What is Google Ranking Factors?

Any business that wants to be successful needs to have a strong online presence, and that starts with a good website. But simply having a website is not enough. Your site needs to be optimized for search engines if you want it to rank highly in search results. That's where Google ranking factors come in. Google ranking factors are the criteria used by the world's largest search engine to determine where your site will appear in search results. While there are over 200 different factors that go into Google's algorithms, some of the most important include things like the quality of your content, your site's authority, and your overall user experience. By paying attention to these factors, you can help improve your website's ranking and reach a wider audience. In today's competitive market, that can make all the difference.

How do i find out my google page ranking?

Trying to find out your Google ranking can feel like a never-ending quest. After all, there are billions of websites out there, and new ones are being created every day. So how can you hope to find your place among all of that competition? The good news is that there are some easy ways to track your progress. One of the most popular methods is to use the Google Search Console. This tool provides valuable insights into how your website is performing in search results. You can also use keyword tracking tools like Google AdWords or Moz Keyword Explorer to see where your site ranks for specific keywords. With a little bit of effort, you can easily keep tabs on your Google ranking and make sure that your website is always visible to potential customers.

How to get page rank 1 in Google?

Getting to page one of Google is every website owner's dream. After all, Google is the most popular search engine in the world, and appearing on the first page of results generally leads to a significant increase in web traffic. So how can you get your website to the coveted top spot? While there is no guaranteed recipe for success, there are a number of steps you can take to improve your chances of ranking high in Google search results. One of the most important things you can do is to make sure your website is properly optimized for search engines. This means using relevant keywords throughout your content, as well as having a well-organized site structure with clear navigation. You should also take advantage of Google's various tools and services, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These can help you understand how Google views your site and identify any potential issues that could be holding you back from ranking higher. Finally, don't forget the power of link building. Obtaining high-quality links from other websites can help show Google that your site is worthy of a top spot in their results. While there's no guarantee that following these steps will land you at the top of Google's search results, they can certainly help improve your chances. So if you're serious about increasing your web traffic, it's worth taking the time to implement these SEO best practices.

How do i know if Google penalized my site?

If you think that your site may have been penalized by Google, the first step is to check your site's traffic. If you see a sudden and significant drop in traffic, it's possible that your site has been penalized. Another thing to look for is a drop in your rankings for specific keywords. If your site used to rank well for certain keywords but now ranks poorly, that's another sign that you may have been penalized. If you suspect that your site has been penalized, the best thing to do is go into your Google Search Console to look for a penalty notice.

How can I check my SEO ranking?

There are a number of ways to check your seo ranking. One way is to use a keyword tracking tool. This will allow you to see how often your keywords are being used in relation to other keywords in your field. Another way to check your ranking is to use a web analytics service such as Google Analytics. This will give you detailed information about the traffic flowing to your website and where it is coming from. Finally, you can also check your seo ranking manually by using a search engine such as Google or Bing. Simply enter your keywords into the search bar and see where your website appears in the results. By keeping an eye on your seo ranking, you can ensure that your website is visible to potential customers and clients.

Google Ranking Factors - The Complete List

Q: Page Level Ranking Factors

1 â URL Contains Keyword Read More

Q: User Engagement Ranking Factors

1 â SERP CTR (Click Through Rate) Read More

There are many ways to drive traffic to a website; having a high ranking on Google is perhaps the best way to generate traffic. Search engine optimization is an essential factor in increasing Google ranking; however, it doesn’t guarantee that a webpage will appear on the first page of a Google search.

Google occasionally changes its algorithm, and the company hasn’t been forthcoming about all the ranking factors it uses when evaluating websites.

Google has, however, confirmed that it employs around 200 ranking factors in its process. These factors include assessing domain data, page content, site-level factors, relevant keywords, and technical elements.

See below for a comprehensive list of all the ranking factors we know that impact Google search engine ranking.

Table of Contents

Domain Ranking Factors
Negative Domain Factors

Page Level Ranking Factors
- Positive Page Factors
- Negative Page Factors
Site Level Ranking Factors
- Positive Site Factors
- Negative Site Factors
Backlink Ranking Factors
- Positive Link Factors
- Negative Link Factors
User Engagement Ranking Factors
- Positive Engagement Factors
- Negative Engagement Factors
Social Signals Ranking Factors
Brand Signal Ranking Factors
Conclusion
FAQ

Domain Ranking Factors

1 – Exact Match Domain

You still receive a tiny amount of benefit from a precise match domain.

2 – Keywords In Domain

A domain containing a keyword doesn’t encourage you to rank any higher, but having a keyword in your domain name may influence a person to click.

3 – Domain History

If the domain has been in a problem with Google in the past through link spam or bad neighborhoods, it will be challenging to rank.

4 – Domain Age

Mature domains tend to have more backlinks, which effects influence search rankings.

5 – Registration Date of your Domain

The date that a domain with which a document is registered may be used as an indication of the inception date of the document.Google

6 – Domain Renewal Date

Certain signals may be used to distinguish between illegitimate and legitimate domains. Valuable (legitimate) domains are often paid for several years in advance, while doorway (illegitimate) domains rarely are used for more than a year. Therefore, the date when a domain expires in the future can be used as a factor in predicting the legitimacy of a domain and, thus, the documents associated therewith.Google

7 – Country TLD Extension

It can help with Geo-targeting but doesn’t define success.

Negative Domain Factors

1 – Private Whois Data

A private Whois can be for bad actors.

2 – Penalized Whois Owner

If you get a manual action, it can affect every website you own, legitimate or now.

3 – Country TLD Extension

Don’t try to rank with Russian content on a French domain.

4 – Parked Domain

If you are parked, Google de-index’s your website.

5 – Identical Domains on shared hosting

If Plumbers.org + Plumbers.net are on the same shared hosting provider, those websites will be categorized as identical websites.

6 – Changing Hosting Provider

Google will slow your crawls until it can determine what load your server can handle.

7 – 5XX Errors

If your server keeps throwing 5XX errors, Google will assume over time, that page is gone.

Page Level Ranking Factors

Positive Page Factors

1 – URL Contains Keyword

It’s a small factor, but little things add up.

2 – Title Tag Contains Keyword

Title tags are a huge factor; it gives a clear indication of what your page is.

3 – Meta Description Contains Keyword

It signals to Google what your page is.

4 – H1 Tag Contains Keyword

Header tags are a strong signal to page relevance.

5 – Other Headings Contain Keyword

It does help, but best you use LSI so as not to over-optimize your keywords (stuffing)

6 – Main Body Content Contains keywords

Keywords will help maintain and improve relevancy.

7 – Keyword Order

It’s a small factor but helps Google determine relevance. You often see this mistake in Job-related searches.

8 – Latent Semantic Indexing keywords

Latent Semantic Indexing keywords help search engines discover the exact topic. (Orange the Fruit, Colour, or Bank)

9 – Site Speed

User experience directly affects traffic patterns (bounce rate, frustration rate), affecting your rankings.

10 – Unique Content

A 300 word CTA on every page could be affecting your overall score.

11 – Length Of Content

Two thousand words are optimal. Longer pages attract better engagement rates.

12 – Schema / Rich Snippet Markup

Making your content more attractive increases CTR (click-through rates), which increases your rankings.

13 – Multimedia

Unique images and media send signals to Google that you have unique/valuable content.

14 – Image Optimisation

Images that take longer to load will cause people to bounce off your website.

15 – Fresh Content

Google cares about providing fresh, new content to users. If users don’t get that, they will go somewhere else (i.e., Facebook news).

16 – Updated Content

Again, Google wants significant changes so it can label it as fresh.

17 – Outbound Links (OBL)

OBL will not help you rank, but it will signal to Google what your content is.

18 – Internal Links

Internal Links shows Google how important and weight that particular page carries.

19 – Syndicated Content

Syndicated content is excellent when added correctly.

20 – Supplementary Content

Supplementary Content is the content used to boost or complement your core content. If you have a real estate website, you could include mortgage calculators.

21 – Reading Level

The quality of your content will reflect in search results.

22 – W3C code Validation

Code validation is not a ranking factor, but it does help your website operate better, which is better for bots and users.

23 – Domain Authority

Domain rank will affect your Page Rank.

24 – Keyword Placement

Starting with a keyword affects ranking.

25 – Keyword Frequency

Keeping it natural, your keyword should show up more frequently.

26 – Rel=Canonical

Proper canonical tags will combat duplicate content flags.

27 – Historical Page Updates

It is imperative to update your content regularly.

28 – Size Of Content Update

You want your changes to get noticed; rewriting paragraphs is more valuable than updating just the grammar.

29 – Outbound Link Theme

Proper outbound links help to classify your content & are used by Google to catch bad actors buying links.

Negative Page Factors

1 – Duplicate Meta Descriptions

Duplicate meta isn’t a problem; Google regularly pulls your first paragraph text in search results, so it’s crucial to optimize your content accordingly.

2 – Duplicate Title Tags

Title tags are essential indicators to Google what your website is. So if your titles are all duplicates, it makes it harder for Google to distinguish your content.

3 – Using Underscores

Stop using underscores in images; Google doesn’t like it.

4 – Keyword Stuffed Meta Tags

Just don’t do it, it won’t help you, and it ends up lowering your search rankings. (e.g., SEO Expert, SEO Services, SEO Ninja… when it should read: SEO Services – Fast & effective results.)

6 – Keyword Density

The sweet spot is 3%. To avoid this, ensure your keyword is in your title tag, meta description, H1 tag, and once or twice in the body. A good test is to read your content out loud or use a tool like Grammarly.

7 – Slow Load Times

Unhappy users lead to unhappy search rankings.

8 – Duplicate Content

Invest in a service like Copyscape; it’s super cheap and will save you lots of frustration.

9 – Hidden Content

Hidden content for manipulating your search results or tricking users will result in being penalized. (e.g., the White font on white background.)

10 – Irrelevant Image Alt Tags

Google can tell what is in an image, so don’t lie.

11 – Outbound Links

OBL (Outbound Links) used to obscure, distract, or for-profit can get you penalized.

12 – Broken Links

Broken links signals to Google that you are not maintaining your website.

13 – Too Many Affiliate Links

Affiliate links aren’t necessarily a problem, but spamming can get you into trouble. Best to put a NoFollow on your affiliate links.

14 – HTML Errors

It’s not a ranking factor, but it can how effectively Google bots crawl your website.

15 – URL Length

Google has confirmed it has no preference on URL length, but it only read the first few keywords in the URL.

URLs containing ‘#’ will be ignored.

16 – Spelling & Grammar

Google does not care about your spelling and grammar, but your visitors will.

17 – Pop-ups

No one likes pop-ups; it ruins the user experience + will negatively affect your SEO.

18 – Incorrect or missing NAP

NAP, which stands for Name, Address, a Phone number, is vital for signaling trust to Google. It’s also crucial your NAP matches across listings and social platforms.

Site Level Ranking Factors

Positive Site Factors

1 – Domain Trust

Google wants to know it can trust you!

2 – Contact Us

No way to contact you? Then why should we trust you?

3 – Privacy Policy & Terms

Don’t worry about duplicate content; you must have a privacy policy. It’s required when using Adsense, so it’s easy to say they want it everywhere.

4 – About Us Page

An about page signals who you are.

5 – Site Structure

Having an easy-to-follow structure is a good indicator for Google. Google looks at the click-through rate from the homepage when it considers its ranking factors.

6 – Site Freshness

Keep your site up to date; it signals to Google that you have fresh content. Freshness would include CMS + Plugin updates.

7 – Number Of Pages

How many pages you have isn’t a factor, but it gives you a better chance to rank for more keywords — overall giving you more chances to win.

8 – XML Sitemap

Make it easier for Google to crawl your website. Not having an XML sitemap won’t negatively affect your website, but you want to do everything to ensure no pages are missed or take too long to index.

9 – HTML Sitemap

Sitemaps is another medium to ensure Google crawls every page of your website.

10 – Server Location

Server location plays a small factor, but everything adds up.

11 – HTTPS/SSL

An encrypted URL is an official signal used by Google, but it is still a factor you should be on board. Ensure your website is forwarded correctly.

12 – Breadcrumb Rich Snippets

Google loves trust and visibility. It also looks better and more enticing to users to click on your SERPs.

13 – Mobile Optimisation

Google recently introduced mobile-first indexing, which signals what Google has set as priorities.

14 – Hreflang

Hreflang tags help to sort your geo-location and language. Proper tagging won’t help you internationally but will help you locally. Its seen as another small factor that could add up over time.

Negative Site Factors

1 – Site Downtime

Server downtime over weeks will stop Google from showing your results until you notify Google that it’s back.

2 – Duplicate Meta Content

Duplicate Meta Content can lead to less visibility.

3 – Not Optimized For Mobile

Not Optimized For Mobile won’t directly affect rankings, but you should have a responsive design if you want to show up in mobile search.

4 – Poor User Engagement

Google knows your website metrics; high bounce rates, low time on site, slow load times will drop your search engine rankings.

5 – Negative Reviews

Getting tons of bad reviews on BBB, Yelp, RipOffReport will send your rankings spiraling.

6 – Adverts Above The Fold

Anything that distracts from the main content will cost you.

7 – Pagerank Sculpting

NoFollow’ing all outbound links, NoFollow specific internal links will hurt you. Pagerank sculpting is trying to deceive Google, and they don’t like that.

Backlink Ranking Factors

Positive Link Factors

1 – Number Of Links

The quality & number of backlinks to your website directly affects ranking.

2 – Anchor Text

Anchor text helps Google understand the topic, but be sure not to over-optimize this.

3 – Link Title

Linked titles are much weaker than anchor text, but combined, a title text with a related anchor with pass more juice.

4 – Domain & Page Relevancy

A backlink with higher DR + PR will send more power to your website.

5 – Link Sentiment

The text around your links will pass more relevancy and power in Google’s eyes.

6 – Age Of Backlink

Like a fine wine, an older backlink will provide more power than a newly created link.

7 – Backlinking IPs

Links only count as long as they are on separate IPs; you want a range of IPs for maximum effect.

8 – Competitor Links

Links from competing pages will boost your rankings.

9 – Social Signals

Social backlinks show Google your content is relevant and engaging.

10 – Referral Traffic

The traffic you receive from referral links is often overlooked, but it is precious to your website.

11 – Homepage Links

Homepage links carry the most weight because most backlinks are located further down on the site structure.

12 – Contextual Links

Links from your main content pages are far more powerful than links from posts or footer links.

13 – User-Generated Content Links

Google can tell the difference between user-generated links + webmaster generated links. User generation will always be more powerful.

14 – 301 Redirects

301’s pass link juice, plain + simple.

15 – Positive Link Velocity

Positive link velocity is how many links you grow over time. Your goal should be to keep it neutral or positive at all times.

16 – Nofollow Links (Wikipedia)

Even though it doesn’t pass link juice, it does give authority + traffic.

17 – Word Count Of Page

Two thousand words on a page are more engaging and keyword abundant than a 100-word article.

18 – Sitewide Links

A footer link on every page is categorized as a single link, but it still adds authority.

Negative Link Factors

1 – Bad Neighbours

Links from wrong sources or hosting in a lousy network will harm your reputation and translate to your rankings.

2 – Same IPs

Creating your backlinks on a VPS will be seen as link manipulation and hurt your SEO.

3 – Spammy Guest Posts

Guest posts are great for growing backlinks unless they are purchased, spammy, or spun.

4 – Buying Links

If you can Google where to purchase backlinks, it’s safe to say so does Google.

5 – Selling Links

It’s only an issue if you get caught, but people are foolish.

6 – Negative Link Velocity

Lost links are a sign you people are losing interest. It’s almost like a popularity game.

7 – Reciprocal Linking

Reciprocal links are okay if you own complementary businesses, partnerships, or divisions. But when it comes to overoptimization or schemes, be careful of being penalized.

8 – Forum Profiles

Too many forum profiles are a direct signal of black hat trickery.

9 – Linking Relevancy

Backlinks should reflect your industry. Irrelevant backlinks is a sign you are trying to game the
system.

10 – Unregular Link Profiles

Google’s Penguin algorithm tends to focus on your backlink profile, looking for unnatural manipulation.

User Engagement Ranking Factors

Positive Engagement Factors

1 – SERP CTR (Click Through Rate)

The more positive clicks you get from Google Search, the higher you will rank. Engaged traffic will always outweigh backlinks.

2 – Dwell Time

When people click on your search result, Google tracks, then go to the next result; this is called Pogo Sticking. If a user goes to your site, then ends their search, it’s a good indication they found what they needed.

4 – Low Bounce Rate

Lower bounce rates attract higher visibility in search.

5 – Pages Per Visit

The more engaged a user is, the more pages they will visit on your website. Engagement is a good indicator of quality content.

6 – Direct Traffic

Direct traffic signals value if you check a website every morning without Googling it, it’s a staple and deemed worthwhile.

7 – Returning Visitors

Low-quality websites don’t get returning visitors.

8 – Comments

Google wants you to be engaged; the more engaged you are, the more you use their services. Comments are a key indicator that your website is useful.

Negative Engagement Factors

Pretty much the opposite of everything above!

Low SERP click-through rates, high pogo-sticking, high bounce rates…

Other things to take into consideration:

Social Signals Ranking Factors

Ranking Factors include the number of tweets a domain has, Facebook shares, comments + likes (engagement), Pinterest pins, YouTube Links are not ranking factors, but they will help your links get found and builds referral traffic.

The positive Social Media velocity is essential for getting your brand seen. If you are buying followers and falling off after a few days, this will hurt your relevancy.

Brand Signal Ranking Factors

Positive branded anchor text, branded searches, brand mentions/citations are all essential. Negative reviews and low branded CTR will hurt your score.

Brand signals also include LinkedIn business pages, Facebook Pages, GMB (Google My Business registrations)

Conclusion

Backlinks will get you to the top 10 in Google; user engagement will keep you there.

FAQ

What is Google Ranking Factors?
Any business that wants to be successful needs to have a strong online presence, and that starts with a good website. But simply having a website is not enough. Your site needs to be optimized for search engines if you want it to rank highly in search results. That’s where Google ranking factors come in. Google ranking factors are the criteria used by the world’s largest search engine to determine where your site will appear in search results. While there are over 200 different factors that go into Google’s algorithms, some of the most important include things like the quality of your content, your site’s authority, and your overall user experience. By paying attention to these factors, you can help improve your website’s ranking and reach a wider audience. In today’s competitive market, that can make all the difference.
How do i find out my google page ranking?
Trying to find out your Google ranking can feel like a never-ending quest. After all, there are billions of websites out there, and new ones are being created every day. So how can you hope to find your place among all of that competition? The good news is that there are some easy ways to track your progress. One of the most popular methods is to use the Google Search Console. This tool provides valuable insights into how your website is performing in search results. You can also use keyword tracking tools like Google AdWords or Moz Keyword Explorer to see where your site ranks for specific keywords. With a little bit of effort, you can easily keep tabs on your Google ranking and make sure that your website is always visible to potential customers.
How to get page rank 1 in Google?
Getting to page one of Google is every website owner’s dream. After all, Google is the most popular search engine in the world, and appearing on the first page of results generally leads to a significant increase in web traffic. So how can you get your website to the coveted top spot? While there is no guaranteed recipe for success, there are a number of steps you can take to improve your chances of ranking high in Google search results.

One of the most important things you can do is to make sure your website is properly optimized for search engines. This means using relevant keywords throughout your content, as well as having a well-organized site structure with clear navigation. You should also take advantage of Google’s various tools and services, such as Google Analytics and Google Search Console. These can help you understand how Google views your site and identify any potential issues that could be holding you back from ranking higher. Finally, don’t forget the power of link building. Obtaining high-quality links from other websites can help show Google that your site is worthy of a top spot in their results.

While there’s no guarantee that following these steps will land you at the top of Google’s search results, they can certainly help improve your chances. So if you’re serious about increasing your web traffic, it’s worth taking the time to implement these SEO best practices.
How do i know if Google penalized my site?
If you think that your site may have been penalized by Google, the first step is to check your site’s traffic. If you see a sudden and significant drop in traffic, it’s possible that your site has been penalized. Another thing to look for is a drop in your rankings for specific keywords. If your site used to rank well for certain keywords but now ranks poorly, that’s another sign that you may have been penalized.

If you suspect that your site has been penalized, the best thing to do is go into your Google Search Console to look for a penalty notice.
How can I check my SEO ranking?
There are a number of ways to check your seo ranking. One way is to use a keyword tracking tool. This will allow you to see how often your keywords are being used in relation to other keywords in your field. Another way to check your ranking is to use a web analytics service such as Google Analytics. This will give you detailed information about the traffic flowing to your website and where it is coming from. Finally, you can also check your seo ranking manually by using a search engine such as Google or Bing. Simply enter your keywords into the search bar and see where your website appears in the results. By keeping an eye on your seo ranking, you can ensure that your website is visible to potential customers and clients.

Published on: 2020-01-02
Updated on: 2024-01-12

Isaac Adams-Hands

Isaac Adams-Hands is the SEO Director at SEO North, a company that provides Search Engine Optimization services. As an SEO Professional, Isaac has considerable expertise in On-page SEO, Off-page SEO, and Technical SEO, which gives him a leg up against the competition.