Google SEO: positioning criteria in 2024
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2024 10:50 am
No one knows Google's algorithm in its entirety, not even the engineers who work for the search engine and who only have access to part of the code. What is known, however, is that it works thanks to more than 200 SEO criteria .
However, for several years, many SEO experts have conducted tests to establish a list of factors that positively or negatively impact the ranking of websites on the search results page (SERP), knowing that the search engine also applies its own rules and display tools.
What we do know is that these 200 criteria can be grouped into 7 major areas: domain name, website in general, pages and content, backlinks (external links), company brand, spam and user experience. Ready to learn more? Discover everything you need to know to optimize your SEO strategy.
A group of people are looking at charts and reports on a tablet and paper documents on a table. A laptop is also present. This image illustrates a discussion about Google SEO ranking criteria in 2024.
Google SEO criteria related to the domain name
A domain name (NDD) is nothing other than the internet address of your website, or rather its URL. Certain mistakes should therefore be avoided when choosing it, as this could have harmful consequences on your natural referencing .
There are thus around ten SEO criteria relating to instagram database the domain name. Among the main ones, we can list:
The age of the domain name, because the older the domain name, the more credibility it has in the eyes of Google;
The location of the domain name, preferably in the country(ies) where your customers are located;
The choice of the domain name , knowing that if a domain name built from keywords directly linked to the main theme of the website was an important criterion before, this is less the case today (this technique is even considered as over-optimization);
The structure of the domain name URL, which must be simple and contain at most one hyphen to avoid being considered spam;
The domain name extension, an important criterion for local SEO referencing (.fr, for example) or international SEO referencing (.com).
Yes, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not just about the website itself. The environment is also to be taken into account, such as the location of the server that hosts your website.
Webinar
SEO: the secrets to reaching the first position on Google!
Watch the webinar!
SEO criteria relating to the site in general
If you're a little into SEO, you're probably familiar with the ranking criteria for your website. However, in this category, there are nearly 20 factors that can impact your company's natural referencing. Here are the most important ones to remember.
Mobile browsing : Today, Google's algorithm prioritizes the mobile version for indexing websites. Also, any site that is not adapted to mobile browsing is penalized.
Navigation quality: a strong signal in terms of user experience , a website must offer intuitive, simple and comfortable navigation, both for the user and for indexing robots. The addition of a consistent breadcrumb trail, tree structure and sitemap is all the more appreciated by Google;
Website loading speed : If a site must be adapted to mobile browsing, its loading speed is just as important. This is why using the AMP (Accelerate Mobile Pages) format is a positive signal for Google. Note that the AMP format allows you to speed up the loading time of a web page. Google also offers an AMP validation tool ;
The technical performance of the server (uptime): a server that is operational over time limits downtime due to technical problems. This is an important point, because if they are too frequent, Google's algorithm may decide to deindex the site;
Server location: This is what allows websites to be displayed faster in different geographic areas. It is therefore recommended to use a CDN for an international site, in order to reduce the distance between the site and the server that hosts it;
Core Web Vitals : these performance indicators are now essential for Google, knowing that there are 3 important technical criteria (see below).
Infographic showing three SEO metrics for website performance: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) for loading time, FID (First Input Delay) for interactivity, and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) for visual stability. Each metric is illustrated with colored bars indicating 'Good', 'Needs Improvement', and 'Poor' levels.
The criteria for positioning the pages of a website
Google SEO is largely based on criteria relating to pages in the broad sense: the page in general, its content, but also its internal linking. These represent a quarter of the SEO factors.
However, for several years, many SEO experts have conducted tests to establish a list of factors that positively or negatively impact the ranking of websites on the search results page (SERP), knowing that the search engine also applies its own rules and display tools.
What we do know is that these 200 criteria can be grouped into 7 major areas: domain name, website in general, pages and content, backlinks (external links), company brand, spam and user experience. Ready to learn more? Discover everything you need to know to optimize your SEO strategy.
A group of people are looking at charts and reports on a tablet and paper documents on a table. A laptop is also present. This image illustrates a discussion about Google SEO ranking criteria in 2024.
Google SEO criteria related to the domain name
A domain name (NDD) is nothing other than the internet address of your website, or rather its URL. Certain mistakes should therefore be avoided when choosing it, as this could have harmful consequences on your natural referencing .
There are thus around ten SEO criteria relating to instagram database the domain name. Among the main ones, we can list:
The age of the domain name, because the older the domain name, the more credibility it has in the eyes of Google;
The location of the domain name, preferably in the country(ies) where your customers are located;
The choice of the domain name , knowing that if a domain name built from keywords directly linked to the main theme of the website was an important criterion before, this is less the case today (this technique is even considered as over-optimization);
The structure of the domain name URL, which must be simple and contain at most one hyphen to avoid being considered spam;
The domain name extension, an important criterion for local SEO referencing (.fr, for example) or international SEO referencing (.com).
Yes, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is not just about the website itself. The environment is also to be taken into account, such as the location of the server that hosts your website.
Webinar
SEO: the secrets to reaching the first position on Google!
Watch the webinar!
SEO criteria relating to the site in general
If you're a little into SEO, you're probably familiar with the ranking criteria for your website. However, in this category, there are nearly 20 factors that can impact your company's natural referencing. Here are the most important ones to remember.
Mobile browsing : Today, Google's algorithm prioritizes the mobile version for indexing websites. Also, any site that is not adapted to mobile browsing is penalized.
Navigation quality: a strong signal in terms of user experience , a website must offer intuitive, simple and comfortable navigation, both for the user and for indexing robots. The addition of a consistent breadcrumb trail, tree structure and sitemap is all the more appreciated by Google;
Website loading speed : If a site must be adapted to mobile browsing, its loading speed is just as important. This is why using the AMP (Accelerate Mobile Pages) format is a positive signal for Google. Note that the AMP format allows you to speed up the loading time of a web page. Google also offers an AMP validation tool ;
The technical performance of the server (uptime): a server that is operational over time limits downtime due to technical problems. This is an important point, because if they are too frequent, Google's algorithm may decide to deindex the site;
Server location: This is what allows websites to be displayed faster in different geographic areas. It is therefore recommended to use a CDN for an international site, in order to reduce the distance between the site and the server that hosts it;
Core Web Vitals : these performance indicators are now essential for Google, knowing that there are 3 important technical criteria (see below).
Infographic showing three SEO metrics for website performance: LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) for loading time, FID (First Input Delay) for interactivity, and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift) for visual stability. Each metric is illustrated with colored bars indicating 'Good', 'Needs Improvement', and 'Poor' levels.
The criteria for positioning the pages of a website
Google SEO is largely based on criteria relating to pages in the broad sense: the page in general, its content, but also its internal linking. These represent a quarter of the SEO factors.