Passage Ranking by Google – What It Is, How It Works, and How to Make the Most of It

There’s a reason why Google leads the pack when it comes to search engines. That’s because it is constantly evolving its search algorithm to make online browsing an increasingly accurate, simple, and purposeful experience for its users.

To achieve this, Google rolls out a dozen or so updates to its search algorithm every year. Most of these updates are minor improvements that build upon the existing 200+ ranking factors in order to fine-tune the search results. But every once in a while, it introduces new elements that augment or sometimes even fundamentally change the way in which content is searched, delivered, and consumed by its users. 

One such update that was rolled out in February last year was the Passage Ranking, which indexes the information buried deep within the passages or paragraphs of long-form content to rank SERP results better.

Despite several clarifications being shared by Google representatives on what the Passage Ranking is and what it means for content creators, there remains a number of unanswered questions around this critical update. In this blog, SEO experts and content strategists at Agency Couch – a leading SEO and Digital Marketing Agency in New York – have cleared the air by taking the bull by the horns.

Here’s what we will cover in this article:

1. The Need for Passage Ranking
2. What is Passage Ranking by Google?
3. How Does It Work?
4. Passage Ranking vs Featured Snippet
5. Passage Ranking vs Rich Snippets Feature
6. How to Make the Most of Google’s Passage Ranking

Let’s get started!

1. Background: The Need for Passage Ranking

SERP Results for Specific and Niche Search Queries Are Difficult to Rank

Have you ever searched for a piece of information that is highly specific, detailed, or niche? If yes, then you will probably recall digging through numerous SERP links before arriving at the answer that you were seeking. (And eventually, you probably would have found it on a website that wasn’t ranking very well in SERP in the first place!)

For example, take a look at the following query we just made on Google:

The query we typed into the search bar is, “Which tomatoes are best for making Marinara sauce?” The top answer picked by Google for this query talks about the best tomatoes for sauces in general, and not for the specific sauce that we are looking for – Marinara. After that, we are shown several recipe-based results in SERP, until we hit the jackpot in a result that was ranking much lower (see below).

Similarly, as a content creator, have you ever come across web pages that have relatively lower information value for users than your own content, but are consistently ranking higher on search engines? As a leading SEO Agency in New York, we see this happen all the time. The reason is simple – unstructured long-form content divided into paragraphs or passages without headings are difficult for search engines to match to user queries.

High-quality Long-form Content Faces a Unique Ranking Challenge in Search Engines

Long-form content suffers from ranking hiccups despite offering the right answers matching specific, niche queries by users. In reality, even if an article is divided into sections with headers and sub-headers, there might still be that one teeny-tiny nugget of information buried somewhere among the passages that search algorithms fail to reflect in SERP ranking. 

And yet, that tiny morsel of information might be exactly what some users are looking for!

To beat this unique challenge of content classification and structure, especially in long-form content, Google realized that it had to come up with a means to analyze the content in individual passages and use that information to rank websites better with respect to a specific search query.

Hence, the Passage Ranking was rolled out in 2021.

2. What Exactly is the Passage Ranking in Google?

Passage Ranking is a critical addition to Google’s ever-changing search algorithm. Put simply, it caters to highly specific and niche user queries by matching them to the right passages in long-form content. Google then uses this information on specific passages in a web page to rank SERP results more accurately – hence the term, “Passage Ranking.”

Being a team of digital experts from a leading SEO Agency in New York, we understand that the key theme underlying Google’s Passage Ranking is the holy trinity of Accuracy, Relevance, and Quality. This means that this new feature effectively helps the world’s no.1 search engine to rank high-quality and relevant content better and match it more accurately with specific user queries. 

Hot Tip: Passages Are Not Indexed or Ranked Separately by Google

The rollout of Passage Ranking led to a lot of confusion among content creators that still persists to an extent. The bone of contention was whether the introduction of this update to the search algorithm of Google meant that passages would now be indexed and ranked separately, just like websites and webpages.

However, leading SEO agencies in New York like Agency Couch are aware that Google has made it clear that passages are not indexed or ranked separately in the SERP. The relevance of a specific passage to a search query is simply used as an add-on factor in ranking the results in SERP with the appropriate weightage being assigned to it. Google continues to index and rank web pages as a whole (and not its individual passages).

3. How Does Google’s Passage Ranking Work?

Key Changes Brought About by the Introduction of Passage Ranking

Here are some of the key changes that have been brought about in how users interact with SERP, thanks to the introduction of Passage Ranking:

• Web pages with matching passages for a specific query are ranked higher up in the SERP.
• Content creators are rewarded for meaningful, high-quality content that covers a wide range of topics in-depth and addresses user queries with the right information or insight.
• Passage Ranking is currently rolled out for searches in the English language only and is expected to affect around 7% of search queries.
• Existing web pages that rank well will not be affected. Google has made it clear that it is simply seeking to improve the ranks of web pages that have great content but are still lagging behind. Its primary objective is to help its users get better results for their searches, and not undercut existing authority pages.

Hot Tip: Google’s Basic Search Process Remain Unaffected by Passage Ranking

It is important to note that Google’s basic approach to ranking web pages remains unaffected by Passage Ranking. Here are a few key elements of Google’s search process that have remained unaffected:

• Crawling, indexing, and rendering of webpages in Google SERP remain largely unchanged.
• Web pages continue to be indexed as a whole and not separately as passages.
• Well-ranked web pages will not lose their positions in SERP. There might be slight changes in rank for queries that are very specific or from a niche domain.
• Content structure and semantics still continue to be important and relevant for ranking, along with keywords and the overall quality of content.
• Google has also clarified that it will not launch a separate tool for content creators to test their content for Passage Ranking. However, as a frontrunner among SEO agencies in New York, we can help you optimize your long-form content to make the most of Google’s Passage Ranking.

4. Passage Ranking vs Featured Snippets

It is not surprising that people are getting confused left and right between the two.

However, the first thing to take note of here is that results from Passage Ranking are not displayed separately in the SERP (unlike Featured Snippets or Rich Snippet Feature in Google Search).

For example, the screenshot below shows that when we search for footballer Lionel Messi’s birthday on Google, the date of birth is shown right at the top. Even though it has been extracted from Messi’s official website or Wikipedia, we don’t need to visit those links to know his birthday – it is featured right there at the top.

Passage ranking, on the other hand, will only affect the ranking of results in the SERP based on the specificity of the query. It will not be displayed separately.

5. Passage Ranking vs Rich Snippet Feature

Rich Snippet Feature is another SERP element that is often confused with Passage Ranking. It refers to the section just below the featured snippet where a series of queries related to the original search query are listed right below the featured snippet.

For example, for our previous search on Lionel Messi’s birthday, here are the rich snippets shared by Google under “People also ask”. While it helps users to know more about their query by exploring related questions, it is not related to Passage Ranking (which focuses on fine-tuning the SERP results of a given query).

 

6. How Can Businesses and Content Marketers Make the Most of Google’s Passage Ranking?

Now that you know the long and short of Google’s Passage Ranking, here’s what you can do to stay ahead of the curve!

• They Ask, You Answer: Go back to your boardroom and brainstorm questions that your target audiences are asking. Answer them, and answer them right. Google’s search algorithm is increasingly beginning to mimic human reasoning – it would be wise to factor in the semantic complexities and rich contextual understanding into your content strategy and digital marketing approach. 

• Structure, structure, structure: While Passage Ranking will prove to be a boon for high-value content, don’t ignore basic content semantics like headers, sub-headers, keywords, and content navigation. Remember, you are still dealing with an algorithm at the end of the day! Make the task of finding your content as easy as possible.

• Focus on Content Diversity: In a subtle but sure way, Passage Ranking is here to ensure that run-of-the-mill, me-too content no longer rules the SERP. Do your research and bring richness, nuances, and diversity to your content. Keep your target audience at the heart of everything you do!

• Incorporate Long-Tail Keywords: Long-tail keywords have been ruling SEO for a while now, but are becoming more and more important with the introduction of Passage Ranking. Add zing to your SEO performance by getting your long-tail keywords right and using them generously and meaningfully.

• Don’t Shy Away from Long-form Content: If there’s one thing that Google is signaling with the rollout of Passage Ranking, it is this – long-form content is here to stay. So roll up your sleeves and give your content the space and depth it deserves. Keep your content research-based, informative, and easy-to-grasp – and voila! Google will fall in love with your content in no time.

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Agency Couch is a leading SEO Agency in New York. Our team of digital experts delivers quality solutions in digital marketing & technology in an end-to-end manner. By bringing technology capabilities & digital marketing expertise under one umbrella, we partner with your agency to help you acquire more clients & grow faster. To know more about us or avail of our world-class services, write to us at getintouch@agencycouch.com.