In March 2024, it evolved and became part of our core ranking systems, as our systems use a variety of signals and systems to present helpful results to users. The Google algorithm uses hundreds of signals to rank content on search engine results pages (SERPs). They range from content and technical factors to user experience and technical signals.
We have systems that work to identify and surface local sources of news whenever relevant, such as through our “Top BHS Links stories” and “Local news” features. Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) is an AI system Google uses that allows us to understand how combinations of words express different meanings and intent. Full-funnel marketing on LinkedIn involves broad top-of-the-funnel content, niche content for the middle, and bottom-funnel deal closers…. To ensure Google can understand your site structure, submit a sitemap, which is essentially a site directory.
- Click-Through Rate measures the percentage of users who click on a link to your site in search engine results pages (SERPs) out of the total users who viewed the link.
- The crafted content should be informative, engaging, and accessible, which makes complex information easy to understand and apply.
- Following a common sense approach to the end goal for the end user is a much more effective and long-term strategy.
Specifically, that’s a URL that Google’s crawlers can easily reach and crawl. Before we hit our top 10 ranking factors, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page about monitoring and tracking ranking. While it is not advisable to ignore any or all of them, dealing with 200 SEO ranking factors can be overwhelming, to say the least. Heading tags are no longer ranking factors 2003-style when they used to be absolutely necessary.
This is because Google has determined that this page is the most relevant based on its ranking factors. High-ranking pages in search engine results will always receive more clicks, making their search engine ranking a vital element for online success. Most Google Maps searches happen on mobile, so a slow or poorly designed website can drive potential customers away before they even step foot in your business. Google also prioritizes mobile-friendly websites in search rankings, making mobile optimization essential for local SEO. Using local keywords strategically improves your relevance, increases visibility in search results, and helps customers find you when they’re searching for businesses in your area. Just make sure keywords fit naturally — Google rewards useful, readable content, not something that looks spammy and overly keyword-stuffed.
Tools
Have you seen improvement in rankings after improving user satisfaction? While this checklist gives you a number of link building guidelines, in truth, the greatest success comes when you color outside the lines. Since this process requires you to create at least one piece of “linkbait” content, it makes sense to create content that earns more and more links over time. Another similar tactic this pairs well with is broken link building. Whatever you choose, be sure to find who is linking to the competition, and earn those links for yourself. When you understand these data points ahead of time, you can create content that exactly fills an existing need.
That’s why we spoke to experts all over the world to see what they consider the most important ranking factors to look out for in 2025. For many business owners, website optimization is more technical than they have time for. Before you can start optimizing for Google Maps, you need to create or claim your GBP.
They can serve as a mirror that business owners and SEOs can hold up to their own content to see how it aligns with Google’s criteria for high quality. Quality raters are used to judge whether algorithm changes make search results better for people. Algorithms are adjusted based on human reactions, not by machine metrics.
Huge volume of searches
Optimize your website, create high-quality content, and leverage Bing-specific opportunities to climb the Bing ladder and achieve your SEO goals. Google says it doesn’t use meta data to rank the pages, but it’s still a good sign for people who see your page amongst the search results. If your website is slow, that means your website won’t be the Google’s first choice when a user searches a phrase related to your website.
The higher a website ranks, the more likely it is to be seen, resulting in more clicks and traffic to the website. In the early 2000s, heading elements (H1, H2, H3) were actual ranking factors. It was mandatory to add your keywords in the headings if you wanted to rank. It’s vital to remember that SEO isn’t only about improving rankings – it’s a wider strategy that focuses on attracting the right sort of customer to your business. And with more and more decisions being made right there in the SERP, there are even more levers you can pull that impact users before they hit your site. Once the full data is available, we’ll update this article to include more of the local SEO ranking factors that matter most for each group.