According to Google, its algorithms “sort through hundreds of billions of webpages in our Search index to find the most relevant, useful results in a fraction of a second.”
Of course, Google doesn’t disclose the secret sauce, but they do provide the following key factors that help determine which results are returned:
- Meaning of your query
- Relevance of webpages
- Quality of content
- Usability of webpages
- Context and setting
Also important to note is that, in light of the global pandemic, Google decided to provide a “heads up” about an adjustment to the algorithm that will impact search results beginning in 2021. It’s all about how “usable” your content is.