How does Google decide the ranking of websites using SEO?

[Kaviraj pharma]

Exactly how Google ranks websites remains a mystery. The organization has yet to publicize the search algorithm it uses. However, SEO professionals have found the best practices to stick to in order to achieve good results.

[Anabolic]

It has definitely changed, but not as much as you would think over the past 10-15 years. There are certain things that are built into the core of Google that keep getting 'rebranded' with terms such as E-E-A-T
E-E-A-T is an acronym created by Google which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It is not a ranking factor but rather a component of Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (SQEG).
But if you look hard enough at it, isn't that what you should have been doing all along, this is just a more polished way of saying it ?

[smithmary01]

Google uses SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to decide how websites rank in search results by analyzing several factors. It starts with keywords, checking if the content matches what people are searching for. High-quality, relevant, and well-structured content is a big win.

Next, Google looks at backlinks—links from other trusted websites. These act like votes, signaling that your site is valuable and trustworthy.

User experience also matters. Google checks if your site loads quickly, is mobile-friendly, and easy to navigate. Pages that keep visitors engaged for longer often rank higher.

Another key factor is technical SEO, which includes having proper meta tags, headers, and sitemaps to help Google’s crawlers understand your site better.

In short, Google rewards websites that offer helpful content, a great user experience, and solid technical optimization, helping them rank higher in search results.

[peolsolutions]

Ranking factors for Google include relevant content, keyword usage, mobile optimization, user experience, and quality of backlinks. In addition to site speed and security, engagement metrics are also considered in the algorithm. It is important to consider a website's authority and how well it matches user intent when ranking it.

[guptachetan1219]

It's a black box, really. But from what I've seen, content quality, backlinks, and site speed are HUGE. Google's always changing things, though, so you gotta stay on top of it.