19 Google’s Official Ranking Systems: Must Know to Rank Higher
If you’re aiming to rank your website at the top of Google search results, the first step is understanding what really affects those rankings. For years, marketers and SEO professionals have worked with assumptions and scattered information. But for the first time, Google has officially released a list of 19 active ranking systems—and this changes everything.
A Quick Look Back at Google’s Ranking Evolution
Back in 1998, Google started with a ranking formula known as PageRank, which measured a web page’s value based on backlinks. It was designed by Larry Page and Sergey Brin while they were students at Stanford University.
Over time, Google introduced hundreds of updates to improve how search results are ranked. SEO communities made educated guesses—some right, some not—but until now, Google never revealed the complete list of ranking factors it actively uses.
Google’s 19 Official Ranking Systems
Google has now confirmed the 19 systems currently in use to rank websites. These are not just individual signals like “page speed” or “mobile-friendly design”—they are full systems that collectively evaluate and impact rankings.
- BERT
- Crisis Information Systems
- Deduplication Systems
- Exact Match Domain Systems
- Freshness Systems
- Helpful Content System
- Link Analysis Systems and PageRank
- Local News Systems
- Neural Matching
- Original Content Systems
- Removal-Based Demotion Systems
- Page Experience System
- Passage Ranking System
- Product Review Systems
- RankBrain
- Reliable Information Systems
- Site Diversity Systems
- Spam Detection Systems
- Topic Authority Systems
Note: This is an alphabetical list. It does not represent a ranking of importance.
Why Does This List Matter?
For the SEO world, this is similar to the periodic table in chemistry. Instead of relying on vague “200+ ranking factors” listed in outdated articles, you now have a concrete reference directly from Google.
These systems help Google determine:
- What content to show
- Which sites provide trustworthy information
- How timely or helpful a page might be
- How well a website performs for users
If you’ve been blindly optimizing your site without knowing these systems, it’s likely you’re missing key opportunities—or worse, unintentionally harming your visibility.
Challenge Yourself: How Many Do You Know?
Pause for a moment and ask:
- How many of the 19 systems do I actually understand?
- Am I optimizing my site for them?
- Do I know what they mean and how they work?
If you don’t, you now know what might be holding back your rankings and crawlability in Google’s index.
What’s Coming Next on RashidToor.com
To help fellow SEO learners, marketers, and WordPress users, I’ll be breaking down each of these 19 ranking systems in an upcoming blog series. In each post, I’ll cover:
- What the system is
- How it works
- What it means for your website
- How to optimize for it
- What mistakes to avoid
Each system will be explained with real examples and simple language so beginners and intermediate users can take action immediately.
Ask Questions, Join the Conversation
If you have specific questions about any of these systems, feel free to comment on the relevant blog post once it’s live. I’ll also include reference links and study materials at the end of each article for those who want to dig deeper.
Final Thoughts
This list of 19 ranking systems is a massive step forward for SEO clarity. It gives website owners and SEO professionals a chance to stop guessing and start implementing strategies that are aligned with how Google actually ranks content.
Stay tuned—starting with BERT, I’ll be covering one ranking system per article over the next 30–40 days. Each post will guide you step-by-step to align your website content, structure, and strategy with Google’s real ranking signals.
