The Most Important Search Ranking Factors According to SEO Experts

A recent survey of 2,830 SEO professionals found that on-page elements, such as metadata, had the biggest impact on search rankings over the past 12 months. Organic user behavior was the second most important factor cited. Google's zero-click pages and Core Web Vitals were identified as the biggest threats and emergent factors in SEO for the next two years, respectively.

Respondents consider on-page elements to be the most important factor impacting rankings, with 33% citing it as such. Organic user behavior is the second most important factor, according to 31% of respondents.

About the research: The report was based on data from a survey conducted in May 2021 among 2,830 SEO professionals, 1,223 of whom focus primarily on B2B SEO.