain name and check all the keywords your website ranks for. You can also set a date range to track your rankings over time, and see how many sites link to your webpage and how that affects your ranking.
3. Analyze the data: Using the data you’ve collected, you can analyze your website’s performance and look for any areas where you can optimize your SEO strategy. Check the search volume for your chosen target keyword to make sure it’s worth the effort, and check the keyword difficulty to see how hard it is to rank first for that keyword.

By following these steps and regularly monitoring your website’s progress in Google’s rankings, you can ensure your efforts are effective and keep your website as fresh and relevant for your audience as possible.

4. Analyze your competitors’ ranking factors and try to beat them.

Step 1: Start by researching your competitors. Look at their websites and content to see what keywords they are targeting and see how they are optimizing their content for those keywords. You can also use a tool like SEMrush to get an overview of their SEO efforts and see what keywords they are ranking for.

Step 2: Look at the backlinks they are being rewarded with. Use a tool like Ahrefs to see which websites are linking to their content and how they are being rewarded with link popularity.

Step 3: Analyze their content and see how it is engaging their readers. Check the length of their content, the frequency of their headlines, and the types of keywords they are using throughout the content.

Step 4: Monitor their social media presence and see how they are using it to increase their visibility online. Check out the types of content they are sharing, the frequency of their posts, and the engagement they are receiving from their followers.

Step 5: Finally, assess the overall user experience. Look at the design of their website, the ease of navigation, and the speed of the loading time. Optimizing for user experience is one of the key ranking factors for Google, so make sure your website meets their standards.

By following these steps, you can become familiar with the strategies your competitors are using and make sure you are creating better content than them. You can also use the data you have gathered to optimize your site for Google ranking factors and make sure your content is ranking higher than your competition.

FAQ