Google’s Search Algorithm: What Is It? & How Does It Work?

If there is one piece of algorithm that impacts the life of every internet user the most, it is surely the google algorithm. And not without reason. After all, it is the most popular search engine in the world, with over 5 billion search hits every day.

Google’s algorithm has impacted and changed the browsing habits of just about everyone that uses the search engine. But what goes on behind the curtain of arguably one of the most complex algorithms in the world? How does it work? Why is the #1 link when you search something at #1 and not #2 or #5?

And how can you exploit the Google algorithm to your advantage to ensure that your site is the one that ranks at #1?

Pakistan SEO Services is an SEO firm in Pakistan, and we are specially equipped to answer these questions. In this blog, we will be taking a dive into the Google algorithm and its workings. Keep reading to find out.

Google’s Search Algorithm Unraveled

How Does The Google Search Algorithm Work?

To be honest, nobody except those at Google knows exactly how the Google algorithm works. That is because its inner workings have been kept private and confidential. But there is a lot of information that Google has made public too. That is how we know that there are over 200 factors that determine the exact ranking of any website. But we don’t know them all.

And trying to figure out those 200+ factors is useless, too, because the Google algorithm is constantly evolving and changing.

What Are The Google Search Algorithm Ranking Factors?

When it comes to the Google search algorithm and Search Engine Optimization as a whole, there are a few significant factors that we’ve identified. They are as follows.

• Backlinks
• Freshness
• Keyword mentions
• User experience
• Topical authority

Let’s take a look at all of them.

Backlinks

Google’s algorithm has a natural preference for authoritative websites that link back to the page that you want to rank. We will discuss what authoritative websites mean later on. But basically, if important and high-ranking websites have a backlink that goes back to your website, then the algorithm is more likely to display that page.

Backlinks take some time and effort to make, and the activity of producing backlinks is known as link-building. And it is arguably the most important component of search engine optimization that you should keep in mind. Backlinks have been a significant factor in site ranking for over 25 years.

If your backlink profile is the same or more extensive than your competitor, then you know that your site and the content in it are doing well.

There are many tools out there that can help you see your backlink profile and how it compares to other sites in your niche.

Freshness

It stands to reason that a site with old and outdated content wouldn’t be ranked over a site that is fresher with newer and updated content. Google recognizes that and prefers to rank sites with fresher content. This “freshness” is quite essential.

Though, the exact level of freshness is relative and depends upon the category or niche of your website. A news website will have content constantly uploaded to it, whereas a site about vintage watches won’t necessarily be as active.

News is ever-changing, whereas information about a vintage watch is constant and will stay the same forever.

That is where SERP factors in. When trying to maximize ranking, the SERP for your keywords lets you know how fresh they are. If the SERP of your keyword refreshes frequently, then you will need to feature that keyword much more frequently in your content to keep up with the rankings.

Keyword Mentions

If someone searches “best cars of 2022” and your content doesn’t have that specific sentence featuring in it, then your content will not appear in the search rankings. That is one of the most obvious things about the Google search algorithm. But despite how obvious it is, it is just as essential.

Google prefers to rank sites that feature keywords. The algorithm also cares about how many times the keyword or its variations appear on a page.

Here are the places where placing a keyword matters:

• The title
• Subheading(s)
• The page’s URL
• The introductory paragraph

What also matters is what kind of keyword it is. There are four different kinds of keywords: commercial, informational, transactional, and navigational. And you have to determine what kind of keyword is appropriate for the content on a certain page.

User Experience

For Google’s algorithm, the user experience matters too. But how can the algorithm tell what construes a good user experience?

Well, there are several factors that the algorithm analyzes. These factors include:

• Page load speed.
• No intrusive ads or pop-ups.
• Internal linking & convenient navigation.
• Mobile-friendliness.
• Website design efficiency.
• Meta titles and meta descriptions relative to keyword intent.

And more. In particular, Google’s algorithm has prioritized speed as an SEO factor. In 2021, Google launched the Core Web Vitals (CVW) test, which tests the load speed of your website with many different factors in consideration.

To learn more about Core Web Vitals, you can refer to our blog on it by clicking here.

Topical Authority

And now we come to the factor that we mentioned in the beginning. In a nutshell, topical authority basically means that if there are two sites with the same topic mentioned, then Google will give priority ranking to the site that has additional information on said topic.

This is due to Google’s wanting to provide users with a helpful and informational experience.

This includes backlinking as an important factor. And in general, the more information you include in your content over your competitors, without stuffing, the better the chances are of Google prioritizing your content.

To Wrap Up

If you want to take your site to the very top, then search engine optimization is your best bet when it comes to getting the most out of the Google Search Algorithm. For that, you can reach out to Pakistan SEO Services, the best SEO company in Pakistan.

Contact us today, and begin your journey to the top of the rankings.