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Ranking – definition & explanation

Updated: 24 May 2026 · approx. 3 min read

The term ranking refers to the position of a website in the search results of a search engine.

Ranking: position of a website in the search results

The term ranking refers to the position of a website in the search results of Google or another search engine. The higher the position, the better the ranking.

Good rankings usually lead to traffic, since searchers are more likely to click on results that appear higher up. The central goal of search engine optimization is therefore to improve the ranking.

Which factors influence the ranking?

The ranking of a website or a piece of content is influenced by numerous factors that decisively determine how visible and relevant it is in search engines or other rating platforms. Here are the most important influencing variables:

  • Quality and relevance of the content: Content that meets the needs of the target audience and offers added value is rated more favorably.
  • Technical optimization: Fast loading times, mobile usability, and a clean page structure are decisive.
  • Backlinks and external references: References from trustworthy and relevant sites strengthen the credibility and authority of the website (more on this: Backlinks).
  • User experience: Intuitive navigation and appealing design have a positive effect. A low bounce rate is not a direct Google ranking factor, but at most a user-related quality signal.
  • Freshness of the content: Regularly maintained and updated content signals relevance and timeliness.

As a rough guide, the historical rule of thumb of “around 200 ranking factors” is often cited – however, Google itself does not name a fixed number and emphasizes that the weighting varies from one search query to the next. It should not be confused with the more than 14,000 attributes from the Google leak in 2024: these are internal data fields and not weighted ranking factors.

Before a ranking even comes about, every page goes through three steps: first, the crawler (e.g. the Googlebot) finds and loads the page (crawling), then its content is analyzed and stored (indexing). Only when a specific search query is made does the search engine rank the matching, already indexed pages in real time via ranking systems. A page that is not crawled or indexed cannot rank at all.

There is no such thing as “the one” ranking: the same search query delivers different results depending on the user’s location, language, device, and search history. A local search (for example “hairdresser”) shows nearby results, and a search on a smartphone can turn out differently than on a desktop. Rankings are therefore context-dependent, not a fixed position.

Ranking factors according to the Google Leaks 2024

The Google Leaks 2024 shed new light on the factors that influence the ranking in the search engine. On The Leaked SE Docs, a CustomChatGPT, all the information from the leak was compiled. There, users can gain detailed insights into the published ranking factors and analyze them comprehensively in dialogue with the AI.

The leaked SE Docs
Fig.: CustomChatGPT on the Google Leak

Rankings are not static

Google changes them continuously through so-called core updates (e.g. March 2024, March 2025, December 2025), which sometimes shift positions considerably. With the March 2024 core update, the Helpful Content system was also firmly integrated into the core algorithm – since then, content has been assessed even more strongly by whether it is written primarily for people, with genuine added value.

User experience is becoming more and more important

Google’s main goal is for users to find content that optimally matches their search intent and satisfies their needs or wishes. That is why the user experience is becoming increasingly important. Besides relevant content, decisive factors for this include good scannability, easy findability of content, and a table of contents. Since visual content is easier to consume than text, videos are gaining importance alongside images.

As a general rule: anyone who wants to sustainably improve the ranking of their page or defend a good position is well advised to stay regularly informed about changes in the algorithms of search engines and about new areas of focus. At the same time, it is essential for a company to provide valuable content to its own target audience. Because the better websites resonate with visitors, the more the ranking benefits.

Since March 2025, AI Overviews (previously SGE) have been rolled out in Germany and are fundamentally changing the search results pages: an AI-generated answer appears at the top, classic organic results visually slide downward, and studies measure significant CTR declines for search queries with an AI Overview. For ranking, the goal shifts: alongside a good position, it increasingly matters whether a piece of content is cited as a source in the AI answer.

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