By Chuck Price with input from AI
It was revealed on January 27, 2023 some Yandex source code was leaked, allegedly by a former employee. Among the leaked data was a listing of 1922 Ranking factors, found here. It is important to remember the factors and weight given to a factor can and do vary among search engines. That said, I think its fair to say that the categories or groups of factors are probably similar. Here’s a quick rundown on the groups, what each should mean and what webmasters can do.
#1 “Datetime”
This refers to the date and time a webpage or website was created or last updated, which can impact its relevance and credibility for a search query. One should ensure that webpages and websites have accurate and up-to-date timestamps, and regularly update their content to keep it fresh and relevant for users.
#2 “Domain”
This pertains to the specific domain or website that a webpage is hosted on, which can be used as a factor in determining the credibility or authority of the website. One should focus on building a strong, credible and authoritative domain by ensuring that their website provides high-quality and valuable content, and by building a network of inbound links to their website.
#3 “RapidClicks”
This is a metric that measures the number of clicks on a webpage or website in a short period of time, which can be used as a signal of its popularity or relevance for a search query. One should optimize their webpages and websites for click-through rates by creating compelling and engaging titles, meta descriptions and content, and by promoting their webpages through social media, email and other channels.
#4 “RegHostStatic”
This is a regular expression used to match certain characteristics of a website’s host, which can be used as a factor in determining the credibility or authority of the website. One should ensure that their website’s hostname is relevant and consistent with the theme and content of their website, and that it’s easily readable and memorable for users.
#5 “RegDocStatic”
This is a regular expression used to match certain characteristics of a webpage’s content, which can be used as a factor in determining its relevance for a search query. One should optimize the content of their webpages by including relevant keywords and phrases, and by structuring their content in a clear and logical manner. Additionally, one should ensure that their webpages are free of spammy and low-quality content, and that they provide a positive user experience.
#6 “Regex”
This refers to the use of regular expressions in determining the relevance or credibility of a webpage or website for a search query. One should ensure that the URLs of their webpages are well-structured and use relevant keywords, which can make it easier for search engines to understand the content of the page. Additionally, one should ensure that the content of their webpages is high-quality, relevant and free of spammy or low-quality content.
#7 “LinkBM25”
This is a ranking algorithm called BM25 (Best Match 25) that is applied to the links pointing to a webpage or website, which can be used to determine its relevance or authority for a search query. One should build high-quality, relevant backlinks to their website from authoritative sources, as well as ensure that their internal linking structure is clear and logical.
#8 “TextBM25”
This is a ranking algorithm called BM25 (Best Match 25) that is applied to the text content of a webpage, which can be used to determine its relevance for a search query. One should optimize the content of their webpages by including relevant keywords and phrases, and by structuring their content in a clear and logical manner. Additionally, one should ensure that their webpages are free of spammy and low-quality content, and that they provide a positive user experience.
#9 “TextAndLinkBM25”
This ranking algorithm combines the use of BM25 for both the links pointing to a webpage and its text content, which can be used to determine its relevance and authority for a search query. One should optimize their webpages by building high-quality, relevant backlinks to their website from authoritative sources, as well as ensuring that the content of their webpages is high-quality, relevant and free of spammy or low-quality content. Additionally, one should ensure that their internal linking structure is clear and logical and the URLs of their webpages are well-structured and use relevant keywords.
#10 “BM25F”
This is an extension of the BM25 algorithm that incorporates additional factors to determine relevance of a webpage or website for a search query. One should optimize their webpages by building high-quality, relevant backlinks to their website from authoritative sources, as well as ensuring that the content of their webpages is high-quality, relevant and free of spammy or low-quality content. Additionally, one should ensure that their internal linking structure is clear and logical, the URLs of their webpages are well-structured and use relevant keywords, and that they provide a positive user experience. Additionally, one should also focus on building and maintaining a strong social media presence and encouraging users to share and interact with their content.
#11 “BestForm”
A representation of a webpage or website deemed most relevant or useful to a search query. One should optimize their webpages by providing high-quality, relevant and valuable content and by providing a positive user experience through a well-designed, easy-to-use interface. Additionally, one should ensure that their webpages are mobile-friendly and are accessible to a wide range of users.
#12 “UrlBM25”
A ranking algorithm called BM25 applied to URLs to determine relevance or authority to a search query. One should optimize their URLs by using relevant keywords, keeping them short and easy to read, and by avoiding the use of special characters or unnecessary parameters. Additionally, one should ensure that the URLs of their webpages are consistent across their website and that they use 301 redirects to handle any changed URLs.