SEO is a critical strategy for online customer acquisition. Successful SEO can significantly enhance revenue. To achieve success in SEO, it’s essential to understand Google’s SEO evaluation metrics.

Google’s algorithm is constantly evolving, making it crucial for web managers to stay updated on the latest SEO metrics. This article explains the basics of Google ranking and its evaluation metrics.

The Basics of Google Ranking

This section introduces the essentials of Google’s ranking system, which can help achieve better visibility in search results.

-Google’s Fundamental Principles 

-The basic mechanism of search engines 

-Google’s SEO ranking factors 

-Google’s SEO evaluation metrics (criteria) 

-Google algorithm updates 

Let’s start with Google’s fundamental principles.

Google’s Philosophy

The key to SEO tips is understanding Google’s philosophy. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and usable.

(https://about.google/ screenshot)

Improving your website’s search ranking (i.e., enhancing Google’s evaluation) involves aligning closely with Google’s ideal vision of a website.

Every algorithm update aims to present high-quality sites that Google deems ideal to its users. Understanding Google’s philosophy and aligning your site with this ideal can prepare you to adapt calmly to any changes in the algorithm.

Understanding Google involves recognizing its ‘mission’.

To support the needs of users searching for information worldwide, Google consistently aims to ‘organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and usable’, a mission that has driven its search engine offerings.

For more details on what Google expects from site operators, please read (Google’s approach to search) listed on our site. Understanding Google’s mission and philosophy deepens your SEO knowledge.

What is Google’s Mission?

(https://www.google.com/intl/ja/search/howsearchworks/ screenshot）

The basics of SEO are crucial, as understanding Google’s philosophy is important. Google’s mission is ‘to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.’ Google upholds this mission to support the lives of users worldwide who search for information.

What Google requires is as follows.

• Present the most relevant and trustworthy information for search queries. 
• Ensure users’ access to information 
• Display information in the most useful format 
• Protect privacy 
• Paid services do not influence search ranking 
• Provide online support 

These are Google’s approaches to search. A link to “About Google” is available at the top left of google.com. Visiting this page, you’ll find Google’s mission prominently displayed.

Google’s over 200 search algorithms are designed to fulfill this mission, forming the foundation of how they operate.

>>What is the Google Algorithm?

Google has a page titled ’10 Facts by Google’ that encapsulates the essence of Google’s philosophy.

Here’s a quote.

“10 Facts“ were established a few years after Google’s founding. Google periodically reviews this list to ensure its accuracy and strives to maintain these as truths.

• Focus on the user, and everything else will follow. 
• It’s best to do one thing really well. 
• Fast is better than slow. 
• Democracy on the web works. 
• People don’t just want to find information when they are in front of a computer.
• You can make money without doing evil. 
• There’s always more information out there. 
• Information needs transcend all borders.
• You can work seriously even without a suit.
• Great just isn’t good enough. 

Quote: 10 Facts by Google

Google updates this list regularly to ensure it aligns with its policies. When devising an SEO strategy, it’s crucial to grasp these fundamental concepts and optimize accordingly.

Understanding the Mechanism of Search Engines

Understanding how search engines work also provides SEO tips.

Search engines like Google and Bing serve as platforms for users to find desired information. Users enter keywords (search queries) into the ‘search box’, and the search engine displays ‘search results’—web pages, images, etc., it deems closest to the user’s intent.

The mechanism determining search rankings involves the following three steps.

• Crawling: Crawlers (Googlebots) collect information from the web. 
• Indexing: Organize and store the gathered information in Google’s database. 
• Search Result Display (Ranking): Based on algorithms, the system displays information deemed ‘closest to what the user is seeking’ in the search results. 

Search engines use ‘crawling’ and ‘indexing’ processes to detect all available content on the internet, such as web pages, PDFs, images, and videos. The index acts as a database, a container that holds the necessary information. From this container, information is retrieved and displayed as search results based on the algorithm.

Google’s search algorithm is designed to ‘display pages that are relevant and trustworthy for a search query, thus providing useful information to the user.’ Algorithm updates are periodically made to align closer to this philosophy.

Google’s SEO Ranking Factors

It is said that there are at least 200 ranking factors used by Google. The algorithm is constantly evolving to return the best possible search results. Among these, the following 12 are particularly important.

• Consistent, high-quality content (24%) 
• Keywords in titles (15%) 
• Backlinks (15%) 
• Expertise in the field (14%) 
• User engagement (12%) 
• Website trustworthiness (5%) 
• Mobile-friendliness and mobile-first (5%) 
• Internal links (3%) 
• Page speed (3%) 
• Website security/SSL certificates (2%) 
• Schema markup/structured data (1%) 
• Keywords in URLs (1%) 

Source: The 2023 Google Algorithm Ranking Factors (First Page Sage)

Google’s SEO Evaluation Metrics 

To achieve higher rankings in SEO, it is crucial to understand Google’s evaluation criteria.

Google Search Central’s page on ‘How Search Algorithms Work’ discusses Google’s ranking system, which is composed of a series of algorithms, not just a single algorithm.

Various factors determine the rankings, including

-Relevance and utility of the page to the search query 

-Accuracy of the source code 

-User’s location 

-Freshness of the content 

External search quality evaluations also impact rankings. Search quality raters, who visually assess sites in compliance with Google’s guidelines, conducted 757,583 search quality evaluations in 2021.

For SEO, focus initially on these five evaluation metrics.

–Page Quality evaluation 

–Needs Met evaluation 

–E-E-A-T 

–YMYL 

–Core Web Vitals

Page Quality Evaluation 

In SEO, the Page Quality evaluation is crucial. 

It assesses the quality of a page. To improve this rating, it’s necessary to create high-quality content that meets the search intent of users. The assessment focuses not on the relevance of keywords but on the quality of the content itself.

Criteria include content that embodies E-A-T, website reputation, quality (errors, typos, factual accuracy, structure, editorial level), originality, and volume.

Needs Met Evaluation 

Another important SEO metric is the Needs Met evaluation. It indicates ‘how well needs (demands) are met,’ applicable only to mobile content. This metric assesses how well the content meets mobile users’ needs.

The following content evaluation metrics are excerpted and translated from the Needs Met Rating Guideline｜General Guidelines.

There are two levels of the Needs Met evaluation.

• Understanding User Intent 
• Determining Evaluations 

Reference: Search Quality Rater Guidelines: An Overview

For example, even if desktop displays content correctly, if it doesn’t display well on a mobile page, the Needs Met rating is likely to be low.

E-E-A-T 

E-E-A-T is a crucial Google evaluation metric in SEO.

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust. These factors significantly impact YMYL pages as well. When the search quality guidelines were updated on December 15, 2022, ‘Experience’ was added to the existing E-A-T, creating a new set of evaluation criteria.

“Experience, expertise, authority, and trust (E-E-A-T) are key considerations in Page Quality evaluations. The most critical component within E-E-A-T is ‘Trust.’

Image Citation: General Guidelines

Reference: General Guidelines

Trust is the most important in E-E-A-T. To gain user trust, it’s necessary to have experience, expertise, and authoritativeness.

A trustworthy site, for example, in an online shop, requires a secure online payment system and reliable customer service. Product reviews should be honest and written by genuine buyers to aid in purchase decisions.

-Experience is important because content based on the creator’s real-life experiences can present trustworthy and relevant information that users are seeking. 

-Expertise assesses how much knowledge or skill the content creator has on the subject. 

-Authoritativeness checks if the site or content is considered authoritative and reputable, often judged by how well-known the source is. 

Thus, E-E-A supports the last T, Trust, and is considered in evaluations to help gain user trust. For example, having detailed information about the authors or supervisors on article pages and including an ‘About Us’ or content creator’s profile page on the website is essential. Considering the EEAT evaluation criteria, specific measures can be developed.

>>E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trust): Explaining the Specific Evaluation Criteria

YMYL

YMYL is another essential Google evaluation metric in SEO.

YMYL stands for ‘Your Money or Your Life,’ referring to pages that significantly impact a user’s happiness, health, or financial stability. High-quality content is crucial for pages that handle such important matters.

Types of YMYL pages include

-Shopping and financial transaction pages 

-Financial information pages 

-Legal information pages 

-Medical information pages 

>>What is YMYL? Target genres and SEO strategies

YMYL and E-E-A-T are closely related. Sites in the YMYL category are particularly scrutinized by Google’s algorithms for experience, trust, expertise, and trustworthiness, demanding higher Page Quality ratings and higher-quality content.

Core Web Vitals 

Core Web Vitals are vital Google metrics for SEO, focusing on providing an excellent user experience.

The three metrics included in Core Web Vitals are LCP. FID and CLS. 

-LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): Measures page load speed. 

-FID (First Input Delay): Measures the interactivity and responsiveness of a site.

-CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): Indicates the stability of visual elements on the page. 

Page load speed is crucial for both SEO and usability, especially as Google pushes mobile-first, asserting that mobile indexing will precede desktop.

When browsing on smartphones, users will quickly abandon a search if the page loads slowly.

“A delay from 1 second to 5 seconds in page load increases the bounce rate of mobile site visitors by 90%’ 

>>Quoted from Think with Google

As shown, delays in display can significantly reduce conversion rates and customer satisfaction.

We have introduced these five Google evaluation metrics. Beginners should start with the ‘Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide‘ and revisit it until fully understood. As you become more familiar, regularly check ‘Google Search Central’s latest updates‘ for official information and updates from Google.

>>What is Google’s Search Quality Evaluation Guidelines?

Google Algorithm Updates

In SEO, Google algorithm updates are being implemented.

Regular updates that alter the core algorithm itself

–Core Algorithm Updates (Core Updates): Large-scale updates that Google implements regularly. 

–Panda Update: An algorithm that assesses web content quality and devalues or penalizes low-quality sites. Implemented periodically. 

–Penguin Update: Detects unethical links (those not compliant with Google guidelines) and either neutralizes their impact or imposes penalties. Also implemented periodically. 

–BERT Update: An update that improved the performance of natural language processing. 

A core update is a major algorithm update that is implemented several times a year. They can cause significant fluctuations in search rankings depending on their scope and nature.

Panda Update targets websites with duplicated content or low originality and expertise, aiming to remove low-quality content from search results. Penguin Update targets websites with excessive or poor-quality link building practices, including SEO spam, aiming to remove these as well. Both updates strive to improve search result quality by eliminating low-quality sites.

Updates that adjust metrics to keep up with the times

-Mobile-Friendly Update 

-Page Experience Update 

The Mobile-Friendly Update aims to enhance user experience on mobile devices, favoring sites that are easy to navigate on smartphones and tablets. This includes responsive design, font size adjustments, and optimized touch controls.

The Page Experience Update focuses on the usability and comfort of web pages. Core Web Vitals, which include metrics like LCP (Largest Contentful Paint), FID (First Input Delay), and CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift), are crucial for this update. These metrics, representing load speed, interactivity, and visual stability, must be optimized to achieve high rankings.

Updates addressing specific web issues

-Payday Loan Update 

-Health Update 

The Payday Loan Update targets spam and deceptive practices related to high-risk financial products and services, such as high-interest, short-term loans. This update aims to ensure that users have access to reliable and accurate information.

The Health Update, often referred to as the Medical Update or YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) Update, assesses the quality of medical and health-related information. Introduced to prevent the spread of misinformation, it prioritizes reliable information provided by experts and medical institutions while devaluing unsubstantiated or misleading content.

Both updates aim to ensure that users can easily access trustworthy information, particularly in critical areas like finance and health where the quality of information is paramount. Properly responding to these updates can enhance a website’s reliability and search engine ranking.

Latest Update as of October 2023

-Helpful Content Update 

Introduced on September 14, 2023, the Helpful Content Update is a new evaluation criterion by Google that considers the impact of AI-generated content. This update values high-quality, human-made original content and bases search results on this criterion.

The system generates signals from the entirety of the information on a site, identifies low-quality content that is not useful to users, and de-prioritizes it in search results. This process uses machine learning and is fully automated.

Creating unique, human-made content will become increasingly important, demanding that sites provide high satisfaction to visitors and continue efforts to enhance originality.

While there are many other updates, understanding the above will facilitate a better grasp of Google’s guidelines.

Summary

It’s clear that SEO is a crucial strategy for web acquisition, potentially enhancing revenue. Success in SEO requires an understanding of Google’s SEO metrics and an awareness of its ever-changing algorithms. This article has detailed Google’s fundamental principles, search engine mechanics, SEO ranking factors, and specific evaluation metrics like Page Quality, Needs Met, E-E-A-T, YMYL, and Core Web Vitals. Understanding Google’s metrics and staying up-to-date with the latest algorithm changes is essential for SEO success.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.