Ranking factors are the signals search engines use to order pages for a query. At Google, many factors and signals work together, and their weight depends on the query.
Which signals does Google name?
On “How Search works”, Google names five key signals: the meaning of the query, relevance of content, quality of content, usability of pages, and context such as location and settings. The weight of each depends on the query. For current news, freshness plays a bigger role than for dictionary definitions.
Is there a fixed list?
Google describes automated ranking systems that look at many factors and signals across hundreds of billions of web pages. It does not publish a complete weighted list. The often quoted number of 200 factors is not a current Google statement, and lists such as Backlinko’s mix confirmed factors with speculation.
What about keyword density?
Google says that someone searching for “dogs” probably does not want a page with that word hundreds of times. Other relevant content, such as images or a list of breeds, counts as well. Google names no ideal percentage.
Example
For “weather tomorrow”, freshness counts heavily. For “what is a canonical tag”, a clear and accurate explanation matters more.
FAQ
Which ranking factors matter most? Google weights them by query. There is no fixed ranking of factors.
Sources
- How Search works: Ranking results – Googlegoogle.com
- A guide to Google Search ranking systems – Google Search Centraldevelopers.google.com
- Google's 200 Ranking Factors – Backlinko (secondary source)backlinko.com
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