Search Engine Ranking Factors 2025: Content, UX & Brand

If you’ve ever searched for something online and noticed the same websites always appear at the top, it’s not a coincidence.

These sites follow specific signals, known as search engine ranking factors sometimes called Google SEO ranking factors, Google ranking factors, SEO ranking factors, or search ranking signals. They’re the criteria search engines use to decide rankings.

Understanding these factors helps you align your site with how search engines decide which pages deserve the top spots.

In practice, the factors affecting search engine rankings cluster around content quality, technical health, behavior signals, and brand trust.

In 2025, it’s no longer just about keywords or backlinks. With AI-generated summaries, zero-click answers, and smarter ranking systems, Google now evaluates meaning, user behavior, and brand trust at a much deeper level.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the most important ranking factors in 2025 the key ranking factors for search engines so you can align your strategy with what actually works today.

Top 10 Search Engine Ranking Factors (2025)

These are the signals most correlated with visibility. Click to jump to details below.

If you’re new to search engine optimization (SEO), check out the beginner’s guide to understand how SEO connects these ranking factors to long-term visibility.

How Do Search Engines Rank Websites (and Why Some Don’t)?

Search engines rank websites by evaluating a mix of signals this is how search engines determine website rankings including content quality, backlinks, mobile performance, and user engagement.

These signals work together to match each search query with the most relevant and trustworthy results.

Put simply, this is what influences website visibility on search engines: relevance, trust, usability, and satisfaction.

How Google Ranks Content in 2025: The Updated Model

To understand how to improve your visibility, it’s important to know how ranking factors are applied in 2025. Google’s system today is a blend of machine learning, user behavior analysis, and traditional web signals. It’s not about tricks it’s about aligning with what helps real users.

Google combines modern AI-driven models (like BERT, MUM, and Gemini) with older systems like PageRank. Together, they evaluate relevance, trust, and usefulness, and results are updated continuously based on how people interact with them.

As AI search models advance, leading firms use the AI search visibility platform for agencies to align content with both ranking factors and LLM-based visibility signals.

Adding LLM.txt files to your site can help AI systems interpret your content more accurately and increase your chances of being cited in zero-click AI answers.

Content Quality & Search Intent (2025)

Today, Google looks at five core areas the elements that influence search rankings when ranking content:

• Content quality – originality, depth, and intent alignment
• Backlinks and authority – credibility and external trust
• Technical SEO – performance, structure, schema
• User engagement – click behavior, dwell time, satisfaction
• Brand signals – consistency, reputation, off-site mentions

On-Page SEO: Internal Linking & Metadata

Beyond the high-level signals, on-page SEO ranking factors like clear titles, descriptive headings, and smart internal linking help search engines understand topical focus and intent.

Backlinks & Authority (2025)

According to First Page Sage (2025), the breakdown looks like this:

• Consistently helpful content – 23%
• Keyword in meta title – 14%
• Backlinks – 13%
• Niche expertise – 13%
• User engagement (CTR, time on page) – 12%
• Freshness – 6%
• Mobile-friendliness – 5%
• Trust signals – 4%
• Link diversity – 3%
• Page speed – 3%
• SSL security – 2%
• Internal linking & metadata – 2% combined

SEO success isn’t just about rankings. It’s about mastering the full spectrum of strategies. You can explore them all in Wellows’ complete SEO guide.

Technical SEO: Mobile, CWV, Schema, and Site Architecture

Even the best content can struggle to rank if the technical foundation isn’t right these are the technical SEO elements for search ranking that keep your site crawlable, fast, and secure.

Google still expects your site to load fast, be mobile-friendly, secure, and easy to crawl. These are basic signals, but they carry serious weight.

That’s why performing an SEO site audit is essential it helps uncover performance bottlenecks, crawl issues, or indexation errors that silently harm your rankings, especially when you need to SEO-prioritize on a budget.

Proper use of canonical tags also plays a key role in avoiding duplicate content issues that can dilute ranking signals.

In 2025, Core Web Vitals, structured data, and clean architecture form the backbone of technical SEO.

1. What are Core Web Vitals, and how do they affect rankings?

Core Web Vitals (CWV) are performance metrics that measure how smooth and fast your site feels to users:

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) – How fast your main content appears
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) – Visual stability during load
• INP (Interaction to Next Paint) – Responsiveness when users click or tap

Collectively, these are core user experience factors in search engine ranking that align fast, stable pages with better outcomes.

Pages with strong CWV scores are more likely to perform better in search, especially in competitive niches. Optimizing for CWV is one of the few technical changes that can directly improve rankings (Backlinko, 2024).

2. Is mobile usability still a ranking factor?

Yes and it’s non-negotiable.

Google uses mobile-first indexing, meaning your mobile version is what gets evaluated.

If your site isn’t responsive and easy to use on small screens, both your rankings and user experience will suffer.

3. Does HTTPS and site safety matter?

Yes. Google prefers sites that use HTTPS encryption, as it ensures secure connections for users.

If your site still runs on HTTP or shows malware warnings, it may be demoted or even removed from search results.

This isn’t just about SEO it’s about trust.

4. What role does structured data (schema) play in SEO?

While schema doesn’t directly boost rankings, it helps Google understand your content better and improves how your page appears in search (rich snippets, FAQs, product info, etc.).

The most useful schema types in 2025 include:

• Article
• Product
• Organization
• LocalBusiness
• Event
• Person

JSON-LD remains the preferred format for implementing structured data.

E-E-A-T vs. Brand Signals: What Google Says vs. What Google Ranks

Google emphasizes E-E-A-T Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness as crucial for content quality the key content-related factors for search rankings that guide evaluation of helpfulness and credibility.

However, in practice, brand signals often play a more significant role in determining search rankings.

1. Is E-E-A-T a direct ranking factor?

Not exactly. Google doesn’t treat E-E-A-T as a direct ranking signal like page speed or mobile usability. Instead, it’s part of the framework used by Google’s quality raters to assess whether content is genuinely helpful, especially for sensitive topics like health, money, or legal advice.

While raters don’t influence rankings directly, the data they provide helps Google tune its systems to reward high-quality, user-first content.

2. Do brand signals impact search rankings?

Yes. Brand signals play a major role in how users interact with search results, and that interaction influences rankings.

People tend to click on domains they already know or trust, even if the title and description are similar to other results.

Over time, this means familiar and trusted brands often outrank less recognizable ones not just because of algorithmic factors, but because users consistently choose them.

If you’re tracking brand demand through organic search, measuring your Share of Search offers valuable insight into how your visibility stacks up against top competitors in your space.

3. How can you enhance E-E-A-T and brand signals?

To strengthen both credibility and visibility, focus on strategies that serve users and signal trust to search engines:

4. User Behavior in YMYL Searches with AI

When it comes to YMYL topics like health, finance, or legal advice, users interact
with AI-powered search differently. Expectations go beyond quick answers they look
for transparency, credibility, and clear sourcing. AI-driven personalization makes
results more conversational, but it also raises the bar for trust.

To align with these expectations:

• Highlight credentials: Show author expertise, qualifications, or lived experience.
• Back claims with sources: Cite recognized authorities and link to reputable references.
• Stay fresh: Update sensitive content regularly to maintain accuracy and reliability.
• Be transparent: Clarify limitations and avoid over-generalized or AI-only claims.

For YMYL queries, users want answers that feel both human and trustworthy content
that balances AI-driven efficiency with credible expertise.

Think of E-E-A-T as how clearly you demonstrate your value, and brand signals as how often people recognize and return to it both of which can be tracked and strengthened using Real-Time SEO Data.

Local SEO & Voice Search: Intent, Proximity, and NLP

Search behavior shifts the moment people go mobile. Whether someone says “best coffee near me” or checks reviews while navigating Maps, Google uses real-time signals to decide what ranks.

In this context, Local SEO is about visibility, accuracy, and how well your brand connects with intent and location.

Today, it’s not just about listings it’s about how search engines interpret your business using Natural Language Processing (NLP), proximity, and entity signals.

1. How does Google use proximity and intent in local results?

Google’s local ranking factors play a critical role in determining which businesses appear in local search results. The system evaluates three main criteria: relevance, distance, and prominence. Focusing on these pillars can significantly improve your local visibility.

1. Relevance

• This measures how well your Google Business Profile (GBP) matches what a user is searching for. To strengthen relevance:
• Keep your GBP complete and accurate, including business name, categories, and contact details.
• Use descriptive, keyword-rich explanations of your products or services.
• Ensure consistency of your NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) across all directories.

2. Distance

• Google factors in how close your business is to the searcher or the location mentioned in their query. To optimize:
• Confirm your business address is correct and consistent across platforms.
• Clearly define your service areas within GBP if you cater to multiple locations.

3. Prominence

• Prominence reflects your business’s overall reputation and recognition. To build it:
• Encourage and respond to customer reviews.
• Earn backlinks from reputable local websites or news outlets.
• Get listed in trusted local directories with consistent details.

Additional Signals
Google also considers on-page SEO, mobile usability, and engagement on your GBP (photos, posts, Q&A) as part of its ranking mix.

By improving these areas, your business stands a stronger chance of showing up in high-value local searches, making it easier for nearby customers to discover and trust your brand.

2. What’s different about voice search optimization?

Voice searches are longer, more conversational, and often have local intent. Common examples include:

• “Where’s the closest Thai restaurant open now?”
• “Directions to the nearest vet clinic”
• “Best coffee near me with outdoor seating”

To capture these queries:

• Use long-tail conversational phrases
• Include FAQ sections written in natural language
• Add schema markup like LocalBusiness, FAQ, and HowTo

3. What’s entity-local linking, and why does it matter?

Local SEO is no longer just about location it’s about being seen as a known entity. Linking your brand across:

• Local directories (Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places)
• Local press or blogs
• Social profiles with city/location tagging

Google vs. Bing Ranking Criteria: Key Differences

Not all search engines use the same signals to rank content. Google and Bing may return similar results, but they don’t get there the same way. Google’s algorithm is layered with AI understanding and behavior data, while Bing still leans on classic SEO signals like metadata and social cues.

If your audience uses both platforms especially desktop or voice understanding these differences helps you optimize smarter.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Google vs. Bing SEO Factors

Google’s approach is rooted in semantics, behavior patterns, and real-world authority. Bing rewards content that’s clean, keyword-rich, and media-enhanced, especially when paired with strong metadata and social engagement.

Optimized images contribute to better page load speed, accessibility, and user engagement all of which are indirect ranking factors influenced by strong image SEO.

What the 2024 Google Leak Exposed

In May 2024, thousands of internal API documents from Google were leaked, offering a rare inside look at how ranking systems actually work.

The leak, first analyzed by SEO expert Rand Fishkin, confirmed long-held suspicions about how Google measures engagement, evaluates brands, and handles new websites.

1. Does Google track User Engagement Signals (NavBoost, CTR & Dwell)

Yes. Contrary to years of denials, the leak revealed that Google actively uses engagement data, processed through systems like NavBoost, to adjust search rankings.

These signals include:

• Click-through rates (CTR)
• Dwell time
• Pogo-sticking (users bouncing quickly between results)
• LastLongestClick – which tracks the result keeping the user engaged longest

These metrics help Google decide which content people actually find useful feeding back into real-time ranking adjustments.

2. Are new or smaller websites treated differently?

Yes. The leaked files included flags like “smallPersonalSite”, suggesting that new domains are monitored with extra caution and may be temporarily limited in search visibility.

Newer or lesser-known websites often face slower ranking progress, especially if they lack brand credibility, user engagement, or a history of trustworthy signals.

To accelerate growth, new sites should focus on:

• Publishing expert-driven content
• Displaying legitimacy (about page, contact info, author bios)
• Getting cited or mentioned off-site in reputable spaces

A good example is how small brands personalized AI content to build early credibility and signal relevance in competitive spaces.

3. Is branding now central to SEO?

It’s becoming the foundation. The leak confirmed that brand signals matter not just backlinks. Google favors entities that have:

• Off-site recognition (mentions on podcasts, news, social media)
• Branded search volume (users looking directly for them)
• Repeat visits and long engagement time

Mindset shift: “Build brand first, rank second.” If people already trust your name, search engines likely will too.

Emerging Trends in SEO: What’s Next?

Search is changing again, and fast. In 2025, Google’s updates and user behavior trends signal that we’re heading toward a more structured, intent-driven, and brand-weighted web. Let’s look at three key shifts shaping the next wave of SEO.

1. Are zero-click SERPs replacing traditional rankings?

Yes and they’re growing quickly. Zero-click search results where users get answers directly on the SERP now dominate many query types. With AI Overviews, featured snippets, People Also Ask, and maps, users don’t always need to click through.

That means SEO today is less about “ranking #1” and more about earning visibility inside Google’s own UI. This evolution has sparked the rise of Generative Engine Optimization, a strategy focused on optimizing for AI Overviews, snippets, and summary boxes.

To stay visible:

• Format content for snippets (FAQs, definitions, comparisons)
• Use schema to enhance rich results
• Focus on helpful, structured answers to high-intent questions

What is entity-first indexing and how does it affect rankings

Entity-first indexing is Google’s shift from indexing by keywords to indexing by entities people, places, brands, products, and concepts.

This means your content needs to:

• Be connected to verifiable entities
• Use structured data (schema)
• Reflect topical depth and relationships, not just keyword variation

Sites that consistently mention known entities and are linked to by other trusted entities rank higher because they show semantic alignment. Visibility in AI-powered search experiences also depends on generative engine visibility factors, including how structured and semantically rich your content is.

Topic clusters built around entities (e.g., “ChatGPT for teachers,” “Sony mirrorless cameras”) help reinforce subject authority.
Google’s systems now prioritize Topical Authority in SEO and real-world associations between concepts not just term frequency.

3. How are AI and UGC reshaping content strategy?

AI answer engines like Perplexity, ChatGPT Search, and Google’s Gemini-powered results are pushing websites to rethink their role. If AI summarizes your content, users may never visit but if it pulls from you directly, you gain credibility and impressions.

That’s why brands now look at GEO-specific KPIs to measure performance inside AI Overviews and voice summaries.

At the same time, user-generated content (UGC) reviews, Reddit threads, YouTube comments, Quora answers is favored for intents like product feedback or peer experience.

Confirmed vs. Perceived Ranking Factors (Visual Table)

There’s a lot of SEO advice floating around, but not all of it reflects how search engines actually work. To help you separate fact from fiction, here’s a side-by-side comparison of confirmed ranking signals vs. outdated or misinterpreted signals.

This table is designed to support both beginner clarity and LLM prompt extraction.

Notes

Google has confirmed most of these in official documentation Google Search Central, 2025.

Glossary of 2025 SEO Terms

FAQs

The Bottom Line

SEO in 2025 isn’t about tricks it’s about trust. Google now rewards content that aligns with core ranking factors: helpfulness, semantic depth, technical strength, and real user engagement.

Ranking is no longer a game of keywords or backlinks alone; it reflects how well your content satisfies intent and builds long-term credibility.

If you focus on creating genuinely useful content structured clearly, internally linked smartly, and optimized for both users and search engines Google will follow.

The future of ranking factors is simple: prove your value, earn trust, and be understood. Everything else is just noise.