Google algorithm ranking factors in 2023

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a very important pillar in today's modern marketing. Its goal is to position a given website as high as possible in the search results list. The most common browser in Hungary is Google, so when we talk about SEO we mean Google’s search engine. As 75% of users do not move to the second page of the search results list, SEO is especially important in the marketing toolkit. Achieving a good ranking is not so easy, it requires consistent SEO work and efforts to adapt to the SEO algorithm. The problem starts with the fact that SEO algorithms are not public and they change from time to time. Yet based on the experience of the previous decade, it is possible to infer what Google "likes".

First Page Sage started tracking and testing Google's algorithm 14 years ago. During this time, it has become one of the leading SEO companies in the US and has gained a wealth of experience and data that can contribute to understanding the Google algorithm. Here is a summary of what changes have been made and what updates are expected in 2023.

Google ranking factors for 2023 are

• Consistent posting of engaging content: 24% (decrease)
• Keywords in meta title tags: 15% (decrease)
• Backlinks: 15%
• Niche expertise: 14% (increase)
• User engagement: 12% (increase)
• Reliability: 5% (NEW)
• Mobile-Friendly/Mobile-First website: 4%
• Internal links: 3% (decrease)
• Site speed: 3%
• Website security/SSL certification: 2%
• Schema Markup/Structured Data: 1%
• Keywords in URL: 1%
• Keywords in meta description tags + other factors: 1%

Google is constantly updating the algorithm, this is the secret of their success. The search giant releases updates a few times a month to give users the best possible search experience. If we are aware of when Google updates, we can adapt to the changes. This means that it's a good idea to check your page ranking and analysis every once in a while after an update. In the light of this, you can consciously adjust your settings and content.

What kind of updates should we think about? On 14 December 2022, for example, Google introduced its SpamBrain artificial intelligence-based spam prevention system, and in February 2022 it rolled out the Page Experience update, which includes explicit ranking factors such as mobile-friendly design and the use of https.

Updates to the Google algorithm in 2023

Compared to 2022, the following updates are expected in 2023:

• A new factor is reliability, which weighs in at 5%. This is due to Google's patent application for an artificial intelligence technology that determines the factuality of content. It has introduced the Your Money, Your Life algorithm update, which looks at content written on health and financial topics. Google advises content producers to rely on scientific sources and avoid unsubstantiated claims.
• The share of user engagement has increased and is now the fifth most important factor in the algorithm. Over the last three years, this growth has been unbroken, so it can be argued that the primary goal of a content creator should be to answer the searcher's question.
• The value of niche expertise has increased from 13% to 14%, highlighting the importance of the Hub and Spoke SEO model.
• Consistent posting of engaging content fell from 26% to 24%, which is not significant. Google continues to value the consistent production of high-quality information, giving these websites faster indexing and higher rankings. Good content also represents an opportunity to attract backlinks.
• The importance of keywords in meta titles has decreased from 17% to 15%, as Google has relaxed the strictness of word matching. While there used to be a difference between ‘buying a webcam’ and ‘buying of a webcam’, this is no longer significant. Regardless of the role it plays in the algorithm, it is still one of the basic criteria for ranking.
• Internal linking is less important for Google, its importance has decreased from 5% to 3%.
• Backlinks used to account for 50% of the algorithm's determination, by now it's only 15%. This is a remnant of an era when Google was not yet able to assess the reliability of a website itself and relied on other sites. Due to its artificial intelligence solutions it is not the case anymore.
• The keywords in the header tag have been removed as influencing factors, so they now only fit in the other category, which is 1% in total.

It is essential to be aware that certain factors, such as the inclusion of keywords in the meta title, are basic criteria for ranking. So are user engagement, reliability, mobile-friendly design and page speed.

Factor breakdown

Consistent posting of engaging content

Engaging content overtook backlinks in the search algorithm five years ago. The last two years have shown that Google is testing how search engines react to new content. If the data indicates that the content of the page is satisfactory, the page can move up in the rankings. We can say that in general Google rewards high-quality content that is produced twice a week.

Keywords in the meta title tags

Keywords are phrases that a user will type into a search engine in the hope of getting useful and relevant content. Search engine optimisation is about thinking with the visitor's head: figuring out what terms they are using to find information that is valuable to them. These will be the keywords that need to be placed in the right amount and at the right points in the content. It is important that the keywords are relevant, that people search for them, and last but not least, that there is a realistic chance of getting on the results page.

Since the 1990s, it has been essential for ranking to include keywords in the meta title tag. The placement and density of keywords within the title tag is also important. Ideally, only the targeted keyword should be included in the title tag, but in reality, adjectives facilitate readability.

Backlinks

Google's algorithm was originally built on backlinks, but in 2018 it started to take a back seat, overtaken by the previous two factors. It still plays a significant role, but the quality of the content is even more important, as it is what brings links organically.

Niche expertise

In 2017, Google started to favour niche expert sites. These are pages that consist of more than 10 quality pages built around a core keyword. The consistency of the central keyword is a magnet for traffic from people interested in the topic.

User engagement

Over the past five years, the biggest change in Google's algorithm has been the increase in user engagement, which finally became one of the most important factors in 2016. Engagement is closely linked to the production of engaging content, the latter being indicated by bounce rate, time on page and session per page. Google has reinforced its commitment to this by updating its Helpfulness algorithm in 2022.

Reliability

Google has increased its monitoring of content to protect users. In this spirit, it has updated the Your Money, Your Life algorithm and developed a patent with IMB to help detect factual data. Optimisation requires nothing more than avoiding false claims and quoting reliable, scientific sources.

Mobile-friendly/mobile-first website

In 2023, you can't reach your target audience without a mobile presence. While mobile-friendly used to be the default, today we are talking about mobile-first, which means that the structure, outline and design is primarily mobile-first, with the desktop version not even existing in all cases.

Inernal links

In 2017, this factor was much more pronounced. Internal links connect the website and help it to rank better. The most popular SEO strategy in 2023 is the Hub and Spoke model, which combines keywords in meta title tags, expertise and internal links. In the spirit of the Hub and Spoke model, content should be created around a broad theme. This can help to rank keywords, increase traffic and conversions. So you have a main theme, which needs to be reinforced with a variety of supporting content, to be highlighted to Google. The idea behind the model is that Google favors valuable, expert content. What better way to demonstrate that your site is a high-quality resource on a given topic than by showing that you are able to explore all aspects of a topic.

Site speed

Google is all about user experience, so it's no wonder it invests in thousands of data centers to serve searchers in even shorter and faster times. The aim is to load pages in the shortest possible time, while keeping page speed at a minimum. You can check the speed of your pages on Page Speed Insights.

Website security/SSL certificate

With the rise of the web, hackers have sought ever more sophisticated ways to attack sites. Google wanted to avoid search engines clicking on malicious websites, so in 2017 it marked sites that did not have an SSL certificate or were not properly configured as unsafe. Read more about getting an SSL certificate!

Schema Markup/Structured data

Schema markup is a new version of meta tags, a code that is assigned to a web page to help Google give you more visual search results. Google prefers those who use schema markup because it is considered more useful to search engines.

Keywords in the URL

A remnant from the 2000s is that the placement of the targeted keywords in the URL is important, although not as important for the algorithm.

Keywords in meta description tags + other factors

There are further 22 factors that affect page ranking, such as the placement of keywords in the head title tag, off-site mentions of the brand, keyword density. These do not carry as much weight, but it is worth taking every opportunity to get ahead in the rankings.

Conclusion

The factors that determine Google's algorithm are worth paying attention to and keeping in mind, but not obsessively. By constantly eliminating low-quality SEO, Google can move ever closer to its goal of providing users with the best possible search experience. For marketers, this means having the right SEO strategy in place, optimising pages for the right keywords, ones that are in the best interest of the business.

This blogpost is based on FirstPageSage article.