Website Ranking in Search: 42 Most Significant Factors

What is ranking?

Ranking is the distribution of documents in the search results by positions in accordance with the degree of their relevance to the user query. In the process of ranking, Internet sites take their places in the search results. The user first sees the results at the top of the search results. The better the site responds to the request, the higher its place in the search results.

The task of ranking is to find and bring to the first pages of SERP sites that are most relevant to the query. In parallel, irrelevant results are eliminated: they are pessimized in the output, that is, they are sent to the end of the list of results.

From the point of view of search engines, the most valuable (useful, interesting and safe) resource for users gets to the first line. Further - in descending order: the pages are somewhat inferior to the leader and each previous site.

The main work on ranking is carried out by a special search algorithm based on machine learning technology. In addition, assessors help him: trained people who study sites for compliance with the rules, which is still difficult for robots to track.

The requirements that sites must meet form ranking factors - those parameters that are critical to determining the relevance of a document to a search query, as well as the overall value of a resource. Previously, many of these factors were based on nominal relevancy, such as the presence of search terms in the content. Now search engines are learning to analyze sites more subtly: how valuable and unique the material is on the page, how convenient it is to perceive it from different devices, how safe it is to transfer payments, and so on.

Gradually, all these new rules were included in the ranking factors of the site: some of them became critically important, some act as recommendations.

It seems that everything is simple: here is the ranking factor, this is how it should be, it is immediately clear how to improve the site in the search engine. Not really:

• trade secret. The full formula is legally classified information. Yandex and Google are commercial organizations and they have the right not to disclose the details of their search engine ranking algorithms. Although there have been attempts to get them to publish a formula for the distribution of positions in the search, this has not been successful. It is impossible to find it on the Internet as a simple enumeration of requirements or an equation.
• the degree of influence of factors is unknown. No one knows which factor has the greatest influence on the positions of a particular site on a particular topic;
• unknowns remain in the formula. Knowledge about the ranking formula is collected in many ways: some things are claimed by search experts, some things are evidenced by analytics, some things have to be guessed through trial and error. In some cases, even working methods do not give the desired effect, which is why it is so important to study the issue and analyze competitors.

It is clear that nothing is clear. But the experience of practicing SEO specialists makes it clear: working on ranking factors helps to improve the position of the site in the search results, if you approach the matter wisely and, no matter how trite, with an individual approach.

In addition, the ranking formula is constantly being adjusted and supplemented with new factors: for example, at the time of writing this material, reviews are starting to play an increasingly important role , and in both major search engines.

Consider the main and well-studied factors that determine the positions of sites in Yandex and Google search.

Search engine ranking factors Yandex and Google

The entire array of factors affecting the ranking of any of the search engines is measured by hundreds of parameters (here it becomes clear why all the elements of the formula are unknown).

Some, as we will see later, are equally good at helping to raise the position of the site in both Yandex and Google. But there is a difference in some: not everything that is important to Yandex bots is interesting to Google bots. This must be taken into account if the Internet site is promoted with priority in one search engine.

Depending on the components, they can be divided into 6 large groups.

Domain (host) factors

These are the parameters and features of the domain - the name of the site.

These include:

1. The actual domain name, or domain name. It should either characterize the theme of the business (for example, just-good-furniture.rf), or be directly associated with the brand (chernogolovka.rf). So the site will become more related to the main queries of the semantic core.
2. Site age. It is counted from the moment of the first indexing. The older the domain, the better for the ranking of the site: the long existence of the domain tells the bots that the online project has earned a certain level of trust, in contrast to young sites recently opened for indexing.
3. Story. The history of a domain is formed by the purposes for which it has been used since its inception, as well as violations of the rules, sanctions of search engines. For example, if a domain has previously served as a doorway or was designated as an affiliate, this will have a bad effect on rankings.
4. domain zone. A site receives signals to rank high in the country results if it has a ccTLD. Domain names with .rf, .ru or .com are equally well suited for promotion in Russia.
5. The number and quality of indexed pages. All relevant pages with potentially useful content should be available to visitors, and system, non-target, non-existent ones should be closed from indexing by setting the robots.txt file.

Technical specifications

The technical ranking factors include indicators of overall performance. There is no need to talk about their importance for a long time: if the site does not work, there can be no talk of any high positions.

The main characteristics of the technical health of the site:

1. Secure connection. Without moving to HTTPS, getting into the top 10 is not just difficult, but extremely difficult. An SSL certificate ensures user data encryption and payment security.
2. Availability of pages for indexing. All important pages of the site must be open for indexing by search engine robots. Indexing rules are set in the robots.txt file, or in the “meta name=”robots”” meta tag.
3. Server response codes. Algorithms pessimize web sites that are oversaturated with redirects and errors, including 404 errors. Developers and webmasters need to strive to ensure that all pages of an online resource return the correct server response code.
4. Duplicate pages. Pages with the same content appear for various reasons: an unfinished site structure, problems with the CMS, incorrect processing of non-existent URLs, and others. The presence of duplicates on the site negatively affects the position of the site, since search engines may have difficulty determining the most relevant document for a particular query.
5. Download speed from different devices. The evaluation of pages by search robots is largely influenced by such indicators as Time To First Byte (it is the server response time), as well as the speed of rendering the first content (FCP). If due to an incorrectly selected CMS, a weak server, unoptimized media files, or a large number of errors in the code, the site loads slowly, this should be fixed immediately.
6. Weight of media content. If pictures and videos weigh a lot, this may interfere with the correct display and operation of the page.
7. Optimization for mobile devices. It can be mobile, responsive design, PWA , or your own app.

Text Factors

A few years ago, the text content on the site was created according to the principle "the more keys, the better." It was by the presence of words from the search query in the document and the number of occurrences of these words that the overall relevance of the web page was determined. Fortunately, these merciless times have been replaced by a more conscious period: search algorithms have become smarter, and texts for sites have been developed based on the principle of benefit for visitors.

Despite the shift in direction towards content quality, search engines still consider occurrences of keywords in different text zones. Here are the most important ones:

1. <title> meta tags
2. headings H1, subheadings H2-H6;
3. outgoing link anchors;
4. main text zone;
5. other fragments that are not related to the main SEO text;
6. attribute alt and title.

Factors by which the text materials on the page are evaluated:

1. moderate saturation with search queries from the semantic core and LSI: a variety of relevant vocabulary in an adequate amount gives crawlers a signal that the content on the page will help the user get an answer to their query;
2. intent match : the text solves the problem indicated in the title and the main request, this is valuable for the page visitor;
3. structure and formatting: search engines rank pages higher, the text on which is divided into paragraphs, contains subheadings, bulleted lists, tables - in general, consists of easily perceived elements;
4. literacy: Yandex search engines consider spelling errors as a negative signal. The more such errors, the more reasons to rank the site worse compared to competitors;
5. uniqueness: should strive for 80-90%;
6. compliance of the content language with the domain zone: on the sites .ru and .rf the texts must be in Russian, for .de - in German, and so on. If an online project is aimed at an international audience, it is worth adding an English version as the main language of global interaction.

Link Ranking Factors

In the past, links as a ranking factor were very influential. However, over time, ways have emerged to manipulate them and thereby improve the position of the site in the search. Search engine developers had to gradually reduce the importance of the reference indicator - this trend is observed to this day.

But it is currently impossible to exclude links from the ranking formula: it is links that help crawlers find pages on the web and determine their context in relation to other sites. Therefore, it cannot be said that links as a promotion method no longer work - they work (their influence is especially noticeable when you need to raise the position of the site in Google search), just with some features.

The most important link ranking factors:

1. The similarity of the topics of the donor and acceptor. The site from which there are links to your web site and vice versa should be in one or in close thematic groups.
2. Link volume dynamics. The speed and regularity of link growth should be balanced: gradual and slow, not abrupt and fast.
3. Anchor list, or list of anchors for external links. Crawlers are looking for naturalness, so it is better to use anchors that are as close to natural as possible. These are most often queries in the form of agreed-upon phrases (not “buy cheap slippers”, but “inexpensive slippers in Moscow”).
4. Donor region. It is necessary at least to ensure that the domain zone in which the donor site is registered corresponds to the country where the site is promoted.
5. Donor Trust. For good ranking, long-standing thematic donor sites with a developed link profile are needed. Otherwise, low quality indicators of the donor will negatively affect the acceptor site.

Behavioral metrics

Behavioral ranking factors are becoming more visible, measurable and recognized by search engines. The influence of these parameters is especially noticeable when promoting a site in Yandex . Thanks to these metrics, you can determine how the site meets user expectations.

Which behavioral factors are important for ranking:

1. Return to the search page. If, after visiting the site, the user opens the page with search results again, this means that he has not solved his problem. This means that the site has more reasons for a lower ranking.
2. Time on site and viewing depth. There is a direct correlation here: if the user is engaged, he spends more time on the site. Therefore, the content is useful and interesting. And the more such users, the better it is for search bots to rank this site higher.
3. The bounce rate is the opposite: the faster a user closes a page, the more useless they are for crawlers. There are many reasons why the bounce rate is rising - from 404 errors to annoying design.
4. Audience geolocation. When registering a site in search engines, the actual location of the organization and the region in which it operates and is promoted are noted. If the bulk of the audience belongs to the same region, the site ranks better.
5. branded traffic. This traffic reflects the level of brand awareness, so search engines use it in their ranking formula.
6. Snippet click-through rate (CTR) in SERP. It also indicates the high value of the content of the site.

Commercial ranking factors

From the name it is obvious, for ranking which sites these are the first-order factors - for e-commerce: online stores, sites promoted by selling requests.

Commercial ranking factors accumulate a large and diverse array of information about how easy and safe it is for an online shopper to pay for goods and services. It includes:

1. Assortment: selection of products, availability of product categories and subsections, blocks of related products, position comparison service. The wider the choice of presented products, the more crawlers like it, the higher the site ranks.
2. The percentage of goods in stock available for order, as well as the actual prices and the currency used in payment. For ranking e-commerce projects, only the Ask for Availability button is worse than the Get Price button.
3. Forms of assortment presentation: content and design of product cards, quantity and quality of photos and videos, detailed characteristics. The more tools on the site with which the user can present the real parameters of the product, the easier it is for him to decide on a purchase, especially for prepayment.
4. Terms of sale: full price, payment methods, discounts and loyalty program offers, payment and delivery methods, warranty service.
5. Ways of interaction with the user: contacts, maps, feedback forms.
6. Ease of use - buttons, navigation, internal linking , directory structure, filter system. Crawlers choose sites where the user can easily find the product he needs.
7. Ratings and reviews. As one of the components of a brand's online reputation, reviews come to the fore. Search engines also get on this track and train their algorithms to analyze reviews. For example, this summer Google launched the 4th update of the Product Reviews Update, and Yandex's ranking algorithms learned how to aggregate information from reviews and calculate the percentage of positive mentions.

Internal and external factors

All of the above parameters can be grouped according to one more feature - a direct or indirect relationship to the site:

• external ranking factors are link and near-link. They characterize the site, its subject and connections outside of itself.
• internal ranking factors - everything else. Its structural elements and parameters.

How to increase the position of the site in the search?

Banal answer: improve each of the factors. Each of the above groups of factors needs to be improved and regularly reviewed.

You can learn something directly: for example, there are recommendations from Yandex . They are not very detailed, but some basic principles of how to increase the position of the site in the search are clearly explained.

Adhere to the “Sites for people” tactics, improve the quality of service and work on those factors that have the greatest impact on promotion in your niche.