If you ever wondered “How does Google rank search results?”, this guide is for you.
Google search engine rankings are displayed after being influenced by several factors. They matter a lot among individuals and businesses relying on organic traffic. Understanding the dos and don’ts alongside knowing fluctuations from the forever-updating Google Search Algorithm makes it an easier stroll. Those scoring higher rankings in Google often evaluate how the search engine’s algorithm works, how to be top-notch with on-page and off-page activities, and numerous others to meet their goals.
How does the Google Ranking Algorithm work?
To learn how Google ranks search results, we’ll have to discover how its ranking algorithm works.
The search engine has an entire library where it stores all the web pages to date. It indexes them individually to display the relevant ones whenever a user searches for similar content. When any search query is made, the algorithm filters the best-matching web results. It could be websites, images, FAQs, videos, or any content format based on the search query made.
Google search results ranking mainly relies on the relevance and quality of the content.
How do you know if your website has been indexed i.e. added to the library? Will Google rank it from thereon? Google ranks websites precisely by crawling. ‘Crawling’ means Google bots identify the webpage via scanning. The bots (also called web crawlers) scan the entire content, including the internal and external links. The text and media content cannot be comprehended and so the search engine identifies their meaning through natural language processing (NLP).
Ranking in Google Search is according to the combination of keywords in a search query, relevance of the website and high-quality content. Several on-page SEO elements are considered too.
How does crawling/indexing happen? This process is automated and performed by crawlers. Once the site/webpage/content is indexed, it is ready to be displayed for specific search terms. Did you know? Google results ranking for webpages is determined by 200+ ranking signals.
Below are the foremost factors for Google search engine rankings:
➸ Page speed
➸ Quality and freshness of the content (determines relevance of content with user’s search intent)
➸ Quality and number of backlinks (verifying website’s authority)
➸ Keyword optimization
➸ Responsive design (runs efficiently across devices)
When and how frequently do Google updates happen?
It is uncertain how Google ranks websites that can be positively or negatively affected by the search engine algorithm updates. Nobody has an exact answer to when and how frequently these updates are released. The only intent for updates is a refinement of the search results, making the best-relevant sites rank higher & penalize low-authority sites. Whenever updates happen, you can identify them by these signals, to be listed as a few:
➸ Your existing site ranks fluctuate (go up or down)
➸ Traffic is affected (more or less)
➸ Sales boost or drop
How to improve ranking in Google after updates?
As Google algorithm updates intend to deliver valuable experience to users, it is important to keep up with how Google ranks search results by the latest. Here are some basics on the search engine algorithm updates to understand first if you want to improve ranking with each release.
Core Updates: The search algorithm of Google is updated many times a year and referred to as core updates. Any website can never be prepared for withstanding them and its impact is widespread. It will take a comprehensive approach – following Google’s guidelines, ensuring high-quality content and focusing on the content quality.
System Updates: Along with Google algorithms, the system updates are essential to be understood for a closer look at how your website rank on Google. The more valuable, helpful, and fresh your content is, the more your chance is to rank higher.
Major Updates: You may know them by names (for instance, Penguin update, Discovery update, etc). They are released with a specific target that will change the perspective on how Google ranks websites.
Minor Updates: They target spam and tweaks. A lot of websites seem to be affected unfairly whenever such updates are released but if you are keeping up with high-quality content and prioritizing user experience, your website shall bounce back to pre-update ranking in Google soon.
How does your website rank on Google?
Now that we have several insights handy on how Google rank websites through its algorithms, you may wonder why it even ranks them. What does it take into account?
Let’s have a quick overview of Keyword analysis first. The search query entered in the browser is a keyword for Google. If short (1-5 words), it is a short-tail keyword. If detailed (7-more) then it’s a long-tail keyword. The more refined the searcher’s intent is, the better it will be for the search engine to display relevant results.
Did you know? Google is never ranking websites but webpages through its helpful content system.
The page-level ranks can impact the site’s rank overall.
Here are the top factors accounted for by the search engine for featuring the top Google ranks search results:
On-page SEO factors
On-page SEO factors are elements within your website’s content and structure that impact search rankings. Since these factors are entirely within your control, optimizing them is one of the most effective ways to improve your visibility in search results.
Off-Page SEO Factors
Off-page SEO involves signals from external sources that influence rankings. Key factors include:
➸ Backlinks: High-quality, trusted links carry significant weight.
➸ Google Business Profile: Enhances local and overall SEO while improving E-E-A-T. Look for details by googling “What is E-E-A-T?”.
➸ Domain/Page Authority: Indirect metrics tracking SEO progress.
Avoid black-hat tactics like spammy link-building. Instead, focus on natural strategies:
➸ Publish valuable, link-worthy content.
➸ Collaborate on guest posts, infographics, and social campaigns.
➸ Build relationships with influencers and issue press releases.
By addressing both on-page and off-page factors, you can significantly enhance your site’s SEO performance.
Search Intent
Search intent defines what the user’s search query means. Google can distinguish between similar terms. The four primary types of intent are:
Navigational: Finding specific sites or pages, like a Wikipedia article or Facebook login.
Informational: Answering questions or providing knowledge.
Commercial: Researching with the intent to make future purchases.
Transactional: Queries indicating readiness to buy, often including “buy” keywords.
Google prioritizes content aligned with user intent, displaying product reviews for purchase-related searches and videos or snippets for informational or “how-to” queries. To rank well, analyze top- ranking pages for your target keywords and tailor your content accordingly.
Relevance
Google uses factors like location and search history to deliver relevant results. For example, someone searching for “fruits home delivery” typically prefers local options. Fresh content is also prioritized, especially for time-sensitive topics like product recalls. To optimize relevance, businesses prefer local marketing:
➸ Create evergreen content with long-term appeal.
➸ Update pages regularly with fresh keywords, multimedia, and information.
➸ Perform SEO audits to address issues like broken links.
What is Google My Business Ranking Factors?
Google My Business ranking factors determine how your business appears in local search results. Key factors include relevance, distance, and prominence. Optimizing your business profile with accurate information, customer reviews, high-quality images, and consistent updates enhances visibility while building backlinks and maintaining a strong online presence further boosts rankings.
Content Quality
High-quality content is essential for better rankings. Google evaluates quality using its E-E-A-T principles: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. To meet these standards:
➸ Publish in-depth, research-backed content.
➸ Collaborate with experts and provide transparent business details.
➸ Use professional authors or reviewers to ensure accuracy.
Usability
A good user experience (UX) boosts rankings, especially with updates emphasizing mobile friendliness and page speed. Core Web Vitals—measuring page performance—are critical. Tools like Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights can help optimize UX. Accessibility improvements, though technical, further enhance user satisfaction.
The Role of Google Search Console & Google Analytics
Google Search Console provides useful insights into your website’s search performance, showing which keywords lead to impressions, clicks, and rankings for specific pages. While it’s not the most detailed tool for tracking rankings, it’s the only one directly from Google. Pair it with Google Analytics to better understand your visitors, though Analytics doesn’t show ranking data.
Conclusion
Google’s search rankings are largely relative, meaning your competitors’ actions can impact your site’s performance. If a competitor enhances their content and builds more backlinks, your rankings might drop, even if you haven’t changed anything. To stay ahead, keep improving your website regularly, even when you’re already ranking well.
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