What is passage ranking?
Passage ranking means judging single passages of a page, not only the page as a whole. Google announced it for Search in 2020, and AI answers likewise quote short extracts. A paragraph that answers one question completely can be used even if the rest of the page is about something else.
What it means for writing
Give each section a clear heading that states the question, open it with the direct answer, and keep one idea per paragraph. A passage should make sense when read alone, without the text around it.
Example: a 3,000-word guide to hiring has one paragraph that answers "how long does onboarding take?" in two sentences; that paragraph can be quoted on its own.
Related practice
This is the core of answer-first content. It also helps classic featured snippets.
Read more: What is AEO? Answer engine optimization explained