What is Passage Ranking?
Ranking a page based on one strong section even when the whole page covers more. Self-contained sections with clear headings can win queries the page was never explicitly "about".
Related terms
Passage Embedding
The vector representation of a single section used in passage-level retrieval. One idea per section with the answer up front produces embeddings that match focused queries.
Chunk Retrieval
The step in RAG where a system pulls the most relevant passages (chunks) from its index to feed the model. Pages with self-contained, fact-dense sections produce chunks that survive this selection.
Heading Hierarchy
The nested H1→H2→H3 outline of a page. A clean hierarchy lets readers scan and lets parsers chunk sections accurately for retrieval and snippets.
On-Page SEO
Optimizing individual pages: titles, headings, content depth, internal links, images, and schema. On-page work decides relevance once technical SEO has made the page reachable.
Title Tag
The clickable headline in search results and the strongest on-page relevance signal. Google rewrites most titles, so clarity and completeness beat rigid length rules.
Meta Description
The optional summary that can become the result snippet. Absence is not a penalty and Google rewrites most descriptions, so prioritize valuable pages where controlled wording earns clicks.