Earlier this year, the Russian search engine, Yandex, experienced a data ‘leak’ that revealed 1,922 search ranking factors. This is important because it provides a window into how Yandex ranks websites, which can be useful for website optimization. In this blog post, we will provide an overview of the leaked ranking factors and discuss how they compare with other search engines.
PageRank
The leaked data revealed that PageRank is one of the most important ranking factors in Yandex’s algorithm. It measures the number of links pointing to a page and assigns each page a score based on its relevance to other pages on the web. This score is then used to determine where a page should appear in the search results.
Text Relevancy
Yandex also looks at text relevancy when ranking pages. It looks at both the content of the page as well as its meta description to determine if it is relevant to the user’s query. The algorithm also looks at how often keywords appear on a page and whether or not they are used in titles and headings.
Content Age/Freshness
Yandex puts an emphasis on fresh content when it comes to ranking pages. Pages that are regularly updated with new content tend to rank higher than those that have not been updated in awhile. The algorithm also takes into account how long ago content was created; older content tends to rank lower than newer content because it may no longer be relevant or up-to-date.
End-User Behavior Signals
The leaked data also revealed that Yandex takes into account end-user behavior signals when determining rankings. This includes things like click-through rate (CTR) and dwell time (how long users spend on a page). If users are spending more time on a particular page or clicking through more often, then this indicates that it is providing them with valuable information and should be ranked higher than other pages with lower CTRs or dwell times.
Number of Unique Visitors
Yandex looks at how many unique visitors are visiting a particular website when determining rankings. Websites with higher numbers of unique visitors tend to rank higher than those with fewer unique visitors because this indicates that more people find value in the site’s content and services offered by it.
Organic Traffic and Average Domain Rankings Across Queries
Yandex also considers organic traffic percentage when analyzing sites for rankings; if an organization has high organic traffic percentages compared to paid traffic percentages, then this indicates that their SEO strategy is working well and they should be rewarded with higher rankings in search results.
Additionally, Yandex takes into account average domain rankings across queries; sites that consistently rank high across multiple queries tend to rank better overall than sites whose rankings fluctuate from query to query due to inconsistent optimization efforts or lack thereof.
Comparison With Other Search Engines (Google)
While there are some similarities between Google’s algorithm and Yandex’s algorithm—such as both taking into account text relevancy, end-user behavior signals, etc.—there are some differences as well; for instance, Google puts an emphasis on backlinks while Yandex does not necessarily prioritize them as much as Google does for determining rankings .
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding these 1,922 ranking factors can help website owners optimize their websites for better visibility in search results from both Google and Yandex. It can also help avoid potential pitfalls such as relying too heavily on one particular algorithm which could lead to decreased visibility if something changes within the algorithm. Ultimately, understanding all aspects of SEO is key for successful digital marketing campaigns moving forward. With all these factors considered, website owners can make informed decisions about their online presence so they can stay ahead of any competition. CMOs should consider implementing strategies aimed towards optimizing websites using these 1,922 leaked ranking factors so they can get maximum visibility online.
