If you’re trying to improve your Google rankings, it’s easy to end up with a very long list of things you’re supposedly required to do.
Publish more blogs.
Get more backlinks.
Add more keywords.
Post on your Google Business Profile.
Improve your website speed.
Add schema.
Build location pages.
Update old content.
I’ve worked in SEO for more than 20 years, and one of the biggest things I’ve learned is this:
Not every SEO task has the same value for every website.
Rankings usually don’t improve because of one trick or one change.
They improve when Google can more clearly understand what your business does, which searches your pages are relevant for, whether your content satisfies what people are looking for, and how your website fits into the larger search landscape.
For local businesses, Google also has to understand where your business is relevant.
That’s why SEO for a San Diego business requires much more than adding “San Diego” to a few pages.
So what actually moves rankings?
Let’s break it down.
Quick Answer: What Actually Affects Google Rankings?
There isn’t one universal Google ranking factor that determines where your website appears.
In practice, when I’m trying to improve a website’s visibility, I look at things like:
- Search intent
- Content relevance and usefulness
- The strength of the page targeting the search
- Website structure
- Internal linking
- Backlinks and external authority
- Technical accessibility and indexing
- Local relevance
- Google Business Profile for local search
- Reviews and reputation
- User experience
- Existing website authority
- Competition
- Opportunities to improve pages already gaining visibility
The importance of each one depends on the search, the website, and the competition.
That’s why I don’t approach SEO by asking:
“What ranking factor should we work on?”
I ask:
“What is preventing this page from competing right now?”
That question usually leads to much better SEO decisions.
1. Matching Search Intent
One of the first things I look at when a page isn’t ranking is search intent.
You can have an attractive website and well-written content and still struggle if your page doesn’t match what people actually want from that search.
For example, someone searching:
“what is local SEO?”
is probably trying to learn.
Someone searching:
“local SEO company San Diego”
may be looking for someone to hire.
Those searches have different intentions and may require completely different pages.
Before optimizing a page, I look at what Google is already showing for the query.
Are the results primarily:
Service pages?
Informational articles?
Product pages?
Directories?
Videos?
Google Maps results?
The existing search results can provide useful clues about what type of content Google believes satisfies that search.
If your page fundamentally doesn’t match that intent, adding the keyword another ten times probably isn’t going to solve the problem.
I explain this process in more detail in my guide to search intent and SEO.
2. Having the Right Page for the Search
Sometimes a website struggles because it simply doesn’t have a strong page dedicated to an important topic or service.
But I also see the opposite problem:
The website has too many pages targeting essentially the same thing.
One article targets one variation of a keyword.
Another article targets a slightly different version.
Then there’s an older blog post discussing almost the same topic.
Meanwhile, the service page is also trying to rank for it.
This can create an unnecessarily messy website.
Rather than creating a new page for every keyword variation, I prefer establishing clear ownership.
Which page should be the best answer for this search?
Which page should Google associate with this service?
Which supporting articles genuinely deserve their own URLs?
That’s one reason I use keyword mapping when planning and cleaning up websites.
My general rule is:
One primary search intent = one primary page.
That doesn’t mean a page can rank for only one keyword.
A strong page can rank for many closely related searches.
It means we don’t need five different URLs intentionally competing for essentially the same search intent.
3. Creating Content That Deserves to Rank
SEO content doesn’t become valuable because it reaches a certain word count.
And it doesn’t become optimized because a keyword appears a certain number of times.
When I evaluate an important page, I ask questions such as:
Does it actually answer what the searcher wants to know?
Is the answer easy to find?
Does the page provide enough context?
Does it demonstrate genuine knowledge or experience where appropriate?
Does it explain the subject clearly?
Does it help someone make a decision?
Is important information missing?
Is there unnecessary information that distracts from the main purpose?
Those questions matter much more to me than hitting an arbitrary keyword-density score.
Keywords still matter because they help us understand what people are searching for.
But modern SEO requires much more than putting those words on a page.
I explain my approach in How to Create SEO Content That Actually Helps Your Rankings.
4. Building a Clear Website Structure
Individual pages don’t exist in isolation.
The way pages connect to one another helps visitors—and search engines—understand the website.
For example:
A primary service page may have several supporting educational resources.
A Local SEO guide might link to deeper articles about Google Maps, proximity, Google Business Profile, or local keyword research.
An informational article may naturally lead someone to a service page when they’re ready to get help.
That creates a logical website.
What I try to avoid is a site filled with hundreds of disconnected pages that were published simply because someone found another keyword.
More pages do not automatically create more authority.
Sometimes they create more clutter.
This is something I’ve been working on extensively on my own website.
Instead of continuing to publish articles simply to maintain a schedule, I regularly look at my existing content and ask:
Does this page still deserve to exist?
Does it have a distinct purpose?
Is another page already answering the same question?
Should these pages be consolidated?
Should this article support another page through internal links?
I explain why in Why Publishing More Blogs Doesn’t Always Improve SEO.
Sometimes the next SEO improvement isn’t another page.
It’s making the pages you already have work better together.
5. Using Internal Links Strategically
Internal linking is one of my favorite SEO tools because it’s completely within the website owner’s control.
Internal links help search engines discover pages and understand relationships between content.
They also help visitors move naturally through your website.
But I don’t believe in adding internal links just to hit a certain number.
A useful internal link should make sense in context.
For example, if I’m explaining why a business ranks in Google Maps but struggles in traditional organic search, it makes sense to link to a deeper resource specifically explaining that difference.
If I’m discussing keyword research, I may link to my guide on finding money keywords.
If I’m explaining Local SEO, I may direct someone to my larger Local SEO guide.
The goal isn’t to create the largest possible number of internal links.
It’s to create clear relationships between relevant pages.
You can read more about that in my guide to internal links and SEO.
6. Earning Relevant Backlinks and Mentions
Backlinks still matter.
But I wouldn’t evaluate a backlink strategy simply by counting how many links a website has.
A legitimate editorial mention from a relevant website can be much more meaningful than a large package of links created primarily to manipulate rankings.
For a San Diego business, local links and mentions can also help establish a stronger connection to the community.
That might include legitimate mentions from:
Local publications.
Business organizations.
Community websites.
Local events.
Relevant partners.
Industry publications.
Regional media.
But I want to correct something from the older version of this article.
I previously framed local links as if they automatically outperform national links.
That’s too simplistic.
A highly relevant national industry publication could be extremely valuable.
Likewise, a low-quality website doesn’t suddenly become a great backlink simply because it happens to be located in San Diego.
Relevance, legitimacy, authority, context, and quality all matter.
The goal is not to collect the most backlinks.
It’s to earn links and mentions that make sense for the business.
I have a separate guide explaining how to get other websites to link to yours if you want to explore this part of SEO further.
7. Strengthening Local Relevance
For searches with local intent, location matters.
This is where Local SEO becomes especially important.
Google’s local search results can vary depending on where the person searching is located.
That’s one reason a business may appear prominently in Maps near its physical location but become less visible as the searcher moves farther away.
For local businesses, I look at the overall local presence rather than one isolated factor.
That can include:
Google Business Profile.
Business categories.
Reviews.
Website content.
Location information.
Service areas.
Local links and mentions.
Business information across the web.
Proximity.
Competition.
Website authority.
Not every factor is equally important for every business, and you can’t optimize your way around every geographic limitation.
That’s particularly important when discussing proximity.
I explain that in more detail in How Proximity Affects Local SEO and Google Maps Rankings.
For the bigger picture, I also have a complete Local SEO guide for San Diego businesses.
8. Understanding What Google Business Profile Can—and Can’t—Do
Google Business Profile can be extremely important for local businesses.
But I don’t view it as a replacement for website SEO.
Your Business Profile can help your business appear in Google’s local search ecosystem, including Maps.
Your website can rank in traditional organic search while also giving Google and potential customers more information about your services, expertise, locations, and business.
I want those pieces to support each other.
For example:
Your website should clearly explain your primary services.
Your Google Business Profile categories should accurately represent the business.
Your business information should be consistent.
Your local landing pages should actually be useful.
Your reviews and overall reputation should support trust.
The website and Business Profile should feel like two parts of the same business—not separate SEO projects.
If your business performs well in Maps but struggles organically, I explain some of the reasons in Why You Rank in Google Maps but Not Organic Search.
And if Maps itself is the problem, start with How to Rank Higher in Google Maps.
9. Fixing Technical Problems That Get in the Way
Technical SEO isn’t usually the part business owners get excited about.
But technical problems can interfere with otherwise good SEO work.
Some of the areas I pay attention to include:
Crawling.
Indexing.
Canonicalization.
Redirects.
Duplicate URLs.
Broken links.
Mobile usability.
Website architecture.
Page performance.
XML sitemaps.
Structured data where appropriate.
The goal isn’t to achieve a perfect score in every SEO tool.
A website can have an excellent score in an automated audit and still perform poorly in search.
Likewise, a successful website may have minor technical issues that aren’t preventing it from competing.
I care about technical SEO because I want search engines to be able to reliably access, understand, index, and serve the pages we actually want people to find.
Technical SEO should solve real problems—not create busywork.
10. Improving Pages That Are Already Close
This is one of my favorite SEO opportunities.
Sometimes the best page to work on isn’t a new page.
It’s a page Google is already showing.
Google Search Console can reveal pages receiving impressions for valuable searches even when they aren’t yet ranking near the top.
If a page is sitting around positions 5, 8, 12, or 18 for a search that matters to the business, I want to investigate it.
I may ask:
Does the page satisfy the search intent?
Could the content be improved?
Is the title compelling?
Are important sections missing?
Does it have relevant internal links pointing to it?
Is another URL competing with it?
Has the search result changed?
Does the page need more external authority?
Could the page convert visitors better once they arrive?
Google is already giving us information.
I want to use it.
That’s why I spend a lot of time inside Search Console before deciding what a website needs next.
11. Updating Content When There’s a Reason
I don’t believe every article needs to be updated simply because it’s six months old.
Some subjects barely change.
Others change constantly.
I update content when there’s a reason.
Maybe information is outdated.
Maybe the search intent has shifted.
Maybe the page has lost visibility.
Maybe competitors are answering the question more clearly.
Maybe Search Console is showing new queries we should address.
Maybe the page no longer reflects my current experience or recommendations.
Maybe several articles should now be consolidated into one stronger resource.
That’s meaningful content maintenance.
Changing a date and adding a paragraph just to make a page look fresh isn’t the same thing.
Freshness should serve the reader, not become another SEO ritual.
12. Building Depth Around the Topics That Matter
If a business wants to become highly visible for an important service, one page may not tell the whole story.
There may be useful supporting questions, comparisons, guides, case studies, and resources that help establish a stronger body of information around that service.
That’s where topical depth becomes useful.
For example, my own website doesn’t have one article trying to explain every aspect of Local SEO.
I have a main Local SEO resource supported by more focused pages about Google Maps, proximity, service-area businesses, local keyword research, and related topics.
Each page has a different job.
Together, they create a more complete resource.
That’s how I think about topical authority.
But topical authority doesn’t mean publishing hundreds of articles around every possible keyword.
Every supporting page should still have a legitimate reason to exist.
What Doesn’t Automatically Move Google Rankings?
This is just as important as understanding what can help.
Businesses spend a lot of money on SEO activities that are sold as if completing the task automatically produces rankings.
It doesn’t.
Publishing More Blog Posts
More content doesn’t automatically equal better SEO.
If you already have several pages answering essentially the same question, another article may create more overlap instead of more value.
Buying Huge Backlink Packages
Fifty links aren’t automatically better than five.
Look at where the links come from, why they exist, whether they’re relevant, and whether they appear legitimate.
Repeating Your Exact Keyword Everywhere
Keywords help establish relevance, but forcing the same phrase into every heading and paragraph doesn’t make a page better.
Write naturally and cover the subject clearly.
Adding Schema to Every Page
Structured data can help search engines understand certain types of content and may make pages eligible for supported search features.
It’s useful when appropriate.
It isn’t a magic ranking button.
Doing a One-Time “SEO Setup”
Optimizing titles, descriptions, headings, and technical settings can be useful.
But competitive SEO usually requires more than changing a few settings once and walking away.
Search results change.
Competitors improve.
Websites evolve.
New opportunities appear.
SEO is a process.
Publishing AI Content at Scale
AI-generated content isn’t automatically bad.
Human-written content isn’t automatically good.
What matters is the finished result.
Is it accurate?
Useful?
Relevant?
Original enough to contribute something?
Does it reflect real expertise or experience where appropriate?
Does it satisfy the search?
AI can be a useful tool.
It shouldn’t replace strategy.
What About User Engagement and Rankings?
There’s another claim from the older version of this article that I want to clarify.
You’ll often hear people say metrics such as time on page or similar analytics measurements directly determine Google rankings.
I wouldn’t present it that way.
We shouldn’t assume a metric visible inside an analytics platform is automatically a direct Google ranking factor.
But that doesn’t mean user experience is irrelevant.
Far from it.
Imagine ranking #1 and sending someone to a website where they can’t quickly figure out:
What the company does.
Where it operates.
Whether it can solve their problem.
Why they should trust it.
How to contact someone.
That ranking isn’t accomplishing much.
That’s why I care about readability, navigation, page layout, clarity, trust, and conversion.
Not because I’m trying to manipulate a single “engagement signal.”
Because SEO should bring qualified people to a website that actually helps them.
Does AI Search Change What Moves Rankings?
AI-powered search adds another layer to online visibility.
People can now discover businesses through traditional Google results, Google Maps, AI-powered search experiences, and conversational tools.
I don’t believe that makes traditional SEO irrelevant.
If anything, it reinforces the importance of making a business easy to understand.
Your services should be clearly described.
Your important pages should have clear purposes.
Your website should contain useful information.
Your business should have a legitimate presence beyond its own website.
Your content should demonstrate real knowledge rather than simply repeating generic information already available everywhere.
I’ve written more about this in How AI Search Is Changing Local SEO.
And if you’re specifically interested in appearing in conversational AI results, read How to Get Your Business Recommended by ChatGPT and AI Search.
Why Ranking in San Diego Can Be Competitive
San Diego is a large and competitive market, but I wouldn’t say every San Diego keyword is automatically difficult.
Competition varies dramatically by industry, location, and search.
A personal injury attorney trying to rank throughout San Diego isn’t facing the same search landscape as a highly specialized service business targeting customers in one neighborhood.
That’s why I don’t believe there’s one universal formula for “San Diego SEO.”
I look at the actual search results.
Who is ranking?
What kinds of pages are ranking?
How established are those competitors?
What does the local pack look like?
How strong are their websites?
What does our website already have working in its favor?
Where are the gaps?
The competitive landscape should determine the strategy—not assumptions about the city.
So, What Actually Moves Rankings?
After all of that, here’s the answer I keep coming back to:
The right SEO improvement depends on what’s currently preventing the page from competing.
For one website, the biggest problem may be content.
For another, it may be backlinks.
For another, technical problems.
For another, weak local relevance.
For another, poor internal linking.
For another, mismatched search intent.
And sometimes the problem is that five different pages are trying to do the job that should belong to one.
That’s why I don’t like SEO strategies that treat every website exactly the same.
Diagnosis comes before treatment.
How I Approach Ranking Improvements
When I work on a website, I don’t automatically begin by ordering backlinks or writing more content.
I want to know:
What is already working?
Which pages are already receiving impressions?
Which searches matter most to the business?
Which pages should own those searches?
Where are competitors stronger?
What is preventing this website from competing?
What change is most likely to make a meaningful difference next?
Then I prioritize.
That’s very different from completing the same list of SEO deliverables every month.
It’s also one of the reasons I think there’s an important difference between an SEO vendor and an SEO partner.
Final Thoughts: Sustainable Rankings Come From Better Decisions
There isn’t one trick that moves Google rankings.
And there isn’t a checklist that guarantees page one.
Strong SEO comes from understanding what people are searching for, creating the right pages, making those pages genuinely useful, building a logical website, earning legitimate authority, fixing technical problems, strengthening local relevance when appropriate, and learning from actual search performance.
Sometimes that means creating something new.
Sometimes it means improving something old.
Sometimes it means consolidating several pages.
And sometimes it means leaving a page alone because it’s already doing its job.
That’s the part of SEO I enjoy most:
Figuring out what will make the biggest difference next.
I’m Jen Ruhman, a San Diego SEO expert with more than 20 years of experience working with websites and search.
I help businesses improve their visibility through SEO strategy, Local SEO, content, technical improvements, internal linking, authority building, and ongoing optimization.
If you’d like me to take a look at what’s currently holding your website back, request a free SEO analysis or call/text me at (619) 719-1315.
Frequently Asked Questions
What factors affect Google rankings?
Google uses many systems and signals rather than one universal ranking factor. SEO commonly involves relevance, search intent, useful content, website structure, links, technical accessibility, authority, competition, and—in local search—location-related factors.
Do backlinks still help SEO?
Backlinks can still be valuable, particularly when they come from legitimate and relevant sources. I focus more on the quality, relevance, and context of links than simply accumulating the largest possible number.
Does Google Business Profile improve organic rankings?
Google Business Profile is primarily part of Google’s local search ecosystem, including Maps and local results. I treat Google Business Profile and website SEO as complementary parts of a Local SEO strategy rather than assuming optimizing a Business Profile will automatically increase traditional organic rankings.
Does publishing more content improve Google rankings?
Not automatically. New content can be useful when it satisfies a distinct search intent or fills a genuine gap. Publishing multiple pages covering substantially the same topic can create unnecessary overlap.
Does time on page affect Google rankings?
I wouldn’t treat an analytics metric such as time on page as a direct Google ranking factor. User experience still matters because visitors need to understand, trust, and use your website once they arrive.
Does schema improve Google rankings?
Structured data can help search engines understand certain content and can make eligible pages available for supported search features. It shouldn’t be treated as a guaranteed ranking boost.
How long does it take to improve Google rankings?
There isn’t one reliable timeline for every website. It depends on the competition, current rankings, website history, authority, technical condition, content, targeted searches, and the amount of work required.
Is ranking in San Diego harder than other cities?
It depends on the industry and search. Some San Diego markets are extremely competitive, while others are much less difficult. I evaluate the actual search results and competitors rather than assuming every San Diego keyword has the same level of difficulty.