{"id":7739,"date":"2023-01-17T14:45:23","date_gmt":"2023-01-17T14:45:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/"},"modified":"2023-01-17T14:45:23","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T14:45:23","slug":"google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/","title":{"rendered":"Google ranking signals: A complete breakdown of all confirmed, rumored and false factors"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Every article you can find online about Google ranking factors will tell you there are at least ~200 or so odd variables that contribute to how a site will perform in the SERPs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That being said<strong>,<\/strong> there\u2019s an enormous difference between what <strong>might<\/strong> impact SEO, what\u2019s actually confirmed as a ranking factor, and what is simply a good principle to rank well.<\/p>\n<p>It might sound like semantics, but \u201cbest practices\u201d don\u2019t just automatically translate into confirmed ranking factors in and of themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s separate these confirmed facts from fiction and all the other stuff you simply should be doing as a good marketer on a daily basis.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In this article, we\u2019ll analyze all of the known, confirmed, rumored, and absolute myth-level Google ranking factors in an easy-to-read, highly condensed way.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Confirmed_ranking_factors\" >Confirmed ranking factors\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Core_Web_Vitals\" >Core Web Vitals\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Anchor_text\" >Anchor text\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Domain_history\" >Domain history\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#E-A-T\" >E-A-T\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Headings\" >Headings\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#HTTPS\" >HTTPS\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Content\" >Content\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Backlinks\" >Backlinks\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Keyword_prominence\" >Keyword prominence\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Keyword_stuffing\" >Keyword stuffing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Known_paid_links\" >Known paid links\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Mobile-friendliness\" >Mobile-friendliness\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Page_speed\" >Page speed\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Physical_proximity_to_the_searcher\" >Physical proximity to the searcher<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#RankBrain\" >RankBrain\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Relevance_distance_and_prominence\" >Relevance, distance and prominence\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Title_tags\" >Title tags\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#URLs\" >URLs\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Unconfirmed_but_suspected_ranking_factors\" >Unconfirmed but suspected ranking factors\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Alt_text\" >Alt text\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Breadcrumbs\" >Breadcrumbs\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-23\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Click_depth\" >Click depth\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-24\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Local_citations\" >Local citations\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-25\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Co-citation\" >Co-citation\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-26\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Language\" >Language\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-27\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Internal_links\" >Internal links\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-28\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Schema\" >Schema\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-29\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#The_users_own_search_history\" >The user\u2019s own search history\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-30\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Rumored_but_unlikely_ranking_factors\" >Rumored but unlikely ranking factors\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-31\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#301_redirects\" >301 redirects\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-32\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Canonical_links\" >Canonical links\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-33\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Outbound_links\" >Outbound links\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-34\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Disproven_ranking_factors\" >Disproven ranking factors\u00a0\u00a0<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-35\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Bounce_rate\" >Bounce rate<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-36\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#404_and_soft_404_pages\" >404 and soft 404 pages\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-37\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Google_Display_Ads\" >Google Display Ads\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-38\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#AMP\" >AMP\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-39\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#BBB\" >BBB\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-40\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Click-through_rate\" >Click-through rate\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-41\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Code_to_text_signal\" >Code to text signal\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-42\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Meta_descriptions\" >Meta descriptions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-43\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Manual_action\" >Manual action\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-44\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Content_length\" >Content length<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-45\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Domain_age\" >Domain age\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-46\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Domain_authority\" >Domain authority\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-47\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Domain_name\" >Domain name<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-48\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#First_link_priority\" >First link priority\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-49\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Recency_of_content\" >Recency of content\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-50\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Types_of_links\" >Types of links\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-51\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Keyword_density\" >Keyword density\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-52\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#%E2%80%98We_have_no_idea_if_these_are_legitimate_ranking_factors_or_not\" >\u2018We have no idea\u2019 if these are legitimate ranking factors (or not)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-53\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Authorship_of_your_content\" >Authorship of your content\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-54\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#HTML_lists\" >HTML lists<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-55\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#MUM\" >MUM<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-56\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Text_formatting\" >Text formatting\u00a0<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-57\" href=\"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/2023\/01\/17\/google-ranking-signals-a-complete-breakdown-of-all-confirmed-rumored-and-false-factors\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Confirmed_ranking_factors\"><\/span>Confirmed ranking factors\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These are all the ranking factors that have been confirmed as true. We know they definitely impact your results in Google\u2019s search engine to varying degrees.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Core_Web_Vitals\"><\/span>Core Web Vitals\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-core-web-vitals-guide-for-seo-developers-337825\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Core Web Vitals<\/a> assess page experience signals to evaluate how engaging the user experience is. They confirmed in 2021 that they <strong>are<\/strong> a ranking signal, so make sure your site has a \u201cgood\u201d ranking standing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2020\/11\/timing-for-page-experience\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Timing for Bringing Page Experience to Google Search<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Anchor_text\"><\/span>Anchor text\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google has confirmed that they use concise anchor text (read: \u201cSEO strategies\u201d as the anchor text and not \u201cclick here\u201d) to better understand what\u2019s on your pages, which can directly lead to them placing your page higher in the SERPs.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t the strongest ranking factor on the list (especially after the Penguin update), but it can still help.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Domain_history\"><\/span>Domain history\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>You may be running an up-and-up, fully legitimate business now, but what if a sketchy business was using the domain before to scam customers?<\/p>\n<p>Domain history does matter, and it\u2019s a confirmed ranking signal, though Google\u2019s John Mueller has gone on to say that the issue will resolve itself over time. Still, we recommend playing it safe on this one.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wC7b9XVPEgc&amp;t=363s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (Nov. 13, 2018)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"E-A-T\"><\/span>E-A-T\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google\u2019s E-A-T framework assesses expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness \u2013 and while it isn\u2019t a ranking factor in and of itself, many of the factors that go into its calculation <strong>are<\/strong> ranking factors. So we\u2019re putting this one in the confirmed column, but with a little \u201cbut only kind of\u201d note.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.blog.google\/documents\/37\/How_Google_Fights_Disinformation.pdf\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How Google Fights Disinformation<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Headings\"><\/span>Headings\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Headings \u2013 including H1s and H2s \u2013 can absolutely be a ranking factor, as they help Google understand the content on the page. They aren\u2019t the only ranking factor, but they matter, so have them clearly written and keyword-friendly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=owoXikK9PRU&amp;t=2283s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours<\/a> (Aug. 7, 2020)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"HTTPS\"><\/span>HTTPS\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Secure search, or HTTPS \u2013 compared to HTTP \u2013 is a known and confirmed ranking factor. It also is an important part of a safe user experience, so make sure you get on this one fast if you haven\u2019t already.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2014\/08\/https-as-ranking-signal\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">HTTPS as a Ranking Signal<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Content\"><\/span>Content\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s abundantly clear that content is used as a search ranking signal, and the quality of the content, including how directly it answers a question, can be vital to performance in the SERPs. The content on its own (and not just headings) is assessed by Google.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=owoXikK9PRU&amp;t=2283s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours<\/a> (Aug. 7, 2020)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Backlinks\"><\/span>Backlinks\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Links coming to your site from other sites have long been a general SEO best practice. That\u2019s because PageRank established backlinks as \u201cvotes\u201d from the very beginning, offering a new way to analyze quality that was originally modeled after citations to academic papers.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search\/howsearchworks\/how-search-works\/ranking-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ranking <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search\/howsearchworks\/how-search-works\/ranking-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Results<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search\/howsearchworks\/how-search-works\/ranking-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> \u2013 How Google Search Works<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keyword_prominence\"><\/span>Keyword prominence\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Keyword density isn\u2019t a ranking factor (we\u2019ll get to that later), but keyword prominence is. This is the location of the keyword, and the closer to the title or beginning of the text, the more prominent it is.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=fGP1bl_HLu0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google SEO office-hours<\/a> (June 18, 2021)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keyword_stuffing\"><\/span>Keyword stuffing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Keyword stuffing \u2013 which involves over-stuffing your content with keywords in an attempt to get it to rank well \u2013 is a <strong>negative<\/strong> ranking factor, as confirmed by Google. Doing this will hurt you, so avoid it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies#keyword-stuffing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spam Policies for Google\u2019s Web Search<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Known_paid_links\"><\/span>Known paid links\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>If you\u2019ve paid for backlinks and you get caught (which is admittedly very difficult) it is a <strong>negative<\/strong> ranking factor. It\u2019s best to stay away from this.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/essentials\/spam-policies#link-spam\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Spam Policies for Google Web Search<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mobile-friendliness\"><\/span>Mobile-friendliness\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Mobile-friendliness is confirmed as a ranking factor, and it\u2019s been strengthening as a ranking signal for years. It\u2019s particularly important for mobile search results, which have eclipsed desktop searches for <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/half-of-google-search-is-mobile-232994\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">at least seven years now<\/a>. So here\u2019s where mobile responsive best practices and confirmed ranking signals overlap nicely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2016\/03\/continuing-to-make-web-more-mobile\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Continuing to Make the Web More Mobile Friendly<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Page_speed\"><\/span>Page speed\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We know that page loading speed is a confirmed factor for Google\u2019s SERPs (and has been since 2010) \u2013 and it\u2019s an important one. It also directly impacts the user experience, so make sure that your site loading times are as quick as possible.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developer.chrome.com\/blog\/search-ads-speed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Speed is Now a Landing Page Factor for Google Search and Ads<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Physical_proximity_to_the_searcher\"><\/span>Physical proximity to the searcher<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google absolutely takes the physical closeness of the searcher into account when determining what results to show them, especially in local search.\u00a0While you can\u2019t change the location of your business, make sure that all of your business information (including location citations) are up-to-date and accurate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/business\/answer\/7091?hl=en#zippy=%2Center-complete-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"RankBrain\"><\/span>RankBrain\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>RankBrain is an AI system released in 2015 (and significantly updated in 2016) to integrate AI into search queries for improved results, which is particularly helpful for ambiguous queries or long-tail keywords. It\u2019s a confirmed ranking factor, but there\u2019s no clear or distinct way to intentionally optimize for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l8VnZCcl9J4#t=1820\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Q&amp;A<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Relevance_distance_and_prominence\"><\/span>Relevance, distance and prominence\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Confirmed by Google as ranking factors, these three signals determine the popularity and geographical closeness of a business along with how relevant it is to the specific search. They are each vital for local search results, so take that into account when optimizing your local business page and remember to generate reviews.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/business\/answer\/7091?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Title_tags\"><\/span>Title tags\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s plenty of evidence that optimizing title tags can have a correlative increase with ranking, though we know they\u2019re not nearly as critical of a ranking factor as the rest of the content itself. It\u2019s a small detail in a bigger picture, but they also say that Google looks for keyword stuffing here as a negative factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=gfXGfvKJnPY#t=3450\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (Jan. 15, 2016)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"URLs\"><\/span>URLs\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>URLs are a minimal search ranking factor, which means that keywords in a URL are assessed when Google is crawling your site. Mueller has repeatedly stressed that this is not a ranking factor worth spending a lot of time on.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1070634500022001666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1070634500022001666%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.searchenginejournal.com%2Ftechnical-seo%2Furl-structure%2F\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<p><!-- START INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<div class=\"nl-inline-form border py-2 px-1 my-2\">\n<div class=\"row align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 col-xl-4 pe-md-0 pb-2 pb-lg-0\">\n<p class=\"inline-form-text text-center mb-0\">Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-7 col-xl-6  pe-lg-0\">\n<div class=\"form-nl-inline\">\n<div class=\"row g-0\">\n<div class=\"form-group col-12 col-lg-8 mb-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-4 col-xl-4 mb-0\">\n<div class=\"d-none\">\n<p>Processing\u2026Please wait.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<button class=\"btn btn-dark inlineButton w-100 rounded-0 font-weight-bold\">SUBSCRIBE<\/button>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-2 col-xl-2 ps-1\">\n<p class=\"text-center mb-0\"><a class=\"nl-terms\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/termsofuse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">See terms.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- END INLINE FORM --><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unconfirmed_but_suspected_ranking_factors\"><\/span>Unconfirmed but suspected ranking factors\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Google hasn\u2019t confirmed every single ranking factor out there, but that doesn\u2019t mean that these elements below don\u2019t have some sort of impact on the ranking algorithms. This is the unconfirmed but suspected-by-expert ranking factors that <strong>could<\/strong> impact your SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Alt_text\"><\/span>Alt text\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Having alt text for your images is definitely considered an SEO best practice, having alt text in and of itself is not a confirmed ranking factor. That being said, using it correctly and with keywords can help your SEO strategy by giving Google more context about what you have on the page.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/google-images\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Google Image SEO Best Practices<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Breadcrumbs\"><\/span>Breadcrumbs\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Breadcrumbs help Google to assess the hierarchy of how your pages are arranged. Right now, we know it can help Google categorize pages, and that Google treats breadcrumbs as normal links in PageRank. We think they can have an impact on ranking, even if they aren\u2019t confirmed as a direct ranking factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/methode\/status\/877842242358185984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E877842242358185984%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seroundtable.com%2Fgoogle-breadcrumb-navigation-links-24040.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@methode on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Click_depth\"><\/span>Click depth\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Click depth, or the number of clicks it takes to get from your home page to the destination page, is very likely to be a ranking factor based on remarks from Mueller. But not a significant one. Think about how easy it is for users to get to the end page.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zyQbNGUycX8&amp;t=1930s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (June 1, 2018)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Local_citations\"><\/span>Local citations\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Location citations that mention your key business information like name, address, and phone number, and while having these appear online aren\u2019t officially confirmed as a ranking factor, it\u2019s close. Google has noted that local results favor the most relevant results and that businesses with complete information will be prioritized.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/business\/answer\/7091?hl=en#zippy=%2Center-complete-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Improve your local ranking on Google<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Co-citation\"><\/span>Co-citation\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Co-citation and co-occurrence help Google assess how closely two unrelated sites or pages may be related and may give them clues as to how the pages are related and in what context. A few high-quality, trusted links to your site can help Google put together some of the puzzle pieces, but still, this is unlikely to be a significant ranking factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-patent-on-related-entities-and-what-it-means-for-seo-295727\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google patent on related entities and what it means for SEO<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Language\"><\/span>Language\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It only makes sense that someone searching for shoes in Mandarin is less than likely to come across a site written in Spanish. To reach users in different locations, you\u2019ll want to create content in the languages they speak.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search\/howsearchworks\/how-search-works\/ranking-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ranking Results \u2013 How Google Search Works<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Internal_links\"><\/span>Internal links\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>These are links to your own content on your site, but they need strong use of anchor text. At the very least, they definitely don\u2019t hurt. That being said, they\u2019re unlikely to be a strong ranking factor compared to others like site loading speeds.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/sitelinks?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Learn About What Sitelinks Are<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Schema\"><\/span>Schema\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Schema markup is highly valuable when it comes to driving clicks, and it also provides microdata that Google is able to understand easily.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It isn\u2019t confirmed as a known ranking factor but we know it can help you rank for queries you may not have otherwise. So it may help as a ranking signal, but the worst-case scenario is it just helps your overall SEO.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/appearance\/structured-data\/intro-structured-data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Understanding How Structured Markup Data Works<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_users_own_search_history\"><\/span>The user\u2019s own search history\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Each user is different, and Google knows that. The algorithm do take the past search history into account when delivering search results as best as possible. <\/p>\n<p>This, however, is not something that you can influence at all, and the impact is rarely significant (other than prominent locally personalized SERPs or frequently visited pages).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/searchliaison\/status\/1070027476473077760\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@searchliaison on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Rumored_but_unlikely_ranking_factors\"><\/span>Rumored but unlikely ranking factors\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>These are ranking factors that have long been speculated about, and while they have not been outrightly denied so far, we have a good reason for thinking they\u2019re unlikely to be official signals.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"301_redirects\"><\/span>301 redirects\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While former Googler Matt Cutts said in 2012 that Google would follow an unlimited number of redirects from one page to another, there may be a slight PageRank lost in the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>However, not much has been officially said, and, likely, they\u2019re not a page ranking factor. In any case, you still want to manage redirects and linking closely to avoid issues in potential redirect chains. This is often more of a best practice for site performance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/when-migrating-from-http-to-https-google-says-to-use-301-redirects-304200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">When migrating from HTTP to HTTPS Google says to use 301 redirects<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Canonical_links\"><\/span>Canonical links\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Canonical links do have a connection with search rankings, but we know that even when they\u2019re used correctly, Google might ignore it and pick their own canonical URL to show in the search results instead. Think Captain Barbosa\u2019s famous quote from Pirates of the Caribbean here, \u201cThe code is more what you\u2019d call guidelines than actual rules.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-selects-canonical-urls-based-on-your-site-and-user-preference-321399\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google selects canonical URLs based on your site and user preference<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outbound_links\"><\/span>Outbound links\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Outbound links are way too easy for people to game to be a ranking factor, but it is important to note that the anchor text and the links you choose can help Google better understand your content so it can bring in value indirectly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4FkSZIW6d48#t=1190\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (Jan. 26, 2016)<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Disproven_ranking_factors\"><\/span>Disproven ranking factors\u00a0\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While some rumored ranking factors are hanging in limbo, some have been disproven. Let\u2019s look at what you <strong>don\u2019t<\/strong> have to worry about, at least as far as SEO is concerned.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Worth pointing out \u2013 there\u2019s a lot that isn\u2019t on this list, but we wanted to cover the big ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Bounce_rate\"><\/span>Bounce rate<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We\u2019re listing this one first because it\u2019s a common misconception that bounce rate impacts ranking. Google has repeatedly confirmed that bounce rates are not a ranking signal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/methode\/status\/598390635041673217\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@methode on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"404_and_soft_404_pages\"><\/span>404 and soft 404 pages\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google itself has confirmed 404 pages do not impact how your other URLs rank, easily dispelling that ranking factor myth. Broken links and pages, however, can provide a poor user experience (so they should be found and updated when possible).<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/2445990?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">404 (Page Not Found) errors<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Google_Display_Ads\"><\/span>Google Display Ads\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This one has a bit of an asterisk.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Having ads from Display Ads on your page can lower site loading speeds, especially if you have a large number of them. So the concern was that these ads could hurt your ranking. And they don\u2019t directly hurt your ranking just by appearing on your page.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>They won\u2019t directly impact your SEO ranking, though you will want to make sure that you aren\u2019t overloading your pages with so many ads that performance (including site loading speed) isn\u2019t impacted, because you don\u2019t get a pass if they do.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And for that matter, using Google Ads, Google Search Console, and Google Analytics won\u2019t automatically impact your ranking, either.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/too-many-ads-above-the-fold-now-penalized-by-googles-page-layout-algo-108613\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Top Heavy Update: Pages with too many ads above the fold now penalized by Google\u2019s \u201cPage Layout\u201d algorithm<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AMP\"><\/span>AMP\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This one is simple: AMP is not a ranking factor, and we know that because Google has confirmed it multiple times, since 2016 at least.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twit.tv\/shows\/this-week-in-google\/episodes\/341-0?autostart=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">This Week in Google Podcast 341<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"BBB\"><\/span>BBB\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While Better Business Bureau (BBB) reviews can impact consumer buying decisions, there is no evidence at this point in time that it can impact your SEO rankings, and one of Google\u2019s team members confirmed it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=wC7b9XVPEgc&amp;feature=youtu.be&amp;t=931\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (Nov. 13, 2018)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Click-through_rate\"><\/span>Click-through rate\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your click-through rate (CTR) has long been rumored to be a ranking factor, but it\u2019s confirmed this isn\u2019t the case \u2013 especially since Google knew that people were trying to game this years ago. So sure, it\u2019s great for your site to have a higher CTR, but don\u2019t expect it to help your rankings.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=VxDf-eDu3Yo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">CTR in the Google Algo: Google&#8217;s Gary Illyes and Stone Temple&#8217;s Eric Enge Discuss<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Code_to_text_signal\"><\/span>Code to text signal\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This one is not a direct ranking factor, but it can still impact the performance of the page, including ranking factors like loading speeds, along with user experience. So not important for ranking, but still good to keep in check.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/PvNnPd76xSU?t=1123\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a> (Mar. 27, 2018)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Meta_descriptions\"><\/span>Meta descriptions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>We know that having a strong meta description is a great SEO best practice to drive a higher CTR to your site, but Google hasn\u2019t used it as a ranking signal since sometime between 1999 and the early 2000s.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1291462241104138247\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Manual_action\"><\/span>Manual action\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Manual actions are those that manually adjust a website\u2019s visibility in search results by demoting or removing a site or specific pages from Google Search. These are conducted by Google \u2013 and they\u2019re a penalty, <strong>not<\/strong> a ranking factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/webmasters\/answer\/9044175?\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Manual Actions Report<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Content_length\"><\/span>Content length<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SEO writers will swear up and down that you need at least 1,000 words or 2,000 words or whatever that magic number is in order to be ranked by Google. That\u2019s not true.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google doesn\u2019t look at content length as a ranking factor, but you should have enough quality content to be competitive on any given keyword to rank well.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/bigseo\/comments\/clg1hn\/how_to_find_word_count_in_serp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">johnmu on \/r\/bigseo<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Domain_age\"><\/span>Domain age\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The age of your domain <strong>can<\/strong> help with site authority overall (see below), but Google has confirmed that it is not currently a ranking factor.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1147051694280388608\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Domain_authority\"><\/span>Domain authority\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google has repeatedly confirmed that domain authority is not a ranking factor, as any \u201csite authority\u201d score is created by a third-party tool. <\/p>\n<p>Sites with higher domain authorities may correlate with improved SEO because some of the calculations may be close, but they\u2019re correlative and nothing more. Really, this one is common sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/SEO\/comments\/tp3s83\/how_can_i_increase_da_of_my_website_it_is_at_31\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">johnmu on r\/SEO\/<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Domain_name\"><\/span>Domain name<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Your domain name is important (\u201cwww.coolshoes.com\u201d can absolutely drive clicks), but it is not a ranking factor and hasn\u2019t been for a while.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AK_lSVA6bcY\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours<\/a> (Sept. 11, 2020)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"First_link_priority\"><\/span>First link priority\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Google doesn\u2019t care which link comes first. This isn\u2019t the magic hack some people insist that it is. They care about the quality of the links. And remember, anchor text matters more than where the link is placed.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=DSKD6bOMZSc&amp;t=911s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout<\/a>\u00a0(Feb. 20, 2018)<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Recency_of_content\"><\/span>Recency of content\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Is Google automatically prioritizing a brand-new article over one written last year? No.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That being said, the thoroughness and quality of the article matter. If you need to refresh to stay competitive, that can help your ranking.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1030906262681268225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_links\"><\/span>Types of links\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Think that having a .gov or .edu at the end of your domain will make a difference? Maybe to users, but unfortunately not to Google.\u00a0Not a ranking factor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1036538249488068608\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Keyword_density\"><\/span>Keyword density\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This may have influenced ranking at one time, and though it\u2019s a general best practice, it is not a ranking factor. And remember: keyword stuffing doesn\u2019t do you any favor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Rk4qgQdp2UA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">What is The Ideal Keyword Density of a Page?<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98We_have_no_idea_if_these_are_legitimate_ranking_factors_or_not\"><\/span>\u2018We have no idea\u2019 if these are legitimate ranking factors (or not)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Looking for a potential ranking factor that we haven\u2019t discussed so far? There are a few that are still currently up in the air, with evidence that they may be a ranking factor but nothing to confirm that they actually are.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Authorship_of_your_content\"><\/span>Authorship of your content\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Does a specific author\u2019s byline impact how Google will rank your page? Honestly, we\u2019re not sure, but it certainly doesn\u2019t hurt to use reliable authors who your audience will trust.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Google has recommended adding author information into article schema and we suspect that authorship expertise does play a part in E-A-T. But again, it\u2019s inconclusive at this time. (Note that we\u2019re speaking about \u201cauthorship\u201d more broadly here than referring specifically to <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/goodbye-google-authorship-201975\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google\u2019s old Authorship<\/a>.)<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-eat-possible-evaluation-signals-382799\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">14 ways Google may evaluate E-A-T<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"HTML_lists\"><\/span>HTML lists<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Orders or unordered HTML lists could be a ranking factor, but we really don\u2019t know. If it is, it\u2019s not a particularly strong signal, but it can help with SEO, especially if it can help you snag a featured snippet spot.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/featured-snippets-the-9-rules-of-optimization-342627\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How to get Google featured snippets: 9 optimization guidelines<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MUM\"><\/span>MUM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The Multitask Unified Model (MUM) was rolled out in 2021 to help the algorithms better understand language so Google can more effectively answer complex search queries. It\u2019s not a known ranking factor right now, but it could be in the future, especially since Google has discussed how it\u2019s improved some search results in early tests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.google\/products\/search\/using-ai-keep-google-search-safe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Using AI to Keep Google Search Safe<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Text_formatting\"><\/span>Text formatting\u00a0<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Using HTML elements to format text can help both readers and Google\u2019s crawling tools quickly find important parts of your content. There\u2019s evidence that bolded or italicized wording, for example, may receive extra weight in importance. Since it can help you tell Google what you want it to notice on the page, it may impact ranking, but the jury is still out here.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source<\/strong>:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnMu\/status\/1459249626800918535\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@JohnMu on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span>Conclusion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There you have it \u2013 an expansive list of all the known, confirmed and refuted Google ranking factors, along with everything in between to keep us guessing.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s just the point. This list will change in the future. That\u2019s probably the only thing we can guarantee at the end of the day.<\/p>\n<p>Because while the SEO rumor mill has speculated on what exactly Google&#8217;s \u201c200 ranking factors\u201d for nearly two decades, the truth is probably a lot murkier than that.<\/p>\n<p>As Google continues to employ AI, machine learning, and other advanced technologies to slice and dice data, the true \u201cranking factors\u201d that will move the needle for marketers tomorrow aren\u2019t likely to be the same old static ones we used to rely on yesterday.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-ranking-signals-complete-breakdown-391784\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google ranking signals: A complete breakdown of all confirmed, rumored and false factors<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Search Engine Land<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Every article you can find online about Google ranking factors will tell you there are at least ~200 or so odd variables that contribute to how a site will perform in the SERPs.\u00a0 That being said, there\u2019s an enormous difference between what might impact SEO, what\u2019s actually confirmed as a ranking factor, and what is simply a good principle to rank well. It might sound like semantics, but \u201cbest practices\u201d don\u2019t just automatically translate into confirmed ranking factors in and of themselves.\u00a0 So let\u2019s separate these [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"h5ap_radio_sources":[],"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7739","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-best-seo-blogs"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":false,"author_link":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/author\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7739","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7739"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7739\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7739"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7739"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/craighordlow.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7739"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}