Google's 200 (Known) Ranking Factors: Your Cheat Sheet

You conduct in-depth keyword research and produce absolutely fantastic content that succeeds — success!

You feel like you're on top of the world as you ride the SERP growth waves.

Then, the following day, an algorithm update appears, and suddenly, your rankings have fallen.

An algorithm update will happen eventually, whether it rocks your world or obliterates it. So it's time to accept the truth and move on from the changes.

There is a list that will help you get there, despite how challenging it may seem to rank in the desired number one position: the 200 ranking factors used by Google.

This list acts as our road map in a field that's always changing.

Google announced that it used more than 200 ranking factors in 2006. That's undoubtedly the most comprehensive viewpoint, but to make it a little more tactical, I've compiled all of the known ranking factors in one post and shared my personal top 10.

But before you dive in, be aware that everything in SEO is debatable, and there have been some disagreements over the so-called "200 known ranking factors." SEOs frequently have different opinions about which ranking factors are most crucial or even relevant.

However, one area where Google keeps making improvements for its users is the user experience. Referring to these ranking factors will help you improve both your SEO and your overall marketing strategy if you want to produce more informative content for your target audience.

What does Google's ranking factor mean?

The criteria used by Google (and other search engines) when evaluating pages to determine the most relevant results to return for a search query are known as ranking factors.

Effective SEO requires a thorough understanding of ranking factors. Not because they're the be-all, end-all of SEO (they're not), but because they help create a better user experience, which guarantees more leads and conversions for your business, all marketers, content creators, and SEO strategists should be familiar with them. Consequently, I would highly suggest using these factors as a guide.

How many variables affect Google ranking?

Over 200 ranking factors—again, this is debatable—are generally accepted as valid. There have been tens of thousands of algorithm updates since 2006.

SEOs test each update to see what has changed. So, while some of these factors have been proven, others are still just conjecture.

Each of the 200 (Known) Ranking Factors

I'll begin by giving an overview of all 200 ranking factors before delving deeply into the top ten factors that, in my opinion and based on my experience as an SEO consultant for B2B and B2C businesses, have the biggest impact.

The top categories are as follows:

Page-Level Factors Domain Factors

Site-Level Elements

Backlink Elements

Special Google Algorithm Rules for User Interaction

Brand indicators On-site and off-site webspam factors

Domain Constraints

All ranking factors that have a connection to your domain (the plain-vanilla version of your website at example.com), such as:

Your website's age

in your domain, a keyword

Your domain's keyword is the first word.

length of domain registration

Subdomain's keyword Domain background

penalised public whois owner as opposed to private whois

Page-Level Elements

The factors you can optimise at the page level include things like:

the word is present in the title tag

Putting the keyword in the title tag's first position

Including a keyword in your meta description tag

the H1 tag contains the keyword

The content frequently uses keywords.

Article length

Word count comparisons

a linked table of contents is present.

Keyword abundance

semantically related keywords are present

Meta title and description using semantically related keywords

deep, high-quality content

Useful information

Chrome was used to test the HTML page's loading speed.

Core web necessities

On the same website, there are no duplicates.

Image optimization using ALT, the file name, and the title

content freshness (the newer, the better)

aged pages

How many content updates involved content changes?

data on page updates in the past

Using rel=canonical correctly

Using keywords in the H2 and H3 tags

keyword present within the first 100 words

punctuation and spelling

originality of the content on the page

Matching entity

amount of external links

Usability and optimization for mobile

Discreet mobile content (may not be indexed)

Mobile-optimized website

the presence of multimedia, such as pictures and videos

amount of external links

The calibre of external links

Topic of external links

availability of useful supplemental material, such as calculators and tools that are free

Behind-the-tabs content that might not be indexed or appear in search snippets

how many internal links there are to the page

how well-made the internal links are

excessive number of broken links (could lower ranking capabilities)

The difficulty of the page's reading

numerous affiliate links present

many HTML errors present

Domain's authority/trustworthiness

the page's level of authority and trust

PageRank Length of the URL Proximity to the homepage

keyword present in URL

the judgement of human editors

category of the page's relevance to the page

Content formatting for readability and user-friendliness

UX signal from pages ranking for the same keyword that determines the page's priority in the sitemap.xml

Including sources and references

using a layout that is user-friendly

URL in the search engine results page of Google

the page's internal link anchor text

employing structured data

Site-level elements

Site-level factors look at the entire site rather than just a specific page. They consist of:

Having a contact page or providing enough contact information

Site content adds value or offers fresh perspectives.

TrustRank (how close your site is to a known and trusted site in terms of linking) (how close your site is to a known and trusted site in terms of linking)

website updates to maintain freshness

Design of the website

an online sitemap

Long-term website outages

HTTPS server location and use of a current SSL certificate

pages with legal text (terms and conditions and privacy policy)

distinct metadata

Breadcrumb markup usage

Mobile site optimization

overall site usability (usability and interactiveness)

Bouncing rate

Dominant domain

user opinions

Site standing

Links' factors

To decide where to rank your page, backlink factors consider the websites that link to you. When a website has quality content, it will typically rank higher when other high-quality websites link to it. The following are the backlink criteria:

the linking domain's age

how many referring domains there are

the number of links coming from various c-class IPs

The quantity of referring pages

Backlinks' anchor text

Image links' ALT tags

the number of links coming from.gov and.edu domains

Credibility of the linking page

Trustworthiness of the linking domain

the presence of links from rival websites

Number of links from anticipated industry websites

Links from undesirable areas

how many links are not from advertisements

TLD of the referring domains' country

Dominant domain

some links that are nofollow

Different link profiles

the linking page's content and the context of the content

More follow links that are sponsored or user-generated content

many backlinks with 301 redirects to the URL

Hovering over a link will reveal text that appears in that link's location on the page.

Content where the link is located Links from pertinent domains

Links to pertinent pages

the keyword for your page is present in the linking page's title

Natural rate of increase in links

Unnatural and erratic growth in the number of links

Links to authoritative sources or hubs on a particular subject

number of links coming from sites considered to be authoritative

cited in a Wikipedia article as a source

Your backlinks' surrounding text

Links' age

Real-site links versus blogs that aren't real

Authentic link profile

Overly reciprocal links

UGC vs. links in actual content

Links pointing to a page that has a 301 redirect

the linking site's TrustRank

less external links on the linking page

Links in forums versus links in actual content

Sitewide links equal one link, regardless of the word count or quality of the linking content.

User Engagement

Google consistently highlights in its update announcements how crucial it is to give website visitors a top-notch user experience. To rank your page appropriately, these variables that gauge user interaction include:

Rate of organic clicks for the targeted keyword

Rates of organic clicks for all ranking keywords

Bounce rate Dwell time

RankBrain-based analysis of user interaction on your site

aggregate direct traffic

percentage of returning customers

Blocking websites

percentage of visitors who click on other pages after visiting your page on the SERP

Chrome users who frequently bookmark this page

Comment count on the page

Special The Google Algorithm

There are some Google Algorithm rules that have no direct relation to your page or domain. They include elements that take into account better overall search results or personalising search results for the user. Here are a few examples:

Diversity in the SERP is required

Freshness is required in the SERP.

User's browsing history User's search history

For featured snippets, concise responses, formatting, page authority, and HTTPS are all necessary.

Geo-targeting

Adult material or foul language (excluded from safe search results)

High standards for YMYL keyword content quality

proper DMCA complaints

Domain diversity is necessary for SERP

Commercial searches

Results of local searches

news stories mentioning the keyword for the Top Stories box are present.

a search query

big brands present with pertinent content (they are often ranked higher)

results that are available that are Google Shopping-optimized

Image outcomes

sponsored search

April Fools' Day pranks and Easter eggs from Google (this one makes me laugh)

Unwanted requests

shady websites

Logo signals

How effective in terms of SEO is your branding strategy? If you haven't taken care of your brand's mentions online, you should start right away. Because your brand is impacted by some significant ranking factors:

keyword + brand searches (for example, Hubspot SEO)

customised anchor text

With followers on Twitter

LinkedIn's official page

Facebook page with a large following

Personalized searches

Verified online profiles or authors

actual social media profiles

Top stories mentioning brands

mentions of brands without links

Office locations in the real world

Local Web

As with many things in life, appearances affect how we're perceived, so you need to make sure your site isn't spammy and doesn't look spammy if you want to rank highly on search engine results. Here are some related factors:

Low-quality information

Links to undesirable areas

numerous cunning redirects

IP address of a flagged server

annoying pop-ups and ads

spammy pop-ups that are challenging to close

site over-optimization

Use of doorway pages for gibberish

There are many ads above the fold but little content.

obscure affiliate links

shabby content websites

website partners

Using too many keywords in meta tags

Create generated content while disabling all external links

Off-site Website Spam Factors

Depending on what is done outside of your website that connects to your website, off-site webspam factors have an impact on spam. They consist of:

Unexpected and sudden growth in backlinks

hacked website

There are many low-quality backlinks

high percentage of links from websites that are unrelated

low-grade links in directories

Widgets that automatically link

Links to other websites sharing the same server IP

Using the word "poison" as your anchor text

ignored user input in the search console

purchasing links

schemes for temporary links

We made it, hurray! This list may appear lengthy, but I've whittled it down to my top 10 to help make it more manageable.

Best 10 Google Ranking Elements

Before we discuss my top 10 Google ranking factors, bear in mind that everything in SEO is up for debate. While some SEO specialists might agree that these 10 factors are among the most important for rankings, other SEOs might disagree. But these are the things that, in my opinion, are most crucial.

I selected my top 10 sites based on what I've observed enhances user experience, optimises conversion rates, signals reliability, ranks well, generates significant amounts of organic monthly traffic, and encourages customer retention and loyalty. Let's start now.

1. Information that offers useful and original insights.

As was already mentioned, Google has always prioritised high-quality content. Simply because your audience enjoys it, publishing content that offers value and distinctive insights not found on any other website can boost your ranking.

How to do it:

Make sure you are an authority on the topic you are writing about or that, at the very least, you have done extensive research on it.

To write your content, employ subject-matter experts.

Give your audience accurate information that clarifies their concerns about the issues that matter to them the most.

Avoid writing filler.

2. Information that delves deeply into a subject.

Aiming for page one rankings? Stop producing mediocre content. Research has consistently shown that content that addresses all topics, whether in long form or short, performs better in search results. What you should do is:

Examine the content of your rivals and write about the mistakes they made.

Include all pertinent information and respond to any queries readers may have.

By including elements like images, a clickable table of contents, jump links, and CTAs to pertinent information, you can make the text more readable.

3. Rates of natural click-through.

Google is able to determine the popularity of your content based on your organic click through rate. Google will believe your content is more relevant to that keyword and rank you higher for it if more people are clicking on your post in the SERP.

To increase your organic click-through rate, you must create compelling meta descriptions and titles. The following advice will help you create the best meta title and description:

Use strong words.

Verify that your keyword can be seen in the meta title.

Subtitles should not exceed 62 characters.

Your meta description should not exceed 150 characters.

You should make your meta description useful to readers (use it to show them how they benefit from reading your content).

Keep in mind that all other SEO elements must be in place for higher rankings before you can improve organic click through rate. In any case, most people wouldn't even see your page if it were in the 100th position.

4. Using keywords in H1.

The H1 identifies the subject matter of your content. Therefore, add your keyword to your H1 tag. The use of the same phrase in both your H1 and meta title, according to some SEOs, is a sign that you are keyword stuffing. Therefore, you might want to add a little flavour to it while still making sure your keyword is there. Combine it with all of the on-page optimization (meta data, URL, other headings).

5. The length of the content.

When it comes to SEO, there is some disagreement regarding content length. Some people think the ideal length should be 2000 words or more. That shouldn't be the case all the time, though. Although it appears that long-form content receives the most backlinks, it's important to only write long-form content when it's necessary to cover the entire topic.

It's also a good idea to look at what your rivals are doing because that can be a sign of high-quality content. You won't likely rank highly for that term if all of your rivals have between 2000 and 4000 words and you only have 200.

6. Domain authority of a website.

Contrary to popular belief, Domain Authority (DA) is not a ranking factor for the straightforward reason that Google did not develop it. John Mueller responded when asked if it was a signal, "It's a tool by Moz."

But in my opinion, it's important to keep in mind because Moz (as well as other tools like SEMrush and Arel=" noopener" target=" blank" hrefs) uses specific signals to create that score that are comparable to Google's ranking factors.

When more reputable websites link to yours and you have high-ranking content, this suggests that you should be trusted, which raises your rankings even higher and influences DA. So, in a nutshell, even if Google doesn't confirm it, you might want to concentrate on increasing your DA.

7. The overall number of links coming from reliable sources.

The total number of backlinks and referring domains is significant, but only if the sources are pertinent. John Mueller made a comment in February 2021 about the significance of link relevance and the fact that even if you build a lot of backlinks, Google will ignore them if they are not relevant.

Focus on creating more relevant and high-quality backlinks rather than creating millions of them.

8. HTML page loading time.

Core web metrics will start to be used as a ranking signal in mid-June, Google announced last year. PageSpeed includes core web essentials, and page speed has an impact on user experience.

Google is more likely to lower your rankings if your site is too slow to load or use, especially if your rivals' websites load quickly and have excellent content.

9. Usability on mobile.

Users are increasingly accessing your website via mobile, and user experience is crucial for SEO success. Because of this, whenever Google detects that your site is not responsive, it continuously notifies you in Search Console.

Work on your mobile usability if you want to win favour with Google and, more importantly, your users.

10. Excessive optimization

Don't go overboard; this serves as a reminder that you should place an emphasis on optimising for people rather than the algorithm. When you overoptimize your pages, Google will notice that you're putting forth too much effort and may assume that you're trying to manipulate the system. In that case, you suffer a penalty.

Other significant ranking elements that weren't included in the top 10 but that you still need to focus on include the following:

effectiveness of internal links indicating the page

Website design and usability

Links in context

Outgoing link strength

Stay time

Personalized searches

image alt text

folks, that's all!

You are now familiar with the 200 established ranking factors as well as my top 10. Please do not take the advice in this article as gospel. Only Google, who is not me, can confirm the precise ranking factors. The majority of this information comes from my observations over the years working with various websites.