In short. Qwant lists keyword signals, page age, site popularity, readability and accessibility, while its help pages also describe page quality and region.
Definition: Qwant's disclosed website ranking criteria include keyword signals, page age, site popularity, readability and accessibility. Ranking is the ordering of search results according to their relevance to a query.
The disclosures below come from Qwant's ranking policy dated 5 December 2023 and help articles dated 21 July 2026.
Key facts
- Qwant's referencing and ranking policy describes an algorithm that orders web results automatically according to relative relevance.
- Qwant's Our Philosophy article identifies query relevance and page quality as ranking aims, with the configured region also potentially considered.
- The region guidance says websites tailored to the selected market receive priority in web results.
- The advertising guidance identifies sponsored results with an "Ad" label and says they usually appear near the top.
Which page and site signals are listed?
The ranking policy names the presence, frequency, emphasis and context of searched keywords within page content. It also names page age, the popularity of the website hosting the page, and the page's legibility and accessibility.
For a website review, these published criteria provide a basis for examining how the intended query appears in page content and how readable and accessible that content is. This is a practical interpretation of the disclosed criteria.
How does the selected region affect results?
Qwant's region help article says the chosen region influences web results and the preferred language of results. It also affects local news and commercial searches. The documented setting route is:
qwant.com > settings icon > Region > select country > Confirm
The article gives the example of someone in France selecting Germany when researching German topics. It describes the configured region as independent of physical location. It also notes that clearing cookies resets the region to its default value.
For comparisons of a website's results, recording the selected country follows directly from this documented setting. The same article states that result quality varies by market.
How are commercial interests and advertising treated?
Qwant's neutrality explanation says it avoids promoting websites because they serve particular commercial, political or moral interests.
Its advertising article explains that advertisements depend on the current search. Advertising partners receive the query to select a contextually relevant advertisement. The article's example is a search for hiking boots producing related product advertisements. When assessing a website's position, the "Ad" label identifies a sponsored result.
Related terms
FAQ
Can I calculate a ranking score from the disclosed criteria?
The ranking policy supplies no numerical weights or scoring formula for the listed criteria.
Does my previous search history personalize these results?
Qwant's Our Philosophy article says it does not personalize results using search history to infer preferences or circumstances. It identifies the configured region as a possible ranking input.
Sources
- Qwant, "Referencing, ranking and de-referencing of web pages and their media content", 5 December 2023
- Qwant, "Our Philosophy", 21 July 2026
- Qwant, "Set My Region for Local Results", 21 July 2026
- Qwant, "Qwant Ads: How It Works", 21 July 2026
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