Have you ever thought about why certain blogs are on the first page of Google and how others are left to stagnate for centuries on page 10? 🤔 It’s not magic — it all boils down to something called ranking factors.
So, in short, ranking factors are the things that Google evaluates to decide where it should sit in the search results. Think of Google as a teacher correcting a paper. The better your blog ticks off certain “boxes” the more likely you are to find yourself in an A+ position (also known as a first-page ranking).
Now, there are over 200 known ranking factors in Google, and you don’t need to use or learn all of them. In fact, they can be categorized into just three simple buckets:
On-Page SEO (what’s on your blog)
Off-Page SEO (what others say about your blog),
and Technical SEO (the way your blog is created behind the scenes)
These include things like:
How useful and unique your information is.
How fast your site loads,
That if other reliable sites are linking to you,
And what about how users act on your site (such as how long they stay!).
So what’s in it for you?
Because if you know what Google is looking for, you can optimize your blog accordingly — and that leads to more visitors, more clicks, and more opportunities to grow your following (or maybe even get paid).
In this article, we’re going to simplify ranking factors with plain, simple, English. No tech jargon. Just real things you can actually do to improve your blog’s visibility and climb the search results ladder more quickly.
Are you ready to discover how to get your blog noticed? Let’s dive in. 🚀
Key Factor-1 ## 🛠️ What Are On-Page SEO Ranking Factors (And Why Should You Care)?
Alright, let’s face it – what good is writing phenomenal blog posts if no one is reading them on Google, right? That’s where on-page SEO comes in. You can think of it like dressing up your blog so both search engines and readers can say, “Wow, I love this!”
On-page ranking factors are all the things you can influence on your blog post or web page that help to improve its position in the search results. They’re saying to Google, “Hey, this content is helpful, it’s clear and I want it to be shown to people.”
Step-by-step, let me take you through it (no techy mumbo jumbo here, I promise):
First off, you need to get the keywords right. Here are the words people type in Google when they are seeking. You include them in your copy, your headlines, and even your web link (URL). It enables Google to tie your post to the stuff people are really looking for.
Then there’s content quality. Don’t write just to have something to say. Write your posts to be useful, and unique, and to answer the specific questions your audience is asking. If they are looking for “how to bake banana bread,” give them the full recipe, not just an ingredients list.
Oh, and also, page speed is a thing. No one enjoys a slow page load. And neither does Google. If your blog is slow, your readers may hit the back button before you can say “SEO.”
And speaking of speed, ever go to a website on your phone and it looked weird, or everything looked smushed together? Which is why mobile-friendliness is so important. Google does in fact consider your mobile version first — so your site should look good on the small screen, too.
And now we come to website organization. You don’t want your readers — or search engines — to be left in the dark. Clean navigation and internal links (such as “Read More” buttons that link to other related blog posts) also make it easier for visitors to wander around the site.
Title tag and meta description? That’s the outfit your blog wears in search results. If it’s catchy and straightforward and people can tell at a glance what the post is about, then they are way more likely to click. You have an opportunity to make a great first impression.
And don’t ignore your images. They aren’t only there to look pretty. Give them descriptive file names compress them for quick load times, and always include that alt text — Google eats it up and it’s good for accessibility, too.
Want readers to stick around? Then concentrate on User Experience (UX). Readable fonts, short paragraphs, good colors, and clear layouts help. At the end of the day, you are looking for your website to act more like a cozy coffee shop and less like a labyrinth.
Finally, and then there’s structured data. That sounds fancy, but all it really does is give Google a bit more information about what your content is — recipes, FAQs, reviews, that sort of thing — so it can show more detailed results (such as star ratings or numbered how-to steps) in search.
Pretty cool, right? Small on-page tweaks like these can seriously improve your blog’s chances of ranking on Google quickly. So here’s the breakdown of each, and how you can get make your blog look awesome online — without needing to be a tech genius.
Key Factor-2## 🚀 Off-Page Ranking Factors: What’s Happening Behind the Scenes?
OK, so you’ve published an awesome blog post — great title, graphics, and everything, nice and helpful content, and yet, you are not being noticed by Google? But… crickets. What gives?
The thing is: ranking on Google isn’t all about what’s on your blog — it’s about what’s going on around it, too. And that’s where Off-Page SEO comes into play.
Think of it like this:
If On-Page SEO is your blog all dressed up and talking loud, Off-Page SEO is other people talking about your blog when you’re out of the room! And believe me: Google’s listening.
Here’s the super-simple breakdown:
🔗 Backlinks – The Web’s Vote of “I Trust You”
Visualize it every time an external website links to your blog, it is a vote of confidence.
But not all votes are equal.
Big, reputable sites (like Forbes, or Wikipedia) linking to you — boom! That’s a quality backlink.
What if you get a link from a sketchy site? Not so helpful.
💡 The goal? Earn top-quality backlinks from topically related and highly respected websites. It tells Google,
“Hey, this blog has got some inside information!”
🌐 Domain Authority – Like Your Blog’s Street Cred
Your blog’s reputation score is what you call it – Domain Authority.
It’s influenced by:
How many quality backlinks do you have,
How old your website is,
And what your content and traffic are like.
👉 A blog that’s 5 years old and that lots of people have linked to, will outrank a new blog (at least initially).
📲 SOCIAL SIGNALS – BUZZ ABOUT YOUR BLOG
Okay, so here’s a fun fact:
And Google would never tell you that it ranks likes, shares, or tweets.
…but that is no reason to pretend that social media doesn’t matter!
If your blog post is being shared on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, it creates a buzz. That extra traffic, engagement, and occasionally even backlinks can provide your blog with a healthy ranking kick.
🏷️ Brand Signals –
Establish a Name People Brand signals is a dying nocturnal animal Regrow its hair 🙂 (128 columns)ymce4the human leg is the most athletic looking part of a body, yes There is a lucky dug!
Ever Googled something and clicked on a website simply because you’d heard of the site before?
That’s brand power in action.
When people:
Search your blog name,
Post about it in forums or the social media,
Or hell just go ahead and type out your full URL.
…it emits tiny trust signals to Google. It’s like saying,
“This is not just any random site — this is a brand that people know.”
And sure, that helps your rankings as well.
So if you’re scratching your head and asking yourself why your amazing content is still not ranking, don’t just blame your blog.
Look beyond it.
Ask yourself:
Who’s linking to you?
Is your blog being discussed?
Are you appearing in social or niche communities?
Since off-page SEO is essentially the equivalent of your online reputation —and reputation does matter.
Next up, let’s go into a bit more detail about how you can build these off-page signals and start promoting your blog for real, one step at a time. Ready? Let’s go!
Key Factor-3## 🔧 Technical Ranking Factors (And Why They Totally Matter for Your Blog!)
OK, so you’ve written some epic blog posts. Your titles are click-worthy, and your images are nice and clean. 41 Why Are You Not Ranking Higher On Google But what is this… why are you not ranking higher on Google? 🤔
Here’s the deal: Technical SEO is similar to the foundation of a home. So if the inside (your content) looks great it might not matter if the frame is wobbly. Google’s not going to trust it. We’ll pull apart these technical ranking factors into plain old casual language — so that you can fix ’em like a pro (even if you aren’t one).
🔐 1. Website Security (HTTPS)
Ever seen the tiny padlock 🔒 that appears in front of a website URL? That’s a sign the site employs HTTPS — a more secure version of HTTP that secures a user’s data.
Why it matters?
Google loves secure websites. If your blog hasn’t yet been moved to HTTPS, Google may throw you some (shade) lower rankings). And readers will feel safer knowing your blog isn’t sketchy.
👉 Quick Fix:
Obtain an SSL certificate from your host (many offer it for free now). Your URL should be formatted as https://yourblog.com.
🧱 2. Site Structure
So imagine if you walked into a very cluttered room and nothing is labeled and it’s very unorganized. Ugh. That is how Google thinks if your blog has a simple format or design.
Why it matters?
Google bots (think little digital spiders) crawl the site to understand it. A clear structure allows them to decipher which pages matter and how they relate to each other.”
👉 Quick Fix:
Benefit from categories and subcategories. Keep an easy menu and make inside links in between your posts.
🤖 3. Robots.txt File
This is a dull little text file, but also incredibly handy. It informs search engines what elements of your site they should crawl or ignore.
Why it matters?
Don’t want Google to waste time crawling your admin/private files, do you?
👉 Quick Fix:
Check your robots. txt at your blog. com/robots. txt. Still not sure, you can choose and install one easily using tools like Yoast SEO or RankMath.
🗺️ 4. Sitemaps
A sitemap is a treasure map for Google. It includes all your key pages, so search engines know how to index them fast.
Why it matters?
No sitemap = Some of your pages will not be found by Google.
👉 Quick Fix:
Generate a sitemap automatically using an SEO plugin (Yoast or RankMath) and submit it using Google Search Console.
🚀 5. CDN (Content Delivery Network)
Or sometimes I like to refer to a CDN as having lots of little mini-you’s of your bloggies spread everywhere. And when someone comes to your site, it loads from the server closest to them.
Why it matters?
Quick load = happy user = high ranking.
👉 Quick Fix:
Leverage free CDNs such as Cloudflare to speed up your site, particularly if you are attracting traffic from various countries.
🔑 6. Keyword Optimization
Yep, keywords still matter. But that’s not about cramming in 10 more like we did in 2010.
Why it matters?
Google needs to understand what your page is about, and your keywords provide clues.
👉 Quick Fix:
Use your main keyword in the:
- Title
- Meta description
- First paragraph
- Headings
- Image alt text
…but keep it natural!
🎯 7. Search Intent
This one’s big! Google doesn’t like words, it likes meaning. Ask yourself: “What is the user really seeking when he or she types this?
Why it matters?
If your searcher is looking for “how to start a blog,” they’re not interested in a history of blogging — they want to read the steps.
👉 Quick Fix:
Google your keyword. Look at the top 5 results. What do they do? Match the intention, and take it up a notch.
📍 8. Local Search Ranking Factors
If your blog or business is location-based (e.g. a bakery or a tutoring service), local SEO is something you’ll want to address.
Why it matters?
Google will return results based on relevance, distance, and prominence, especially for “near me” or city-based queries.
👉 Quick Fix:
List Your Practice on Google Business.detectChanges().toPromise(); } Create a Google Business Profile
Drop your city’s name into the most important areas of your site
List directories near you
🧠 Last thoughts — Keep It Simple
This stuff doesn’t have to be greeky/tech wizardy to get it right. Many of these are one-time setups or basic tweaks. When your technical SEO is sorted, your blog is just like a tuned machine—and it’s ready to rank faster, better, and higher!