How To Rank Higher on Google: A Complete Guide

Like many other search engines, Google uses a three-part process to rank web pages: page crawling, indexing, and ranking.

There’s an entire industry devoted to improving placement on a Google search engine results page (SERP). It’s called search engine optimization, or SEO. To embark on an SEO marketing strategy, you must understand what the Google search algorithm prioritizes when it displays web pages on a SERP, and align your website content with those criteria.

It’s true that Google’s algorithm is proprietary, well-guarded, and always changing. But years of experience and Google’s own published literature have taught the public many of the reasons why some web pages rank higher than others.

Here’s a guide to improving your website’s Google ranking using proven techniques.

How does Google rank web pages?

Like many other search engines, Google uses a three-part process to rank web pages. The three components are:

• Page crawling. Google crawls the internet using a tool called Googlebot, which discovers new and updated web pages by following links from existing websites. Using the Google Search Console tool, site owners can also directly request that Google crawl their pages.

• Indexing. Google analyzes the crawled pages, including text, images, videos, and other website content. This information is then stored in Google’s index, a vast database comprising the many millions of web pages Google knows about.

• Ranking. When a user performs a search, Google’s algorithms analyze the query and attempt to discern the user’s search intent. Google then compares the query to the content in its voluminous index of web pages. The algorithm attempts to surface the pages it deems most relevant and authoritative for that specific search.

Google’s ranking factors

Here are the key factors for ranking on Google:

• Relevance to the search query. Google wants to match relevant pages to user queries. It does this by analyzing the search query and looking for pages with relevant keywords in their text, title tag, meta description, and headings. However, the Google algorithm can go deeper than this. It aims to evaluate the semantic meaning of a query by leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP), machine learning, and its proprietary Google Knowledge Graph to decipher the searcher’s intent.

• Quality of content. Google likes to recommend web pages with substantive text and high-quality images and videos. Google uses an acronym called E-E-A-T (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) to describe the qualities it looks for in a web page.

• Topical authority. Google tries to feature websites that are authorities on the specific topic a user is searching for. To this end, it looks for sites that have robust content libraries on that topic authored by experts possessing first-hand experience. 

• User experience. Google prioritizes pages that are easy for site users to use and navigate. Factors include mobile friendliness, page loading speed, site navigation, and an intuitive user interface (UI).

• Technical SEO. Google favors websites it can easily crawl and index. Sites must have a proper sitemap URL, robots.txt, site structure, and security (HTTPS).

• User behavior. Google can track user signals like click-through rate, bounce rate, and dwell time (the time someone spends on a page). It favors sites that it deems to offer a positive user experience.

• Local relevance. When it comes to local search results, Google tries to recommend businesses near a user’s physical location. The algorithm further favors local businesses whose website owners keep their business information (e.g., contact details, business hours) up to date.

How can web pages surface on Google?

Every website owner wants exposure on Google, but there’s more than one way to get that exposure. Here are the various places where web pages can show up on a Google search:

• Standard search results. These are the traditional “blue links” that appear organically on the search results page, ranked by Google’s algorithms based on relevance, quality, and authority.

• Featured snippet. A featured snippet is a concise answer to a user’s query quoted directly from a web page and displayed prominently at the top of the search results. Beneath the quote will be a link to the source page.

• People Also Ask. These sections present a list of common questions related to the original query, which expand to reveal answers sourced from various websites when clicked.

• What People Are Saying. This section links to social media posts related to the search query.

• Image, video, and shopping results. These are specialized results that appear for visual, multimedia, or product-oriented queries. You might see them in carousels, dedicated sections of a SERP, or in tabs at the top of the page. They often pull content from other Google products, such as Google Images, YouTube, or Google Shopping.

• Paid search results. These are advertisements displayed at the top or bottom of the search results page, clearly marked with an “Ad” label, which advertisers pay for on a pay-per-click (PPC) basis.

New Google search features

Google has recently rolled out new AI-powered features intended to enhance a user’s search experience, including:

• AI overviews. Google increasingly provides summarized query answers directly at the top of a SERP. These answers often pull information from multiple sources and provide linked citations for those sources.

• AI-organized search. Google may use AI to group information into categories like short responses, videos, still images, and related queries (called “People Also Ask”). The idea is to provide more context around search results.

• AI mode. Google has begun allowing select users to opt in to what it calls “AI Mode,” which provides more conversational interactions and AI-driven exploration of topics compared to a traditional SERP.

How to rank higher on Google

1. Create compelling content
2. Leverage keywords throughout your website
3. Lean into mobile SEO
4. Build a backlink profile
5. Optimize your business listing for local search
6. Ensure your technical SEO meets Google standards
7. Create a stellar user experience
8. Leverage free tools from Google
9. Experiment with AI tools outside of the Google ecosystem

While no single tactic can guarantee a top search ranking on Google, you can leverage many time-tested techniques to get your site matched to more search queries. These are called white hat SEO techniques, meaning that Google itself has endorsed them in its publicly available literature. These tactics can help you connect with your target audience and boost your site’s exposure:

1. Create compelling content

Few things will improve your Google performance more than creating content that people want to read and view. Ask yourself: What do people want to learn or do when they search this keyword? Then create the best possible website content to help them do that. Infuse your unique expertise and point of view into your content so that it stands out from competitors. And remember: While keyword research and strategic keyword placement can help you turn up in Google searches, mindless keyword stuffing will actually diminish your search ranking.

Other ways to increase the value of your content:

• Add high-quality images, engaging videos, comparison tables, and FAQ sections. 

• Link to other pages on your site to help visitors explore a topic in greater depth. 

• Answer commonly Googled questions crisply and succinctly, as this can help potentially win you a featured snippet or citation in an AI Overview.

For example, if your ecommerce business sells die-cast tools, write product descriptions for each tool explaining use cases, sizing guidance, and comparisons to other models. Include high-resolution images of each product you describe. If your content is assessed to be very authoritative, you could show up in the AI Overview for the keyword “what is die casting.”

2. Leverage keywords throughout your website

Conduct keyword research to clarify the list of keywords you want to rank for. Then, strategically include them throughout your site. They can be particularly effective in the first paragraph of your text, subheadings, and image alt text, which describes an image to search engines. And be precise, as an exact keyword match in your page title might help you rank above a similar page whose title didn’t match a Google user’s search query.

For example, if your ecommerce store sells organic coffee beans, incorporating the phrase “organic coffee” in your title tag and page description might help you outrank more generic competitors who don’t include “organic” in their metadata.

It’s also wise to leverage different types of keywords, including long-tail keywords (keyword phrases of three or more words that match more niche search terms) and latent semantic intent keywords (LSI keywords), which contain search terms that might be logically related to what the user typed into a search bar.

Here’s a way you could add LSI keywords and long-tail keywords to your content. Say that you’re trying to rank for the primary keyword phrase “best hiking boots.” Use long-tail keyword variations like “durable hiking footwear” or “top-rated boots for trekking” and LSI keywords like “hiking tips for beginners” and “camping gear.”

3. Lean into mobile SEO

As an ever greater percentage of Google searches occur via mobile devices, Google wants to promote pages that provide an excellent mobile user experience on smartphones and tablets as well as desktop computers. Make sure your site uses a mobile-friendly theme, optimize all images for faster loading on mobile, and ensure easy navigation on smaller screens.

Follow up on this by personally testing web pages on your own mobile device. Load individual pages and examine their formatting, image aspect ratios, and overall mobile usability. 

4. Build a backlink profile

Google wants to serve its users with the most authoritative websites for every search. One of the ways it assesses authority is by looking at the number of reputable domains that link back to your site. For this reason, it’s very wise to embrace a link-building strategy, where you solicit backlinks from other websites. You can get these backlinks by publishing authoritative content, like a blog post about how to build a shed from scratch or a tutorial video about applying mascara.

It’s also important that you solicit links only from legitimate referring domains. In the past, site owners tried to game the Google algorithm by creating low-quality referral pages that served no function other than to create backlinks to other sites. Google has cracked down on this practice, and it’s specifically looking for referrals from sources that are, themselves, authoritative (e.g., newspapers, magazines, prominent blogs).

5. Optimize your business listing for local search

Local businesses can thrive by appearing in both Google search results and on Google Maps. Start this process by setting up a Google Business Profile (GBP). Here, you can post your name, address, and phone number (NAP), business hours, services, photos, and business categories. Google will ask you to select a primary category for your business; make sure it accurately aligns with the goods and services you provide.

You’ll also boost your local ranking by appearing in local directories, including major platforms like Yelp and more niche directories for specific industries. You can also use your GBP to solicit Google reviews from past clients. Positive reviews help you build trust with potential customers, and they may improve your local search placement.

6. Ensure your technical SEO meets Google standards

For the best possible search ranking, ensure that Google can easily crawl and index your website. Here’s how to do this: Submit your sitemap URL to Google Search Console, use a robots.txt file correctly, implement schema markup and rich snippets, use HTTPS instead of HTTP, and fix broken links within your own site.

As a site administrator, routinely visit Google Search Console for reports on your site’s performance. Fix internal linking issues whenever they arise. Keep adding new pages, and make sure Google can crawl them.

7. Create a stellar user experience

Google prioritizes sites that enjoy a robust click-through rate, encourage long visitor stays, and properly render in all web browsers. The platform publishes a list of what it calls core web vitals, and these include page speed, interactivity, and visual stability. Google can give you a free Core Web Vitals report to see how your site performs with respect to these metrics.

You can also improve the user experience on your site by updating old blog posts, product pages, and guides to keep them current. Where appropriate, supplement them with additional keywords, updated information, new media, or improved formatting. For instance, when you roll out a new version of an existing product, update its product page to reflect the changes, and take the opportunity to weave in new keywords.

8. Leverage free tools from Google

Google wants to help site owners optimize their performance on the search platform. It provides free tools like Google Search Console, Google Analytics, and the Google Business Profile to help in this endeavor. Google is also integrating its signature chatbot Gemini into many of its products. Gemini can help you with everything from keyword optimization to technical SEO, and it’s also free to use.

9. Experiment with AI tools outside of the Google ecosystem

There’s no shortage of AI tools, which come in both free and paid tiers, that can help you rank higher on Google. Semrush and Ahrefs offer AI features that can help you create clusters of related keywords so you can target more keywords per page. Surfer SEO and Jasper can help you draft or optimize blog posts that can answer your audience’s search intent. Tools like Reviewly and Reviews.io can help you solicit more reviews to enhance your business’s credibility.

How to rank higher on Google FAQ

How do I increase my Google search ranking?

To improve your Google search ranking, fill your website with unique, comprehensive content that provides legitimate value to your target audience. Supplement this with tactics like keyword research, local search optimization, and technical SEO fixes, all of which can help you perform better on a Google SERP.

How long does it take to rank higher on Google?

Ranking higher on Google isn’t an instantaneous process. It can take weeks, months, and even years for the search algorithm to begin placing your content higher on search results pages. Businesses make investments in SEO with the hope of long-term benefit.

Why is my Google ranking so low?

If your Google ranking seems inexplicably low, make sure that Google can index your site. Submit a sitemap to Google, check your site’s architecture, and look for broken links or redirects. Make sure your website is optimized for mobile—an increasingly important search factor. Last but not least, look for ways to improve your site’s content. Your pages should contain useful information, clear product descriptions, and keywords matching your target audience’s search intent.