Google Ranking Factors: The 11 That Matter Most

Google ranking factors are signals that determine a webpage’s position in the search results for a relevant query. Discover which signals matter most for improving search rankings and website visibility.

The Google algorithm uses hundreds of signals to rank content on search engine results pages (SERPs). They range from content and technical factors to user experience and technical signals.

That matters because the better you can tailor your content to what search engines want, the better you’ll be able to connect with relevant audience members online.

Should you incorporate every single one of these factors into your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts? Ideally, yes. But you can get the most value by focusing on the most important Google ranking factors first.

We tapped Sonya Gonzales, SEO and SEM manager at HawkSEM, for expert insights on ranking signals and getting more value from SEO. Below, she’ll help us cover 11 signals that matter most to the Google algorithm.

Top 11 Google ranking factors to prioritize

Use these signals as a guide to aim for higher rankings in Google search results.

1. High-quality content

“Quality content continues to set websites apart,” Gonzales states.

“The bottom line? Fresh, informative, and engaging content continues to win the race.” When ranking content, she explains, the Google search algorithm (also known as PageRank) considers what users want from a search query.

So, what affects content quality? And how can you improve the quality of your content?

Google defines quality content as material that’s both helpful and reliable. The search engine also cautions content marketers and SEO experts to publish content for readers, not for the algorithm.

Here are a few factors to keep in mind when writing content for blog posts or landing pages:

• Is it original? Include as much unique content as possible. Avoid simply restating the same points or covering the same material that other top-ranking posts discuss.
• Is it valuable? Go beyond low-quality surface-level summaries of the topic. Provide value via original data, insights from subject matter experts, or new perspectives on the topic.
• Is it shareable? Aim to create content that your target audience wants to bookmark and share with others. Publish content that’s easy for others to recommend.

It’s also important to follow Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). To rank at the top of search results, content should reflect all four of these elements.

Think about it this way. When you publish content that’s thoughtful, original, and genuinely helpful, it provides real value to searchers. “In turn, Google’s algorithm can and will continue to recommend the website as a valuable resource,” Gonzales explains.

2. Content relevance

The Google algorithm doesn’t rank just any high-quality content at the top of search results. Top-ranking content must be relevant to the search query.

In other words, your content should align with the user’s search intent. To uncover the intent behind a query, ask yourself what the reader ultimately wants to accomplish. For example:

• Do they want basic, reliable information on a topic?
• Are they seeking a detailed tutorial on a topic?
• Do they want an in-depth comparison between two or more items?
• Are they looking to buy a product or service?

If you aren’t sure about search intent or if you believe readers may have multiple questions, check the top-ranking results for the query. Make a note of the questions that the competing content answers.

Another option is using an SEO tool like Semrush to confirm search intent. For instance, the keyword “best running shoes for a marathon” has commercial intent because readers are looking to make a purchase.

Once you’ve defined search intent, use your knowledge of the target audience to create compelling, relevant content. Take our blog post on increasing share of voice for example.

When we wrote this post, we knew readers wanted actionable advice on the topic. So, we sought out expert insights and turned their advice into a series of tips on increasing share of voice.

The post currently ranks first for this keyword, and it also holds the featured snippet.

3. Content freshness

Even the most high-quality, relevant content may not appear first forever. This is because Google considers freshness when ranking content in search results.

To keep your blog posts fresh, update them regularly. However, don’t do so just for the sake of updating. Google’s documentation indicates that this leads to search engine-first content, not reader-first content.

Instead, keep Google’s quality guidelines in mind when updating content. As a general rule, updates should focus on adding new information rather than simply changing a word here or there. For example:

• Replace outdated data with new, up-to-date figures.
• Discuss current trends or new guidelines related to the topic.
• Add subject matter expert insights or first-hand experience with the topic.

It’s also a good idea to consider unpublishing content in some circumstances. Among many other things, Gonzales explains that the May 2024 Google API leak confirms that SEOs “should consider removal of underperforming content, as opposed to just leaving website content to gather authority based on age.”

She elaborates, “What this means for most SEO strategies is to remove poorly performing pages and boost pages that are showing traction but may have areas for improvement.”

4. Keyword optimization

Keyword optimization is the process of including relevant keywords in website content like blog posts and landing pages. Using these keywords in your content tells Google what your site is about.

To optimize your site for specific keywords, keep a few best practices in mind:

• Avoid keyword stuffing. Optimized content doesn’t repeat the same keyword constantly. Instead, it features your keyword, some variations, and secondary keywords naturally.
• Include the primary keyword in the title tag and the meta description. Place it as close to the beginning of the title tag as possible. Add it to the meta description to increase click-through rate (CTR).
• Use the primary keyword in headings. Include both the primary keyword and its variations in H2 and H3 headers.
• Add the primary keyword to alt text. Any images should have alt text for accessibility and SEO. When relevant, include the primary keyword in your alt text.

To monitor keyword optimization, use a tool like Clearscope as you write. It automatically performs basic keyword research like identifying variations and secondary keywords. It also provides an optimization score.

5. User experience

Because Google emphasizes creating reader-first content, good user experience (UX) is an important ranking factor. Essentially, any top-ranking content should be easy to navigate and provide a good experience.

Many issues can lead to poor UX. Some of the most common include excessive ads that interfere with organic content and interstitials that make it difficult for visitors to navigate the site.

To confirm that your website provides a good experience for users, start by checking your Core Web Vitals. You’ll find this data on your Google Search Console dashboard.

It categorizes URLs as good, poor, or in need of improvement for both mobile and desktop users. To fix any URLs that are poor or in need of improvement, click to view the report and follow the instructions.

It’s also a good idea to check your site’s Google Analytics 4 reports. Metrics like engagement time and bounce rate can give you a sense of how good your site’s UX really is.

Bounce rate is the percentage of visitors who weren’t engaged with your content, meaning they clicked away from your site without visiting any other pages or triggering any conversion events. Generally, the lower the bounce rate, the better the UX.

Average engagement time reflects how long visitors were actively engaged with the content on your site. Generally, the higher the engagement time, the better the UX.

6. Mobile friendliness

To provide a good UX, your site must be mobile-friendly. Mobile-friendliness ensures users can access your site from any device, including smartphones.

But that isn’t the only reason mobile friendliness is so important. Google uses a mobile-first index, which means its crawlers focus on the mobile version of any website.

Google allows a few different options for creating a mobile-friendly site. One of the most common methods is using responsive design to display your website content appropriately for the device’s screen size.

No matter which method you use, however, the content on your site must be the same on both desktop and mobile devices. Each version must have the same title tags and meta descriptions, too.

To check your site’s mobile friendliness, use the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console. Pay attention to the mobile report, and address any URLs marked as poor or in need of improvement.

7. Page speed

Page speed (the speed at which your website loads) is one of several technical SEO ranking factors. It matters because bounce rate tends to increase as page speed increases.

The probability of a user bouncing from your site rises 32% as the page load time increases from 1 to 3 seconds. This means your page speed should be less than 3 seconds and as close to 1 second as possible.

Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool can measure the load time for any URL. First, it tells you if the URL passes or fails Core Web Vitals on mobile and desktop devices. The largest contentful paint metric reflects how quickly the page’s content loads.

Then, the tool scores the page out of 100 in four areas: performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO. Click on any of these elements for actionable advice on improving site speed.

8. Site security

Another technical SEO element, strong site security is crucial to a good page experience. Any secure site should use HTTPS instead of HTTP.

To confirm that all your webpages use HTTPS, check Google Search Console. You’ll see a list of any URLs that don’t use HTTPs. You can fix this issue by securing an SSL certificate for your site.

9. Structured data

Also known as schema markup, structured data is code that helps search engines understand information on your site. Google displays structured data in a rich format on SERPs.

For example, schema markup can help Google identify recipe content. Search results for “chocolate chip cookie recipe” include ratings, amounts of time, and basic ingredient lists.

When you include structured data, it can give your content an additional opportunity to rank near the top of search results. The results above appear both on the recipe card at the top of the page and as standard search results.

Use Google’s Structured Data Markup Helper to find opportunities to add schema markup to your content. Then, add the structured data to your website’s content management system (CMS).

10. Links

Several different types of links affect how your content ranks in search results. Using relevant, descriptive anchor text can increase the impact of these links.

Backlinks, or inbound links from other websites, essentially confirm that your site’s content is high-quality and trustworthy. Because links from sites with more authority tend to hold more value, it’s a good idea to focus your link-building efforts on these sites.

Outbound links, or links from your content to other websites, can also affect your ranking. Linking to sites that have authority on the topic can indicate trustworthiness, so it’s a good idea to link to high-quality sites.

Internal links, or links to your content on your site, are an important on-page SEO element. A higher number of internal links to a specific page can reflect its importance. Plus, internal linking helps with crawling and indexing, which are crucial for ranking.

11. Site structure

To crawl your site, index your web pages, and rank your content, search engines need to understand your site. Having a site structure that’s both simple and logical can help with ranking.

Best practices for website structure include:

• Creating an organized navigation menu
• Displaying breadcrumbs to help users navigate your site
• Aiming for as shallow a crawl depth as possible
• Using an optimized URL structure, which shows the category and slug after the domain name

To ensure Google can understand your site structure, submit a sitemap, which is essentially a site directory. You can do this via Google Search Console.

How important are Google ranking factors for SEO?

When you want your content to rank at the top of relevant search results, the ranking factors above are important to keep in mind. Yet some SEO experts also consider somewhat controversial factors.

For example, John Mueller, a prominent Google Search Advocate, has stated that domain age isn’t a ranking factor. However, the Google algorithm leak confirmed that domain authority does impact rankings.

However, the search algorithm isn’t the only element to consider when producing content.

“HawkSEM uses an SEO strategy that focuses on end users, rather than just algorithm changes,” Gonzales shares. “Of course, Google is an important — if not the most vital — signal to consider. However, the end user is ultimately what helps SEO managers formulate a long-term plan for all HawkSEM clients.”

Gonzales explains that HawkSEM’s SEO team seeks out content gaps and opportunities to educate the target audience instead of simply driving top-of-funnel traffic. “We’re focused on how SEO can contribute to a bigger picture strategy that often involves omni-channel approaches.”

How to keep track of your site’s search engine rankings

How do you know if your efforts are paying off? Use one of these popular SEO tools to track your keyword portfolio and overall site visibility:

• Ahrefs is an SEO toolset with tools for website optimization, competitor analysis, and linking opportunities. It also has a rank tracker to monitor keyword rankings.
• Moz is an SEO toolkit with tools to help you rank higher and convert more traffic. It also has a local tool designed for better local SEO visibility.
• SE Ranking is a complete toolkit for SEO monitoring, keyword research, content marketing, and local marketing. It also has a rank tracker to monitor your progress.
• Semrush is an online marketing platform with tools for SEO, competitor analysis, and content marketing. It also has tools for social media and paid search.

Common SEO mistakes website owners should avoid

If you let both the end user and the most important ranking factors as a guide, your SEO efforts should be rewarded. Right? Not exactly.

Without a full-funnel approach, you probably won’t see the results you expect — even if you produce content at scale. Instead, Gonzales states that every website needs a long-term keyword strategy to succeed with SEO.

“Our SEO managers often ask questions like: ‘Do our keyword targets align with a typical buyer?’ and ‘What are end users interested in learning?'” Gonzales explains, “It should be less about producing content at scale and, instead being hyper-focused on content that delivers results.”

And don’t forget about your goals. Gonzales recommends that website owners “measure success by setting benchmarks, determining goals, and identifying performance on a monthly basis. Depending on Google Analytics 4 assessments and total analysis, SEOs should continually make recommendations on strategic content development so that nothing falls short of performance.”

The takeaway

Getting your content to rank at the top of relevant results requires a thoughtful SEO strategy. Use the 11 ranking factors above to increase the chance of your content appearing on the first page of Google.

Looking for expert help? Our experienced SEO team can guide you through everything from keyword research and SEO strategy to redirects and site architecture.

Contact HawkSEM for a complimentary SEO consultation today.