Page factors are the part of SEO a front-end developer controls directly: markup, URLs, words, speed, links and layout. Google's How Search Works site states the simplest one outright: if a query's keywords "appear in the headings or body text of a webpage, the information might be more relevant." The table sorts the common claims about the rest.
| Claim | Status | Google's position |
|---|---|---|
| Keywords in headings and body text | Confirmed | "The most basic signal" |
| Keywords meta tag, meta description | Not a ranking factor | Keywords ignored; description feeds snippets |
| Heading order and count | Not a ranking factor | "Doesn't matter" |
| Keywords in URL | Confirmed, very small | "Hardly any effect" |
| LSI keywords, valid HTML | Unconfirmed | Never documented |
| Word count | Not a ranking factor | "No, we don't" prefer one |
| Keyword stuffing, hidden text | Confirmed demotion | Spam policies |
| Helpful, people-first content | Confirmed | Core ranking systems |
| Core Web Vitals | Confirmed | Used by ranking systems |
| Mobile version of the page | Confirmed | Mobile-first indexing |
| Fresh content | Confirmed for some queries | Freshness systems |
| Internal links and anchor text | Confirmed | Link analysis systems |
| Sitemap priority and changefreq | Not a ranking factor | Ignored |
| Installing Analytics or Search Console 1 | Unconfirmed | No documented link |
| Duplicate URLs on your own site | Not a ranking factor | No penalty |
| Intrusive interstitials, top-heavy ads | Confirmed | 2012 layout and 2017 mobile updates |