Google now displays ranking factors for search queries

Google can now display a number of factors or reasons that the search engine has used to rank a result from a specific page. This feature stems from the expansion of functions that Google launched in February 2021.

Google Search shows which terms correspond to the specified search query and web page, including terms that are related without directly matching the search term. In addition, Google shows which links from other websites influence the ranking, whether the results include related images, whether there were geographical factors affecting the ranking, and more. Finally, Google provides search tips in this area to help you refine your search query if you find that the results do not meet your expectations.

What ranking factors does Google reveal?

A few factors highlighted by Google have been disclosed. We have listed these below in bullet points:

– Search results appearing in the search results: Google shows which terms linked to the user’s search query are associated with the content and/or HTML on the web page that Google has ranked. Matches are visible not only in the content but also in HTML tags. Consider, for example, the title tag or other metadata.

– Search terms related to the search query: Google matches not only the exact search query, but also related search queries associated with the search term.

– Other websites containing search terms that link to the result: This shows whether websites that mention the search terms on their pages and in their links actually link to the result listed in Google’s search results. Links are still considered an important ranking factor.

– Results include images related to the search query: Google also looks at the images and, where applicable, the file names on the website to see if they match the search query.

– Results in different languages: This feature is currently only available in English, but once it becomes operational, Google will also be able to display results in other languages. For example, if you search in Spanish, Google is more likely to show results in Spanish.

– The result is relevant to the specific region: Google can use the user’s location, the website’s location and the search query to determine whether the searcher wants to find a web page that is more relevant to a specific region. The results can sometimes be refined down to city level, whilst in other cases the region is not relevant.

Why is this transparency important?

Marketers, and SEO marketers in particular, always want to know why Google ranks a particular page. With this new feature, Google shows in considerable detail why a particular page ranks for a search query. It’s not that all the criteria are revealed straight away, but Google does now tell you whether the words match (closely), whether users are linking to the site, whether there are geographical reasons, and so on. From a user’s perspective, it is possible to see how Google ranks the results, and this transparency lends greater credibility to the user.