The SEO Signals You Can't Ignore in 2025

The SEO signals you cannot ignore in 2025 prioritize content quality with E-E-A-T compliance, technical excellence through Core Web Vitals optimization, semantic search alignment with user intent, AI-powered search visibility through structured data, and comprehensive user experience metrics that demonstrate genuine value delivery to searchers.

Search engine optimization has evolved dramatically from keyword stuffing and link schemes to sophisticated algorithms that evaluate hundreds of ranking factors simultaneously. In 2025, Google and other search engines use artificial intelligence to understand content quality, user satisfaction, and topical expertise at unprecedented levels. The ranking signals that matter most reflect this shift toward rewarding sites that genuinely help users while meeting strict technical standards. 

As a leading internet marketing agency, we help businesses navigate these complex ranking factors to achieve sustainable organic visibility. Understanding and optimizing for the right signals separates successful SEO strategies from wasted efforts on outdated tactics that no longer move the needle.

Key Takeaways

• Content quality dominance: Comprehensive, well-researched content demonstrating genuine expertise through E-E-A-T principles remains the single most important ranking factor, with depth and topical authority determining competitive advantage in search results.
• Technical performance requirements: Core Web Vitals 2.0 metrics including Interaction to Next Paint, layout stability, and loading performance directly impact rankings, making technical excellence non-negotiable for visibility in competitive searches.
• Semantic search evolution: Keyword optimization has shifted from exact-match targeting to semantic relevance and natural language processing, requiring content aligned with user intent rather than specific keyword phrases.
• AI search integration: Structured data, schema markup, and answer engine optimization determine visibility in AI-powered search experiences, zero-click results, and featured snippets that increasingly dominate search engine results pages.
• User experience signals: Engagement metrics including dwell time, bounce rate, interaction patterns, and return visits provide search engines with direct feedback on whether content satisfies user needs beyond surface-level optimization.
• Multi-platform visibility: Success requires optimization beyond Google to include Bing, AI-powered search engines, voice assistants, and visual search platforms that represent growing portions of organic discovery and traffic.

Content Quality and Topical Authority

Content quality remains the foundation of successful SEO in 2025, with search engines using sophisticated AI to evaluate whether content genuinely helps users or exists primarily to manipulate rankings.

E-E-A-T as a Quality Foundation

Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness form the core framework Google uses to evaluate content quality. These principles determine whether search engines consider your content worthy of high rankings, especially for topics impacting user well-being, finances, or major decisions.

E-E-A-T implementation requires demonstrating:

• First-hand experience: Share specific examples from actual product use or real implementation
• Verified expertise: Display credentials, qualifications, and demonstrated knowledge depth
• Industry authority: Build recognition through backlinks, mentions, and third-party validation
• Transparent trustworthiness: Provide accurate information with proper citations and clear sourcing
• Author credibility: Feature bylines with author bios establishing relevant expertise
• Editorial standards: Maintain consistent quality and fact-checking processes

According to Google's guidance on creating helpful content, trust is the most critical component of E-E-A-T. Content can demonstrate experience or expertise effectively but fail to rank if trustworthiness signals are weak or missing.

Professional content marketing ensures your content meets these quality standards while serving user needs effectively.

Depth and Comprehensive Coverage

Search engines reward content that thoroughly addresses topics rather than providing superficial information that forces users to search elsewhere for complete answers. Comprehensive coverage signals genuine expertise and commitment to serving user needs.

Content depth characteristics that improve rankings:

• Complete topic coverage: Address all significant aspects and common questions
• Practical examples: Include specific, actionable illustrations of concepts
• Supporting evidence: Back claims with data, research, and credible sources
• Multiple perspectives: Present balanced views on debatable topics
• Visual enhancement: Use diagrams, charts, and images to improve understanding
• Structured organization: Present information logically with clear headings and sections

Depth differs from length alone. A 3,000-word article with 2,000 words of filler ranks worse than a 1,500-word piece that thoroughly addresses its topic with unique insights and practical value.

Topical Authority Through Content Clusters

Topical authority demonstrates comprehensive expertise across related subjects rather than knowledge limited to isolated topics. Content clusters organized around pillar pages with supporting articles create the strongest topical authority signals.

Building topical authority requires:

• Strategic topic selection: Focus on subjects aligned with business expertise
• Comprehensive pillar content: Create authoritative hub pages covering core topics broadly
• Detailed cluster pages: Develop supporting articles addressing specific subtopics thoroughly
• Strategic internal linking: Connect related content through contextual, descriptive links
• Consistent quality standards: Maintain high value across all topical content
• Regular updates: Keep content current to demonstrate ongoing expertise

Sites that cover topics comprehensively through interconnected content clusters rank for exponentially more keywords than those publishing isolated articles, while building domain authority that benefits all related content.

Backlinks and Brand Authority Signals

External validation through backlinks and brand mentions remains a critical ranking factor, though quality and relevance matter far more than quantity in 2025.

Authoritative Backlink Profiles

Backlinks function as votes of confidence, with links from authoritative, relevant sites carrying significantly more weight than links from low-quality or unrelated sources. Google's algorithms have become highly sophisticated at identifying link manipulation, making natural link earning essential.

High-value backlink characteristics include:

• Source authority: Links from established, trusted sites in your industry or related fields
• Topical relevance: Links from pages discussing related subjects or topics
• Editorial placement: Links included naturally within content rather than ads or sidebars
• Diverse sources: Links from variety of domains rather than concentrated from few sites
• Contextual appropriateness: Links that make sense in context of surrounding content
• Follow attributes: Natural mix of followed and nofollowed links

Earning quality backlinks requires creating genuinely valuable content worth citing, building relationships with industry publishers, and contributing expert insights to authoritative platforms. Purchased links, link schemes, and low-quality directory submissions provide little value and risk penalties.

Strategic off-page SEO focuses on earning natural backlinks through content quality and industry relationships rather than manipulative tactics.

Brand Presence and Recognition

Strong brand signals help search engines distinguish authoritative businesses from unknown entities. Sites with established brand recognition enjoy ranking advantages because search engines view them as more likely to provide reliable information.

Brand signals that improve SEO performance:

• Direct searches: Volume of users searching specifically for your brand name
• Brand mentions: Frequency of unlinked brand references across the web
• Social media presence: Active, engaged followings on relevant platforms
• Media coverage: Mentions in news articles and industry publications
• Review volume: Quantity and quality of customer reviews on multiple platforms
• Author recognition: Team members known as experts in their fields

Building brand authority requires consistent quality, active community engagement, thought leadership content, and delivering exceptional user experiences that generate positive word-of-mouth and online discussions.

Natural Link Earning Strategies

The most sustainable link building focuses on creating linkable assets that naturally attract citations and references from other websites.

Effective link earning approaches include:

• Original research: Conduct studies, surveys, or data analysis others will reference
• Comprehensive guides: Create authoritative resources worth citing repeatedly
• Visual content: Develop infographics, charts, and diagrams others embed
• Expert commentary: Provide quotable insights on industry developments
• Useful tools: Build calculators, generators, or utilities that provide value
• Case studies: Document specific results and implementation processes

These assets attract links organically because they provide value other content creators want to reference, creating sustainable link growth without active outreach or link schemes.

Technical SEO and Core Web Vitals

Technical excellence has become non-negotiable for competitive rankings, with Google explicitly using Core Web Vitals and other technical factors as ranking signals.

Core Web Vitals 2.0 Requirements

Core Web Vitals measure specific aspects of user experience that impact how well people can interact with and consume your content. The 2025 updates emphasize interaction responsiveness and visual stability alongside loading performance.

Current Core Web Vitals metrics include:

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): Measures loading performance, should occur within 2.5 seconds
• Interaction to Next Paint (INP): Assesses responsiveness to user interactions, should be under 200ms
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): Evaluates visual stability, should maintain score under 0.1
• First Input Delay (FID): Measures interactivity, being phased out in favor of INP
• Time to First Byte (TTFB): Server response speed, should be under 600ms
• First Contentful Paint (FCP): Initial render speed, should occur within 1.8 seconds

Meeting these thresholds requires optimizing images, minimizing JavaScript, implementing efficient caching, using content delivery networks, and ensuring server performance scales with traffic demands.

Professional web design and hosting services ensure your site meets these technical performance standards.

Mobile-First Requirements

Google's mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of your site determines rankings for all devices. Sites that perform poorly on mobile face ranking limitations regardless of desktop experience quality.

Mobile optimization essentials include:

• Responsive design: Layouts that adapt appropriately to all screen sizes
• Touch-friendly navigation: Buttons and links sized appropriately for finger taps
• Readable text: Font sizes that don't require zooming on mobile devices
• Compressed media: Images and videos optimized for mobile bandwidth
• Simplified forms: Input fields designed for mobile completion ease
• Fast loading: Performance optimized for cellular network speeds

Sites must provide equivalent content and functionality on mobile as on desktop. Hidden mobile content or significantly reduced mobile experiences risk ranking penalties.

Site Architecture and Crawlability

Search engines can only rank content they can effectively discover, crawl, and understand. Technical architecture determines how efficiently search engines process your site.

Crawlability optimization requirements:

• XML sitemaps: Updated sitemaps listing all important pages for discovery
• Robots.txt configuration: Properly configured to allow crawler access to valuable content
• Logical URL structures: Readable URLs reflecting content hierarchy and topics
• Internal linking: Clear paths for crawlers to discover all important pages
• Canonical tags: Proper implementation to avoid duplicate content issues
• Redirect management: 301 redirects for moved content, minimal redirect chains

Clean site architecture with shallow depth from homepage to important content ensures search engines allocate crawl budget effectively rather than wasting resources on low-value pages.

Semantic Search and User Intent Optimization

Keyword optimization has evolved from exact-match targeting to semantic understanding of user intent, topics, and context.

Natural Language Processing Impact

Google's BERT, MUM, and other natural language processing algorithms understand content meaning, context, and relationships rather than just matching keyword strings. This requires writing for users while naturally incorporating relevant terminology.

Semantic optimization strategies include:

• Topic-focused content: Addressing subjects comprehensively rather than targeting specific keywords
• Natural terminology: Using varied, conversational language instead of forced exact-match repetition
• Question coverage: Answering related questions users actually ask
• Contextual relationships: Connecting related concepts that appear together naturally
• Synonym inclusion: Incorporating term variations and related vocabulary
• Intent alignment: Matching content to what users actually want when searching

Content written primarily for users while demonstrating expertise naturally incorporates semantic signals search engines reward. Forced keyword insertion that makes content awkward signals manipulation attempts.

Search Intent Alignment

Different searches reflect different user intents requiring different content approaches. Understanding and matching intent determines whether content ranks even when topically relevant.

Primary search intent categories:

• Informational intent: Users seeking knowledge or answers to questions
• Navigational intent: Users looking for specific sites or pages
• Commercial intent: Users researching products or services before purchasing
• Transactional intent: Users ready to complete specific actions or purchases

Analyze top-ranking content for target keywords to understand what intent Google associates with those searches, then create content matching that intent rather than forcing different content types.

Long-Tail and Conversational Queries

Voice search and conversational AI have increased the importance of long-tail, question-based queries using natural language rather than abbreviated keywords.

Optimizing for conversational search requires:

• Question-based content: Directly answering common questions users ask
• Natural phrasing: Using conversational language that matches how people speak
• Featured snippet optimization: Structuring concise answers for position zero
• FAQ sections: Addressing multiple related questions within single pages
• Local context: Incorporating location-specific information where relevant
• Voice-friendly formatting: Clear, speakable answers to common queries

Professional keyword research identifies both traditional and conversational search opportunities aligned with your expertise.

AI and Structured Data Optimization

Artificial intelligence has transformed how search engines understand and display content, making structured data and answer optimization critical for visibility.

Schema Markup Implementation

Schema markup provides explicit signals about content meaning, relationships, and structure that help both traditional search engines and AI systems understand your pages.

High-value schema types for 2025:

• Article schema: Identifies content type, author, publication date, and topics
• FAQ schema: Structures question-answer pairs for enhanced display
• HowTo schema: Organizes step-by-step instructions for rich result eligibility
• Product schema: Details product specifications, pricing, and availability
• Local Business schema: Provides location, hours, and service information
• Organization schema: Establishes brand identity and credentials
• Review schema: Highlights ratings and customer feedback

Implementing comprehensive schema markup increases eligibility for rich results, featured snippets, and knowledge panels while helping AI systems cite your content accurately in generated answers.

Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)

AI-powered search engines and chatbots increasingly provide direct answers rather than lists of links. Optimizing for these answer engines ensures visibility even in zero-click search environments.

AEO optimization tactics include:

• Concise answer formatting: Provide clear, direct answers early in content
• Structured information: Use lists, tables, and organized formats AI can extract
• Authoritative sourcing: Include citations that validate information accuracy
• Comprehensive coverage: Address topics thoroughly so AI has complete information
• Conversational language: Write in natural, quotable formats AI can reference
• Question targeting: Explicitly answer questions users ask AI assistants

Sites optimized for AEO maintain visibility as search evolves toward AI-generated responses, ensuring brand presence even when users don't click through to websites.

Visual and Voice Search Optimization

Search extends beyond text-based queries to include images, videos, and voice commands requiring specific optimization approaches.

Each search type requires specific technical implementations and content strategies to ensure discoverability and appropriate display in results.

User Experience and Engagement Metrics

Search engines use behavioral signals to validate whether content genuinely satisfies user needs beyond surface-level optimization.

Dwell Time and Bounce Rate

Time users spend on pages and whether they immediately return to search results provide direct feedback about content quality and relevance.

Improving engagement metrics requires:

• Immediate value delivery: Provide useful information above the fold
• Scannable formatting: Use headings, bullets, and white space for easy reading
• Engaging media: Include relevant images, videos, and graphics
• Clear navigation: Help users find related information easily
• Internal linking: Encourage exploration of related content
• Mobile optimization: Ensure excellent experience across all devices

Content that keeps users engaged longer signals higher quality than pages generating quick returns to search results, even when both target the same keywords.

Click-Through Rate Optimization

CTR from search results impacts rankings as search engines interpret higher click rates as signals that your result better matches user intent than alternatives.

Improving organic CTR requires:

• Compelling title tags: Create titles that accurately describe content while encouraging clicks
• Persuasive meta descriptions: Write descriptions that highlight unique value and benefits
• Rich result eligibility: Implement schema for enhanced SERP displays
• Authority signals: Include dates, authorship, or other trust indicators
• Unique angles: Differentiate your approach from similar competing results
• Emotional triggers: Use power words and benefit-focused language appropriately

Higher CTR amplifies other ranking factors by signaling to search engines that users prefer your content to alternatives.

Page Navigation and Interaction

How users interact with content once on the page provides signals about quality, organization, and value delivery.

Positive interaction signals include:

• Internal link clicks: Users exploring related content signals comprehensive coverage
• Scroll depth: Users reading complete articles shows engaging content
• Time on page: Longer engaged reading indicates valuable information
• Return visits: Users bookmarking and returning signals authoritative resource
• Social sharing: Users sharing content validates quality and usefulness
• Form completions: Users taking desired actions shows persuasive content

Comprehensive reporting and analytics help you understand and improve these user experience signals systematically.

Local SEO and Privacy-First Strategies

Location-based search and privacy regulations have created new ranking factor categories particularly important for certain business types.

Google Business Profile Optimization

For businesses serving local markets, Google Business Profile signals often outweigh traditional website factors for local pack rankings.

Critical GBP factors include:

• Complete information: All profile sections fully populated with accurate data
• Category selection: Primary and secondary categories matching actual services
• Review volume: Quantity of genuine customer reviews
• Review recency: Fresh reviews signaling active business
• Review responses: Engaged management responding to customer feedback
• Photo content: Regular additions of relevant, high-quality photos
• Post activity: Consistent updates and offers shared through GBP

Active GBP management combined with strong website optimization creates the most effective local search presence.

Hyperlocal Content Strategies

Creating content addressing specific neighborhood, city, or regional topics helps businesses dominate local searches where competition from national brands is limited.

Hyperlocal content approaches:

• Location-specific pages: Dedicated pages for each service area or neighborhood
• Local event coverage: Content addressing community happenings and local issues
• Regional guides: Helpful resources specific to geographic areas served
• Local partnerships: Content featuring collaborations with area businesses
• Community involvement: Coverage of local sponsorships and participation
• Geographic keywords: Natural incorporation of neighborhood and city names

Professional local SEO ensures your business maximizes visibility for location-based searches in your service areas.

First-Party Data Utilization

Privacy regulations and cookie deprecation have made first-party data collection and utilization increasingly important for understanding and serving users effectively.

First-party data strategies include:

• Email list building: Capturing contact information through valuable opt-ins
• Account creation incentives: Encouraging user registration for enhanced experiences
• Preference centers: Allowing users to specify interests and communication preferences
• On-site behavior tracking: Analyzing how users interact with your content
• Survey feedback: Gathering direct input about user needs and preferences
• CRM integration: Connecting website data with customer relationship systems

Effective first-party data utilization improves personalization, content relevance, and user experience while complying with privacy regulations.

Content Freshness and Consistency

Regular content updates and publication consistency signal active expertise and commitment to providing current, accurate information.

Update Frequency Impact

Google favors fresh content for queries where information changes frequently or where users expect current information. Regular updates maintain rankings in competitive topics where others continuously publish new content.

Content refresh priorities:

• High-traffic pages: Update your most visited content to maintain rankings
• Competitive topics: Refresh content where competitors actively publish new material
• Time-sensitive subjects: Update any content with dates, statistics, or changing information
• Underperforming content: Improve pages with declining traffic or rankings
• Emerging opportunities: Expand content to address new search trends
• Accuracy verification: Ensure all information remains correct and current

Schedule systematic content audits every six months for major pages and annually for supporting content to identify update opportunities.

Publication Consistency

Regular new content publication demonstrates active expertise and provides search engines with signals that your site remains a current, reliable resource.

Consistent publication benefits:

• Crawl frequency: Search engines crawl active sites more frequently
• Topical authority: Regular coverage of your subject demonstrates ongoing expertise
• Keyword coverage: New content addresses emerging queries and topics
• Internal linking opportunities: Fresh content provides new linking targets
• User engagement: Regular new content encourages return visits
• Competitive presence: Maintain visibility against actively publishing competitors

Establish sustainable publication schedules you can maintain long-term rather than sporadic bursts followed by long gaps that signal inconsistent commitment.

Satisfying Search Intent Continuously

Content must continue satisfying evolving user needs as search intent shifts over time for specific queries.

Maintaining intent alignment requires:

• SERP monitoring: Track changes in what content ranks for target keywords
• User feedback: Analyze comments and questions to understand unmet needs
• Search Console data: Review queries bringing traffic to identify gaps
• Competitive analysis: Monitor how competing content addresses topics
• Trend awareness: Stay current with industry developments affecting your topics
• Format evolution: Adapt content formats to match changing user preferences

Content that satisfied intent effectively two years ago may need significant updates to remain competitive as user expectations and competitor offerings evolve.

Multi-Platform Search Visibility

Relying exclusively on Google for organic traffic creates vulnerability as search diversifies across platforms and AI systems.

Beyond Google Search

Optimizing for alternative search engines and platforms expands organic visibility beyond a single traffic source.

Alternative platforms requiring optimization:

• Bing search: Microsoft's search engine powering multiple surfaces
• DuckDuckGo: Privacy-focused search growing in popularity
• YouTube: Video search representing second-largest search engine
• Amazon search: Critical for product and e-commerce visibility
• Social platform search: Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok native search
• Reddit search: Increasingly important for authentic recommendations

While Google dominates market share, diversifying optimization across platforms reduces dependency on single traffic sources and captures users with different search preferences.

AI Search Engine Optimization

ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, and other AI assistants increasingly serve as search alternatives requiring specific optimization approaches.

AI search optimization tactics:

• Structured information: Format content for easy extraction and citation
• Authoritative sourcing: Include clear attribution and credible references
• Comprehensive answers: Provide complete information AI can use without external research
• Clear attribution: Make authorship and expertise obvious for AI citation
• Updated content: Maintain currency so AI systems reference accurate information
• Semantic clarity: Use clear, unambiguous language AI can interpret correctly

Sites frequently cited by AI systems gain brand exposure even when users don't click through, making AI visibility increasingly valuable for brand building.

Platform-Specific Optimization

Each search platform has unique ranking factors and content preferences requiring tailored optimization approaches.

Understanding platform-specific preferences allows you to optimize content appropriately for each channel rather than using one-size-fits-all approaches.

Conclusion

The SEO signals dominating 2025 reflect search engines' evolution toward rewarding genuine value delivery rather than technical manipulation. Content quality demonstrated through E-E-A-T principles, technical excellence measured by Core Web Vitals, semantic relevance aligned with user intent, AI optimization through structured data, and superior user experiences create sustainable ranking advantages. Success requires balancing multiple ranking factor categories rather than focusing exclusively on any single element, with comprehensive strategies addressing content, technical performance, user experience, and emerging platforms simultaneously.

The complexity of modern SEO makes professional guidance increasingly valuable for businesses seeking competitive organic visibility. By systematically optimizing the right signals while avoiding wasted effort on outdated tactics, you can build sustainable search presence that drives qualified traffic and business growth. For expert help implementing comprehensive SEO strategies addressing all critical 2025 ranking signals, contact our team for a detailed SEO audit and strategic consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the single most important SEO signal in 2025?

Content quality demonstrating genuine expertise through E-E-A-T principles remains the single most critical ranking factor. While technical SEO, backlinks, and user experience all matter significantly, search engines ultimately reward content that thoroughly addresses user needs with authoritative, trustworthy information. Sites can't overcome poor content with excellent technical optimization, but quality content can achieve decent rankings despite some technical limitations.

How important are Core Web Vitals compared to content quality?

Core Web Vitals function as qualifying factors rather than primary ranking determinants. Sites must meet minimum technical thresholds to compete in most searches, but once those thresholds are met, content quality determines rankings among technically acceptable competitors. Poor Core Web Vitals can prevent otherwise excellent content from ranking well, while perfect technical scores won't overcome low-quality or thin content.

Do backlinks still matter as much as they used to?

Backlinks remain important ranking signals but quality matters exponentially more than quantity in 2025. One link from an authoritative, relevant site provides more value than hundreds of links from low-quality directories or link farms. Search engines have become highly sophisticated at identifying natural versus manipulative link patterns, making link earning through quality content more effective than link building through outreach or schemes.

How can small businesses compete with large sites for rankings?

Small businesses can compete effectively by focusing on niche topics, local search, and providing depth that generic national content lacks. Building comprehensive topical authority in specific areas, optimizing thoroughly for local searches, and creating content addressing specific user questions large competitors overlook creates competitive advantages. Focus on serving particular audiences exceptionally well rather than competing broadly.

Is optimizing for AI search different from traditional SEO?

AI search optimization overlaps significantly with traditional SEO best practices but emphasizes structured data, clear answer formatting, and comprehensive coverage even more. Content optimized for traditional search generally performs well in AI systems, but adding explicit structure, concise answers, and authoritative sourcing improves AI citation likelihood. The fundamentals remain consistent across both traditional and AI-powered search.

How often should I update content to maintain rankings?

Update frequency depends on topic competitiveness and information stability. Highly competitive topics or subjects with frequently changing information require updates every three to six months. Less competitive or more stable topics may need refreshes only annually. Monitor ranking changes and competitor content to determine when updates become necessary rather than following rigid schedules.

What role do social media signals play in SEO?

Social media signals don't directly impact rankings but influence SEO through indirect mechanisms like content discovery, brand building, and link earning. Content that performs well on social media often attracts backlinks and brand mentions that do impact rankings. Social presence also improves brand recognition that influences click-through rates from search results and direct brand searches.

Should I focus on voice search optimization separately?

Voice search optimization largely aligns with traditional SEO best practices focused on natural language, question answering, and local optimization. Rather than creating separate voice-specific content, optimize existing content for conversational queries by including question-based headings, concise answers, and local context. Featured snippet optimization particularly benefits voice search visibility.

How important is website security for SEO?

HTTPS encryption is a confirmed ranking factor and required for collecting sensitive user data, making SSL certificates essential for all sites. Beyond encryption, broader security practices preventing hacks, malware, and user data breaches protect SEO investments by avoiding penalties and user trust damage. Security should be considered a foundational requirement rather than optional optimization.

Can I rank well without blogging or regular content creation?

Sites can achieve good rankings without blogs if their core pages thoroughly address target topics and technical SEO is excellent. However, regular content creation helps by expanding keyword coverage, building topical authority, attracting backlinks, and demonstrating active expertise. Service-based businesses may succeed with optimized service pages alone, while sites in competitive niches typically need ongoing content to maintain rankings.