Ranking factors are the criteria that search engines like Google use to evaluate and position websites in search results. These factors largely determine which pages are displayed for specific search terms.

On-Page Ranking Factors

On-page factors relate to optimizing the website itself:

Factor
Description
Importance
Title Tag
The page title in the HTML head
Very High
Meta Description
Short description of the page
High
H1 Heading
Main heading of the page
Very High
Content Quality
Relevance and depth of content
Very High
Internal Linking
Links to other pages on the website
High

Off-Page Ranking Factors

Off-page factors relate to external signals:

Factor
Description
Importance
Backlinks
External links to the website
Very High
Domain Authority
Trustworthiness of the domain
Very High
Social Signals
Shares and mentions in social media
Medium
Brand Mentions
Brand mentions without links
Medium

Technical SEO Factors

Technical aspects of website optimization:

Factor
Description
Importance
Loading Speed
Speed of page loading
Very High
Mobile-First
Optimization for mobile devices
Very High
Core Web Vitals
LCP, FID, CLS metrics
Very High
SSL Certificate
Encrypted HTTPS connection
High

Content-Related Factors

Factors related to content:

  • Keyword Density: Frequency of target keywords in text
  • LSI Keywords: Semantically related terms
  • Content Length: Scope and depth of content
  • Freshness: Timeliness and regularity of updates
  • E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness

User Experience Factors

Factors that influence user experience:

  • Bounce Rate: Percentage of visitors who leave immediately
  • Dwell Time: Time spent on the page
  • Click-Through-Rate: Percentage of clicks in search results
  • Pogo-Sticking: Quick return to search results

Conclusion

Ranking factors are diverse and constantly changing. A successful SEO strategy must consider and balance all relevant factors. Content quality, technical optimization, and user experience are the main priorities.