Understanding Google’s Algorithm – What It Is and Why It Matters

If you market your business online, you’ve probably heard of the Google algorithm. But have you ever dug into what it is and how it can help or hurt your business? We believe it’s critical information to have. Here’s a general definition of the Google algorithm, why it matters for your business, and ways you can use this algorithm to your advantage. 

What is Google’s Algorithm?

Google’s algorithm is the set of rules Google uses to rank websites in the search engine results. It is a complex system that retrieves data from websites and individual pages so it can understand the intent of searchers and rank pages according to quality and relevance. 

If you think about it, anytime you perform a search on Google, you are either satisfied or not with what the search engine returns. For example, if you are looking for the “best laptop for travel,” and you get some reputable review sites that help you make a decision, you’d be happy. However, if you asked for a “Mexican restaurant near me,” and Google only returns results that are over a hundred miles away, this wouldn’t work. Google’s algorithm decides which webpages will show up in the search results, and in what order. 

Why the Google Algorithm Matters for Your Business

Since its launch in 1998, Google has remained a frontrunner in search engine innovation. As of March 2025, Google holds a 90% share of the global search engine market. This means that nearly everyone looking for your products or services uses Google to find them. 

Because Google’s algorithm decides how far up your website appears in the search engines, it’s critical to the success of your business. If you want to connect with the people who are searching for you online, it’s important to take Google’s algorithm seriously. 

How the Google Algorithm Works

Google will never 100% disclose how its algorithm works, but here is a basic scenario:

• Google crawls web pages — Because new content gets published on the web daily, Google constantly “crawls” the internet to find new pages. Its crawler is a “bot” that locates new pages and gathers key data about them. 
• The Googlebot indexes URLs — Once the Googlebot has collected data about new and existing pages (existing pages might contain updates), it stores those details in its database. 
• Web pages are ranked for search results — When a person searches for something using Google’s search engine, Google pulls relevant webpages from its database to display, and ranks them based on its algorithm. 

How You Can Use Google’s Algorithm for Business Success

Google is constantly updating and refining its search algorithm to improve the relevance and quality of its search results and to prevent spam results. While the search engine doesn’t publish its ranking factors, it’s generally understood that websites can perform well in the search engines by focusing on several key areas. 

1. Create Relevant Content

Your web page is likely to rank well in Google if the content is highly relevant to what people are searching for. Google has started focusing on trying to match the searcher’s intent with the content it delivers. There are four main types of search intent:

• Informational — A person is trying to learn about something. 
• Navigational — A person is searching for a specific webpage or website. 
• Commercial — A person is looking for information to help with their purchasing decision.
• Transaction — A person is ready to take action, such as making a purchase. 

Your content should target keyword phrases focused on the intent of the searcher, such as “how to remove a stain,” for informational content or “buy stain remover,” for transactional content. 

2. Produce Quality Content

Google wants to show users content that is of the highest quality. The search engine accomplishes this by looking for content that demonstrates E-E-A-T, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. While E-E-A-T isn’t an official ranking factor, Google uses it as part of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, so it’s important. The guidelines tell publishers to do things like add value with content, build trust, and cite sources. 

3. Offer a Positive User Experience

The user experience plays a vital role in Google rankings, which means you should make your website pages easy to access and pleasant to view. Pages that provide a positive user experience are those that:

• Have a mobile-friendly or responsive design
• Load fast, ideally within three seconds or less
• Don’t contain excessive ads or pop-ups
• Offer a clear structure and navigation
• Are secured using HTTPS

You can use Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool to generate a Core Web Vitals report, which gives suggestions for page improvement. 

4. Get Quality Backlinks

Backlinks are links placed on other websites that point to your website’s pages. Google considers them to be like a vote of confidence for your business, so they are valuable as a possible ranking factor. When a keyword is challenging to rank for, it’s a good idea to have web pages with some high-quality backlinks. Ideally, these links would come from authority sites that are also relevant to your business or industry. 

5. Consider Contextual Factors

Google also creates customized search results for users based on a variety of contextual factors, such as the user’s location, search history, and device usage. You can capitalize on some of these factors by creating targeted content. For example, when a user searches for an “electrician in Montgomery,” it would be helpful if you had some pages and content with that and similar keywords. Google will also give higher rankings to sites a user has visited before, so delivering a positive user experience is always worthwhile. 

Contact Too Darn Loud Marketing to Discuss Your SEO Strategy

Ranking well in the search engines is one of the best ways to ensure long-term visibility and success for your brand. Learn more about how we can help. Too Darn Loud Digital Marketing offers customized online marketing solutions for businesses throughout the United States, including targeted SEO strategies. 

Our experienced digital marketing specialists will take the time to get to know as much as possible about your business and industry so we can develop a plan designed to produce the best possible results. Give us a call today at (800) 649-1764 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation and website evaluation.