Google Ranking Factors

Complete guide to Google's search ranking factors. Understand the on-site and off-site signals that influence your search visibility and organic traffic.

Explore Ranking Factors

Google Ranking Factor Categories

Google's algorithm considers hundreds of factors. We've organized them into key categories for better understanding.

On-Site SEO Factors

Direct Control

Elements you can directly control on your website to improve search rankings and user experience.

Content Quality & E-A-T

  • • Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness
  • • Original, comprehensive content
  • • User search intent matching
  • • Content freshness and updates

Technical SEO

  • • Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS)
  • • Mobile-first indexing compatibility
  • • HTTPS security
  • • Crawlability and indexability

On-Page Elements

  • • Title tags and meta descriptions
  • • Header structure (H1, H2, H3)
  • • Internal linking strategy
  • • Image optimization and alt text

User Experience

  • • Page loading speed
  • • Mobile responsiveness
  • • Navigation and site structure
  • • User engagement metrics

Off-Site Factors

External Signals

External signals that Google uses to assess your website's authority, popularity, and relevance.

Backlinks & Link Authority

  • • Quality and authority of linking domains
  • • Relevance of linking content
  • • Anchor text diversity
  • • Link velocity and natural patterns
Deep Dive into Backlinks

Brand & Entity Signals

  • • Brand mentions across the web
  • • Entity recognition in Knowledge Graph
  • • Social media presence and engagement
  • • Online reviews and reputation

Geographic & Local Signals

  • • Google My Business optimization
  • • Local citations and NAP consistency
  • • Geographic relevance of backlinks
  • • Location-specific content

User Behavior Signals

  • • Click-through rates from search results
  • • Dwell time and bounce rate
  • • Direct traffic and branded searches
  • • Return visitor patterns

Are Backlinks Still a Google Ranking Factor?

Despite rumors of their declining importance, backlinks remain one of Google's top ranking factors. Our comprehensive analysis reveals how link authority works in 2024.

Read Full Analysis