Google algorithm

An algorithm controls processes in programs and, at Google for example, determines which pages appear at the top of the search results. Because some ranking factors are secret and updates change the criteria, SEOs have to keep optimising content, technology and links.

Originally from computer science and mathematics, in computing, the internet and online marketing an algorithm refers to the logic that controls certain programs and mechanisms. Algorithms are used in many different ways – for spell-checking in a word processor, for market analysis or for navigation in mapping systems. Probably the best-known example on the web is the algorithm search engines use to determine the results of a search query – and in SEO, the Google algorithm in particular is key to optimising a page. Each search engine's search system is based on its own program, which differs from those of other search engines and, as a unique selling point, is a closely guarded trade secret. The criteria can also change with an update, so pages can never be completely sure of their ranking unless SEO experts stay on top of things.

The Google algorithm in search engine optimisation

At the heart of search engine optimisation is the algorithm of the search engines for which websites, online shops and platforms are optimised. Based on various criteria and their weighting, it determines which websites are found for a particular search term and where they rank in the SERPs. As mentioned, the difficulty is that the algorithm is a trade secret and is not disclosed – and that applies to the Google algorithm too. SEOs and site owners therefore have to estimate how such an algorithm might work through observation, analysis and experience, and optimise their offering accordingly in order to keep achieving good results.

On top of that, the Google algorithm in particular keeps changing and expanding – and with it the results in the SERPs. Even though Google regularly gives a few hints about what to look out for in SEO, for example through its Search Advocate John Mueller, the majority of the roughly 200 ranking factors remains secret.

What is known about Google search, for example, is that high-quality backlinks, as recommendations for a page, can influence its ranking. Performance, reflected in a website's loading time, also matters. If users leave pages during their search because everything is too slow, this has an additional negative effect on rankings. In recent years, with updates such as Penguin, Panda and the Helpful Content Update, the Google algorithm has increasingly favoured high-quality web content in the index. A page that delivers genuinely helpful content when a user is looking for answers therefore has a better chance of ranking.

It's not just updates that make things harder: further challenges the Google algorithm poses for SEO

As if this did not make search engine optimisation hard enough, there are further challenges SEOs and webmasters face when optimising their websites. The Google algorithm never looks at a single website in isolation, but always at the system as a whole. This means that not only your own changes influence a website's ranking, but also the efforts of other webmasters. In addition, search engines continuously try to improve their algorithms – partly to deliver better search results, but also to better prevent manipulation of the results. Time and again, updates shake up the entire industry. It is not uncommon for many websites to lose significant positions in the search results – especially if they have resorted to manipulative tactics that the update from Google or another search engine targets. Google's goal is to deliver the best results for every search.