10 Google Ranking Factors for 2024
Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2025 6:30 am
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), knowing Google's ranking factors is key to success. Google's algorithms are becoming more complex each year, and it's important to stay up to date with the latest changes. In this article, we'll look at the top 10 Google ranking factors for 2024 to help you rank high in search results.
Google On Page Ranking Factors
The following ranking factors are more skype database page-specific, hence the term "on-page SEO."
1. Relevant, high-quality content
One of the most important Google ranking factors is quality content. According to research, sites with unique, informative, and useful content have a better chance of getting to the first page of search results. So don’t skimp on content. Signs of quality content:
He is trustworthy.
It is easy to read.
This is fresh.
This matches the purpose of the keyword.
2. Placing keywords
Another important ranking factor is keyword optimization. Including relevant keywords in your titles, meta tags, URLs, and content text will help search engines better understand what your site is about and increase its visibility in search results. This includes:
Title tag
H1 Heading
H2 headings: there should be at least two of them
URL: should be short and descriptive.
Naturally, in the main part, as well as in the first 100 words
Meta Description: The promotional text that appears below the title tag. Make sure it accurately describes the page and gives users a reason to click through.
3. Image optimization
This is important not only because of Google Image Search, but also because organic search results are becoming increasingly visual, especially on mobile devices. Here's how to optimize images for SEO:
Assign Alt Text: This is a text alternative to the image and is the only way Google can “see” it. The text should be short but descriptive and include the keyword. This also makes the website accessible to visually impaired readers who use screen readers to browse the web and will indicate if the image is not loading.
Compression and resizing: You can use an image compressor to reduce the file size of your images to 70-100 KB or less if possible. Saving as JPG instead of PNG often helps. Also, images should rarely be more than 1000 pixels wide. Although a responsive website will automatically resize images, the fewer requests a site has to make to the server, the better for page speed.
Add value: If possible, avoid using empty images and graphics in blog posts and instead use screenshots, examples, diagrams, and illustrations that describe concepts. This improves the quality of the content and engages users.
Specify the keyword: Not only in the text, but also in the file name. And replace spaces with dashes in the file name, otherwise the CMS will replace them with “% 20”, which will create an unreliable link to the image.
4. Niche expertise
It's not just the quality of the content that indicates expertise in a niche, but also the quantity of that quality content. To build on your niche expertise, you can use the hub and spoke method (also known as a "pillar page" or "clustered content"). With this method, you create a hub page on a specific topic, usually a broad keyword with a lot of information. This serves as the main resource for that topic, and the various H2 links cover the various child keywords within that topic.
Then there are the sections, or cluster content, which are additional pages that go deeper into each of the aspects (child keywords) described on the main page.
Technical Google Ranking Factors
Because it requires knowledge of website structure and content management systems, technical SEO is typically a collaborative effort between marketing and development departments. While it may seem complicated, if the website is in good working order, there is not much ongoing maintenance required in terms of SEO. Here are technical strategies for improving rankings:
5. Page browsing speed
Users expect a smooth browsing experience, so page speed is an important ranking factor. If pages take too long to load, your bounce rate will increase and your ranking will decrease.
6. Mobile optimization
With the increasing number of users accessing websites from mobile devices, mobile optimization has become one of Google's key ranking factors. It's worth making sure your website is mobile-friendly to improve your search rankings.
7. Basic web functions
While SEO trends change, ranking factors don’t change often. But in 2021, Google introduced a new ranking factor, Core Web Metrics, as part of a page experience refresh. Core Web Metrics measure the number of visitors to a page, which determines whether and how they interact with it. They include:
8. Technical optimization
An equally important factor is technical optimization. Check the functionality of all links, robots.txt files, markup schemes, fixing 404 errors and other technical aspects that can affect the ranking of the site.
9. Site security
Protecting your site from malware and hacker attacks is also important for SEO. Google prefers to show secure sites in search results, so you need to provide your site with an SSL certificate, regularly scan for vulnerabilities and monitor updates.
Off-page ranking factors are related to entities outside of the site, such as social media platforms, influencers, and other websites, but there is one important consideration for any off-page SEO strategy:
10. Backlinks
A backlink is a link to a page that originates from another website. A page with a lot of links pointing to it tells Google that the page is of exceptional value and is hosted by a trustworthy website. But one link from one quality domain is much better than several links from several low-authority sites.
So how do you get backlinks? Here are link building strategies.
Original Quality Content: If the content is high quality, unique and provides value to the audience, it will generate backlinks on its own.
Guest Posts: Another way to build backlinks is by guest blogging. Instead of just asking for a link, offer to write a post for that site. You can include a backlink to your site in the post or in the author bio.
Conclusion
Having a strong presence in both paid and organic search results can help you increase your visibility — and no matter your business, search engine visibility is critical to building trust, increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, attracting customers, and increasing revenue. The top 10 factors that influence Google rankings include:
Quality content
Keyword placement
Image Optimization
URL structure
Page loading speed
Mobile friendly
Key Web Metrics
Site architecture
Site Security
Backlinks
The most important thing to remember is that ranking in search results takes time. The optimization process requires ongoing effort to keep your site as fresh and relevant to your audience as possible.
Google On Page Ranking Factors
The following ranking factors are more skype database page-specific, hence the term "on-page SEO."
1. Relevant, high-quality content
One of the most important Google ranking factors is quality content. According to research, sites with unique, informative, and useful content have a better chance of getting to the first page of search results. So don’t skimp on content. Signs of quality content:
He is trustworthy.
It is easy to read.
This is fresh.
This matches the purpose of the keyword.
2. Placing keywords
Another important ranking factor is keyword optimization. Including relevant keywords in your titles, meta tags, URLs, and content text will help search engines better understand what your site is about and increase its visibility in search results. This includes:
Title tag
H1 Heading
H2 headings: there should be at least two of them
URL: should be short and descriptive.
Naturally, in the main part, as well as in the first 100 words
Meta Description: The promotional text that appears below the title tag. Make sure it accurately describes the page and gives users a reason to click through.
3. Image optimization
This is important not only because of Google Image Search, but also because organic search results are becoming increasingly visual, especially on mobile devices. Here's how to optimize images for SEO:
Assign Alt Text: This is a text alternative to the image and is the only way Google can “see” it. The text should be short but descriptive and include the keyword. This also makes the website accessible to visually impaired readers who use screen readers to browse the web and will indicate if the image is not loading.
Compression and resizing: You can use an image compressor to reduce the file size of your images to 70-100 KB or less if possible. Saving as JPG instead of PNG often helps. Also, images should rarely be more than 1000 pixels wide. Although a responsive website will automatically resize images, the fewer requests a site has to make to the server, the better for page speed.
Add value: If possible, avoid using empty images and graphics in blog posts and instead use screenshots, examples, diagrams, and illustrations that describe concepts. This improves the quality of the content and engages users.
Specify the keyword: Not only in the text, but also in the file name. And replace spaces with dashes in the file name, otherwise the CMS will replace them with “% 20”, which will create an unreliable link to the image.
4. Niche expertise
It's not just the quality of the content that indicates expertise in a niche, but also the quantity of that quality content. To build on your niche expertise, you can use the hub and spoke method (also known as a "pillar page" or "clustered content"). With this method, you create a hub page on a specific topic, usually a broad keyword with a lot of information. This serves as the main resource for that topic, and the various H2 links cover the various child keywords within that topic.
Then there are the sections, or cluster content, which are additional pages that go deeper into each of the aspects (child keywords) described on the main page.
Technical Google Ranking Factors
Because it requires knowledge of website structure and content management systems, technical SEO is typically a collaborative effort between marketing and development departments. While it may seem complicated, if the website is in good working order, there is not much ongoing maintenance required in terms of SEO. Here are technical strategies for improving rankings:
5. Page browsing speed
Users expect a smooth browsing experience, so page speed is an important ranking factor. If pages take too long to load, your bounce rate will increase and your ranking will decrease.
6. Mobile optimization
With the increasing number of users accessing websites from mobile devices, mobile optimization has become one of Google's key ranking factors. It's worth making sure your website is mobile-friendly to improve your search rankings.
7. Basic web functions
While SEO trends change, ranking factors don’t change often. But in 2021, Google introduced a new ranking factor, Core Web Metrics, as part of a page experience refresh. Core Web Metrics measure the number of visitors to a page, which determines whether and how they interact with it. They include:
8. Technical optimization
An equally important factor is technical optimization. Check the functionality of all links, robots.txt files, markup schemes, fixing 404 errors and other technical aspects that can affect the ranking of the site.
9. Site security
Protecting your site from malware and hacker attacks is also important for SEO. Google prefers to show secure sites in search results, so you need to provide your site with an SSL certificate, regularly scan for vulnerabilities and monitor updates.
Off-page ranking factors are related to entities outside of the site, such as social media platforms, influencers, and other websites, but there is one important consideration for any off-page SEO strategy:
10. Backlinks
A backlink is a link to a page that originates from another website. A page with a lot of links pointing to it tells Google that the page is of exceptional value and is hosted by a trustworthy website. But one link from one quality domain is much better than several links from several low-authority sites.
So how do you get backlinks? Here are link building strategies.
Original Quality Content: If the content is high quality, unique and provides value to the audience, it will generate backlinks on its own.
Guest Posts: Another way to build backlinks is by guest blogging. Instead of just asking for a link, offer to write a post for that site. You can include a backlink to your site in the post or in the author bio.
Conclusion
Having a strong presence in both paid and organic search results can help you increase your visibility — and no matter your business, search engine visibility is critical to building trust, increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, attracting customers, and increasing revenue. The top 10 factors that influence Google rankings include:
Quality content
Keyword placement
Image Optimization
URL structure
Page loading speed
Mobile friendly
Key Web Metrics
Site architecture
Site Security
Backlinks
The most important thing to remember is that ranking in search results takes time. The optimization process requires ongoing effort to keep your site as fresh and relevant to your audience as possible.