Definition:
In the context of SEO, algorithms are the sets of instructions that search engines, like Google, use to determine which web pages to show in search results.
FUN FACT:
Google’s system of ranking factors is not just one algorithm, but a series of many algorithms.(Source)
How Google’s Search Algorithms Work:
Since Google can’t manually sort through billions of web pages every time a user performs a search (referred to as a “query”), it uses these algorithms to sort through and display results based on a wide range of ranking factors.
Also, the weight placed on each factor changes based on things such as the context of the search, user location, device, and user search history. Hence, why you often get different results for variations of a query—and why two people might get different results for the same query.
A common misinterpretation is that the Google algorithms aim to display individual websites (as in, the entities as a whole), when, in reality, it focuses on displaying information from individual web pages only. This is why you might see two pages from the same website show up in a search result. In this scenario, Google has determined two pages from the same site are relevant for that one query.
Ranking Factors for Google Search:
While the exact recipe for Google’s search algorithms are not made 100% publicly available, they are by no means a complete secret (as commonly believed and misrepresented). In fact, the core fundamentals for rankings can be found directly on Google’s website, along with resources like an SEO Starter Guide, guidelines, and documentation for just about every update they make at Google Search Central.
Based on this information, and the tireless work of SEO experts, we know that some of the most important factors that impact SEO include:
- Content: Websites with high-quality, relevant, and original content tend to rank higher in search results.
- Links: Websites with a lot of high-quality links pointing to them from other websites are seen as more authoritative and trustworthy, and therefore tend to rank higher in search results.
User Experience: Websites that are easy to use, fast to load, and visually appealing tend to rank higher in search results.
In short, the primary purpose of Google’s algorithms is to ensure the accuracy and relevance of search results so that users easily find the information they are looking for. This means that websites that provide high-quality content are more likely to be rewarded with higher rankings. The pages that are most useful and informative will be ranked higher in the search results.
