Key SEO Ranking Factors: Confirmed for 2024

Identifying SEO ranking factors can be difficult. While Google is notoriously tightlipped regarding its ranking factors, they occasionally reveal insights. 

You can find some in Google’s Search Essentials. Google’s own John Mueller is quite active on X (formerly Twitter) and is often on the Search Off the Record podcast where he sometimes points SEOs in the right direction. 

There is also a lawsuit underway that has provided some information about how Google works. 

Outside of Google, Search Engine Journal (SEJ) recently published an E-book laying out all the factors they have either confirmed or debunked.

In this article, I dive into the confirmed ranking factors identified by SEJ that you should be focused on when optimizing for SEO.

 Keep in mind that these aren’t all of the ranking factors. These are just the confirmed ones.

What are SEO Ranking Factors?

To start, let’s define what exactly are SEO ranking factors. SEO ranking factors are the criteria used by search engines like Google to evaluate and rank web pages in their search results. 

These factors include keywords, site speed, mobile-friendliness, content quality, user experience, backlinks, and more.

On-Page SEO Ranking Factors

The first place to start with optimizing for SEO is with your content. On-page SEO involves optimizing individual web pages to rank higher in search engines by improving on-page elements.

Confirmed ranking factors

Content. Ensure that it is of high quality, original, and relevant.

Title Tag. The main title of the page which shows in search result pages as the clickable blue link and in browser tabs.

H1 Heading Tags. The primary title of the page is typically the first text seen by users at the top of the page.

H2-H6 Header Tags. Subheadings are used to structure your content for easy reading and understanding.

Keywords. Selection of the right keyword for the page; presence throughout; and prominent placement of the keyword.

To learn more about optimizing content, check out my articles on content optimization with ChatGPT and keyword research.

Key Technical SEO Ranking Factors

When we talk about technical SEO, we are referring to optimizing a website’s infrastructure and technical aspects to enhance its visibility and ranking in search engine results. This focuses on elements like site speed, mobile-friendliness, indexing, crawlability, site architecture, and security. On the technical SEO side, we have several factors that have been identified.

Read more about SEO:

Google SEO update 2024 jackyarn 

Confirmed ranking factors

Core Web Vitals. These are Google’s own metrics related to the speed, responsiveness, and visual stability of your content.

HTTPS. Is your site using secure and encrypted website connections?

Page Speed. The speed at which a page loads.

Mobile Friendliness. How well your site functions on mobile devices.

URLs. The structure and clarity of your webpage URLs.

User Experience and Accessibility Ranking Factors

User Experience (UX) and Accessibility optimizations involve making a website that is not only easy to navigate and engaging for users but also accessible to people with disabilities, contributing positively to the site’s search engine ranking.

Confirmed ranking factors

Alt Text for Image Search. Providing unique descriptions for images enhances accessibility and image search.

Language. Specifying the language of the content, important for targeting specific language-speaking audiences.

Trust and Authority Ranking Factors

Trust and Authority means establishing a website as a credible and reliable source of information.

Confirmed ranking factors

Domain History. The age and historical reputation of a domain.

HTTPS. Indicates secure and trustworthy connections

Link Ranking Factors

Link factors contribute to a site’s authority and relevance, influencing its search engine rankings by signaling the content’s quality and context.

Confirmed ranking factors

Anchor Text. The clickable text in content (hyperlinks).

Backlinks (Inbound Links). Links from external sites that are pointing to your site.

Internal Links. Links that connect various pages within your site.

Local SEO Ranking Factors

Local SEO factors involve optimizing a business’s online presence to rank higher in local search results. This usually focuses on elements like localized content, local keywords, Google Business Profile listings, and acquiring reviews from local customers.

Confirmed ranking factors

Relevance, Distance, and Prominence. Local SEO ranking depends on Relevance through detailed Google Business Profiles, Distance based on user proximity, and Prominence reflecting a business’s offline popularity in search results.

User Interaction Ranking Signals

User interaction signals influence a website’s search engine ranking by reflecting the relevance and quality of its content.

Confirmed ranking factors

User Search History. How past user search behaviors can influence search results.

Negative SEO Ranking Factors

Negative SEO ranking factors can harm a website’s search engine rankings by violating search engine guidelines and degrading user experience.

Confirmed negative ranking factors

Keyword Stuffing. Overuse of keywords in content which also negatively impacts readability.

Conclusion

Understanding and implementing these SEO ranking factors is essential to enhance your online presence.

 From refining on-page content and technical aspects to focusing on user experience and local SEO, each factor plays a significant role in how your website ranks in search engines. 

Remember, these are only the confirmed ranking factors. There are almost definitely a significant number more.

Disclaimer 

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