9 Google ranking factors you need to remember in 2024

The Google search algorithm is constantly changing, each year brings us new ranking factors. We need to take them into account when building and positioning a website if we want it to rank high in search results.

However, all ranking factors are really many, so it is worth focusing on the most important ones first, which will allow us to optimize the site well. How exactly Google’s algorithm works is, of course, a secret, so determining the „weight” of the various ranking factors comes largely from experience in SEO and observing what the search engine robot responds best to.

The search engine’s „weight” is a key factor.

What in principle are Google’s ranking factors?

Ranking factors are elements that a search engine robot takes into account when analyzing web pages, the result of which is to determine the order of search results for a given query.

Web sites are analyzed by the algorithm always automatically, although Google has a dedicated team in its ranks, but these people do not affect the organic results, but evaluate whether the algorithm works according to the assumptions made.

What is the main purpose of assessing ranking factors by Google’s algorithm?

The main purpose of Google’s creation and subsequent evaluation of ranking factors is, of course, to determine what websites are the best answer to a question posed by a search engine user. Ranking factors are designed to evaluate a website in three main aspects:

• Quality of content – the overall authority of the site, trust in the authors of its content, the value its content carries, the expertise and accuracy of the facts presented
• Technical quality – speed of operation, performance on various devices, security (e.g., user input)
• Relevancy – how closely the content on the site corresponds to the query entered by the site user

9 most important ranking factors in 2024

After the first 6 months of 2024 and the significant changes brought by the March search algorithm update, we can see which ranking factors „reign supreme” this year and that they are the ones worth focusing on first.

High-quality content

The years are passing, and the phrase „content is king” in the context of SEO is not losing its meaning. The quality of on-page content is still one of the most important ranking factors. Google invariably strives to ensure that search results for particular queries appearing at the top of the list carry the highest possible value for the user.

Content considered high quality must first and foremost be:

• original – created for the needs of a given site, not being a copy of other content already present on the Internet
• helpful – must realistically answer the queries Google users may ask on related topics
• readable – with a properly planned structure of information that will allow it to be easily analyzed and read, and written using language that most people understand (without unnecessary embellishments)
• expert – created by people with knowledge and experience in the presented topic
• truthful – presenting true facts and phenomena
• exhaustive of a given topic – content length is a ranking factor, but it should be considered in the context of exhaustive coverage of a given topic, rather than creating content by force to increase the number of characters
• up-to-date – consistent with currently available knowledge and updated after the passage of time or if there are major changes related to the topic described
• incorporating EAT principles (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness – experience, knowledge, credibility, trust)

search-intent-and-match-appropriate-keywords

Another extremely important element is to determine what search intent your potential audience has for your website and why they may need the content you present on it. There are 4 basic search intentions (read more about them in the article „Effective Keyword Analysis”):

• Informational – „I want to learn something about a particular topic”
• Commercial – „I have a purchasing need, so I’m looking for information”
• Transactional – „I am determined to buy”
• Navigational – „I want to get to a specific place, on a website I already know”

When creating content for a website, therefore, we need to examine what intentions our potential audience has and appropriately tailor the keywords they may search for. We also need to verify what are the most frequently asked questions related to the topics we cover on our site, so that their audience will be able to find out everything they need without leaving the site.

There are a lot of questions about the topics we cover on our site.

Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals, or Core Web Vitals, are basically a whole group of factors that have a significant impact on a given site’s position in organic search results. To make it easier for webmasters to bring a site in line with these requirements, Google has created a dedicated PageSpeed Insights tool that allows you to examine the performance of individual CWVs and presents tips with which to improve them.

The six most important CWVs are:

• LCP – Largest Contentful Paint – the loading time of the largest page element
• FID – First Input Delay – the time after which the first interaction with the page can be made
• CLS – Cumulative Layout Shift – the number of unexpected page layout shifts
• TFB – Time to First Byte – the time from the first search engine request to the first byte received
• FCP – First Contentful Paint – time to render the first complete element on the page
• TTI – Time to Interactive – how long it takes for a page to become fully interactive

Time to load page

Basically, all CWVs boil down to one convergent concept which is page load time. However, it is worth distinguishing it further especially in the context of mobile devices, because there it is particularly critical.

Mobile users have „have patience” – the time it takes for a page to load for the average mobile device user before he or she leaves the page is significantly shorter than for a desktop device user. Research shows that for mobile this time is 2-3 at most, after which the user leaves the page if it has not loaded.

Page loading time is affected by many different elements – from the technology in which it was made, to the server or the amount and type of content that is on it. When creating or optimizing an existing website, you should always take into account getting it to load as quickly as possible.

The time it takes for a website to load should be as short as possible.

Security of a website

Another significant ranking factor is website security, a component of which is the use of SSL certificate The search algorithm will not rank highly for sites flagged as unsafe, which may compromise the security of user data.

Security.

That’s why the correct installation and subsequent maintenance (and payment without any delays) of an SSL certificate is very important in the process of positioning and maintaining high organic results for a given website.

Links-heading-to-site

Google has been pushing for years to reduce the importance of backlinks as a ranking factor, but, as of 2024, they have yet to come up with an alternative solution that is as important for building a domain’s ranking (aside from the aforementioned high-quality content).

According to Google’s definition, we should only acquire links to our site naturally, i.e. by sharing them by Internet users of their own free will. However, as we know, this is just a theory, which is not reflected in reality.

In order to acquire valuable links to our site, building trust in it, we must take active measures. The links we acquire must come from sites that are related to us thematically, location-wise and of very high quality.

The links we acquire must come from sites that are related to us thematically, location-wise and of very high quality.

Links leading to our site must also have diverse anchor texts, in the form of not only keywords, but also branding or the linking url itself.

With the number of links must also not be exaggerated, so that the algorithm does not accuse us of spamming and punish us with a loss of organic positions.

Internal linking

For the position of our site on keywords, not only links leading to it from the outside are important, but also internal linking, which basically have several functions:

• Keeping the user on the site – if we contextually add links to other content that can complement the user’s knowledge, the user will stay on the site longer
• Selling – if we contextually include products in the content we publish, the chance of converting the content into sales increases
• No „repetition in content”. – this is especially important when creating a large amount of blog content, where we refer to topics already covered on the site and do not want to repeat or paraphrase them each time – we can then contextually link to content already published
• Make it easier for a search engine robot to navigate our site – a good site structure complemented by contextual internal linking, allows a search engine robot to index our content more easily, especially when we have a lot of it on the site

Posting information about the company and content authors

For Google, transparency of information is important, which affects trust in a given website. That is why it is so important to provide information about your company, the necessary contact information – in a word, to present elements that will allow easy identification of who is behind the site.

You should also provide individual content authors, preferably with their short bio, so that you can verify their expertise in a given topic. This builds trust in the quality and value of the content posted on the site (this is an element of „authoritativeness” or authority under EEAT rules).

Structured-data rich snippets

Structured data a.k.a. rich snippets allow a search engine robot to more easily understand the structure of our site, and thus make it easier to index it. Properly selected and applied rich snippets also diversify the search results for a given site, which can significantly increase traffic to the site.

For more information on the topic of rich snippets, see the article „Structured data, or how to perform well in search results”

Summary

The ranking factors presented in the article are considered to be among the most important for SEO, but their entire catalog is extremely broad. Once you get to grips with these key ones, it’s worth focusing on the others as well, the entire description of which can be found in „Google Search Fundamentals”