How Does Google's SEO Algorithm Work?
Google's Algorithm Isn't One Thing... It's Hundreds.
Google doesn't have "an algorithm" - it has hundreds of signals working together to decide which websites deserve the top spots. Think of it like a restaurant reviewer considering service, food quality, atmosphere, price, and cleanliness. No single factor determines the rating, but terrible performance in any area can tank the whole experience.
The main components Google evaluates:
- Content relevance and quality
- Website technical performance
- User experience signals
- Authority and trustworthiness
- Freshness and updates
Each component contains dozens of specific factors. Google adjusts these constantly as they make thousands of changes yearly, though most are tiny tweaks rather than earth-shattering updates.
The Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking Process
Step 1: Discovery and Crawling
Google's bots (called spiders) discover your website through links from other sites or your sitemap submission. They follow every link they find, creating a massive web of connected pages. No links pointing to your site? Google might never find you.
Step 2: Indexing
Once crawled, Google tries to understand what your page is about. It analyses your content, images, videos, and overall structure. This information gets stored in Google's index which is essentially a giant library catalog of the internet.
Step 3: Ranking
When someone searches, Google's algorithm springs into action. In milliseconds, it:
- Determines search intent (what the person actually wants)
- Pulls relevant pages from the index
- Applies ranking factors to order results
- Displays the most helpful pages first
The Core Ranking Factors That Actually Matter
Content Quality and Relevance
Google's gotten scary good at understanding content quality. It's not about keyword density anymore but it's about answering the searcher's question thoroughly and accurately.
What Google looks for:
- Comprehensive coverage of the topic
- Original insights not found elsewhere
- Clear, accurate information without fluff
- Proper depth for the subject matter
Thin content with 300 words about complex topics won't cut it. Neither will 3,000 words of rambling nonsense. Balance the depth to what searchers actually need.
Page Experience and Core Web Vitals
Users hate slow, janky websites. So does Google. Core Web Vitals measure:
- Loading (LCP): How fast the main content appears
- Interactivity (FID): How quickly the page responds to clicks
- Visual Stability (CLS): Whether content jumps around while loading
Pass these thresholds or watch your rankings suffer. Our Milton Keynes Web Designs sites score 90+ on all metrics because we build with performance first, not as an afterthought.
Mobile-First Indexing
Google primarily uses your mobile site for ranking. If your site's awful on phones, your rankings will be awful everywhere.
This means:
- Responsive design is mandatory
- Mobile page speed is critical
- Touch-friendly navigation essential
- Readable text without zooming
Over 60% of searches happen on mobile. Ignore this at your peril.
The Factors People Obsess Over (But Shouldn't)
Keyword Density
There's no magic percentage. Write naturally for humans. If you're calculating keyword density, you're doing SEO wrong.
Domain Age
Helps slightly with trust, but a new domain with great content beats a 10-year-old domain with garbage every time.
Social Signals
Likes and shares don't directly impact rankings. They can drive traffic and links, which do help, but the social signals themselves? Google says no.
Algorithm Updates: Why Rankings Change
Google updates constantly, but major updates get names and headlines:
Recent Major Updates
- Helpful Content Update: Rewards people-first content, punishes SEO-first content
- Core Updates: Broad changes to how Google assesses overall quality
- Spam Updates: Target link schemes and content manipulation
- Product Review Updates: Favor in-depth, genuine reviews over affiliate fluff
When updates hit, terrible sites plummet, quality sites rise. If an update destroys your rankings, you probably weren't providing value in the first place.
Local SEO: Different Rules for Local Businesses
Local businesses face additional factors:
- Google Business Profile optimization
- Local citations and NAP consistency
- Reviews and ratings
- Geographic relevance
- "Near me" search optimization
A Milton Keynes plumber doesn't need to rank nationally for "plumber", they need to dominate "plumber Milton Keynes" and related local searches.
The Myth of "Gaming" the Algorithm
Stop trying to trick Google. They employ some of the world's smartest engineers and use machine learning that improves daily. Your clever "hack" was probably detected and penalized years ago.
What actually works:
- Creating genuinely helpful content
- Building a fast, user-friendly website
- Earning real links from real websites
- Establishing genuine expertise
- Maintaining consistency over time
Boring? Yes. Effective? Absolutely.
What This Means for Your Business
Focus on What Matters
- Write for humans first - If it helps your customers, it'll help your rankings
- Make your site fast - Every second counts
- Earn trust - Through expertise, accuracy, and transparency
- Stay consistent - Regular updates beat sporadic perfection
- Think mobile - Because that's how people search
- Advertise: Advertise your website on your social media, boost reviews on your Google Business Page to include on your website and make sure people ACTUALLY go onto your website.
Stop Wasting Time On
- Keyword stuffing
- Link schemes
- Duplicate content across multiple sites
- Doorway pages (low-quality pages that are just built for ranking, not giving any valuable information)
- Hidden text or links
These tactics don't just fail - they can get you penalized.
The Reality Check
Google's algorithm aims to surface the most helpful, relevant, trustworthy content for each search. That's it. All the complexity serves this simple goal.
If your content genuinely helps people, if your site provides a good experience, if you're a legitimate business doing legitimate things then the algorithm will eventually recognize and reward you, typically taking 6 to 12 months.
The businesses that struggle with SEO are usually trying to rank without providing value. They want the traffic without earning it. They want shortcuts that don't exist.
Moving Forward
Understanding Google's algorithm helps, but obsessing over it doesn't. Build a quality website, create helpful content, serve your customers well. The rankings will follow.
Need a website that's built right from the start? That's what we do at Milton Keynes Web Designs. Custom-coded, fast, SEO-optimized sites for £150/month with nothing upfront.
Because ultimately, that's what the algorithm rewards, websites that work.
