Abstract
- Changes in SEO insights. The Google leak highlighted clickstream and site authority, redefining our understanding of their impact on rankings.
- Content validation. Marketers were advised to boost trust by providing consistent, high-quality content.
- We revamped our SEO strategy. The insights gained from a breach could lead to significant changes to existing digital marketing practices.
In a dramatic turn of events late last month, a massive leak revealed thousands of pages of internal Google documents, shedding light on the mysterious workings behind the company's search ranking algorithm.
How Google determines how websites are ranked has long been a closely guarded secret and has led to speculation among SEO experts, journalists and researchers. These documents suggest that Google's public statements about its ranking system may not be entirely accurate, raising serious questions about the tech giant's transparency and honesty.
In this article, we explore the implications of these revelations and what they may mean for the future of SEO, marketing, and online search.
What's in the Google SEO leaked documents?
The leaks confirmed by Google could revolutionize our understanding of SEO and digital marketing, detailing how Google collects data, how Chrome data impacts search results, the role of author data, and more. Specifically, the documentation for making API calls to Google's Cloud Content Warehouse was leaked, and is available in full as a Hexdoc.
That said, the leak wasn't directly about SEO techniques or marketing. However, the details contained in the document may help provide a deeper understanding of those practices related to the Google search engine and how it determines page rank. The document was originally provided to Rand Fishkin of software company SparkToro, who later published it on the company's website and tweeted his findings, as shown below.
Google Search is one of the most secretive and closely guarded black boxes in the world. But that may not be the case anymore.
Never in the last 25 years has Google's search division reported such a large and detailed breach. #SEOyou should probably see this. pic.twitter.com/JxEs55IV21
— Rand Fishkin (Follow @randderuiter on Threads) (@randfish) May 28, 2024
Damien Rollison, director of market research at marketing platform provider SOCi, told CMSWire that this is a massive source of information that search experts will be sifting through for some time to come, similar to the infamous military secret leaks of the past.
“So far, however, the leaked documents seem to confirm the importance of tactics that the SEO community has been testing and recommending for years,” Rollison said. “Some of these elements, such as the importance of clickstream data, have been denied by the company, but Google will likely argue that this is an effort to protect its algorithms from those trying to reverse engineer them.”
Rollison said that with the introduction of AI Overview, AI has assumed an even more prominent role at a time when the quality of Google's search results is currently under criticism due to the perception that low-quality content – much of it generated by AI – is gaining ground over more trustworthy sources.
“Many would argue that the leaked documents could be a Rosetta Stone that helps explain how Google became a threatened incumbent,” Rollison said, suggesting that while technical documents indirectly related to search don't necessarily lead to clear action, marketers would be wise to pay as much attention to such events as they can.
“The best way forward is to build a strong brand both online and offline,” Rollison said.
Related Article: What's New in Search? Top SEO Strategies for 2024
Google SEO Leak Reveals Hidden Ranking Factors
The leaked data shows the various factors that Google Search considers when ranking websites, but does not explain how much each factor influences the final ranking. This could be valuable information for marketing and SEO professionals looking to improve their website's ranking on Google.
According to SEO expert Mike King, the leaked documents contradict Google's public statements about how its search system works. King noted that while it may be harsh to say Google “lied,” the contradictions are problematic. He advises Google reps to just say “I can't talk about that” to maintain credibility, since leaks and court testimony will make future statements harder to trust. This insight is crucial for marketers trying to navigate the complexities of SEO and Google's algorithm changes.
These documents show that Google considers a variety of factors when ranking websites, including over 14,000 attributes, such as site authority, Chrome data, and user interactions like click-through rates, which contradicts some of Google's official claims that it doesn't use specific data for ranking.
As always, marketers should focus on high-quality, relevant content and user engagement, as these factors clearly matter in Google's ranking system, and understanding these nuances can significantly enhance your SEO strategy.
One of the biggest takeaways from King's assessment of the leaked documents is that content is king, and we're not kidding when we say this: King emphasized that “after looking at these characteristics that give Google an advantage, it's clear that creating better content and promoting it to audiences that resonate with you has the biggest impact on these metrics.”
As King pointed out, focusing on links and content features is important, but to have long-term success on Google you need to consistently create rank-worthy content.
Related article: Evaluating the impact of AI-driven web browsing on SEO and marketing
Clickstream, Site Authority, Branded Search, Demotion
Tom Capper, a senior search scientist at Moz, a marketing software company that specializes in SEO, recently posted an analysis of leaked Google data, discussing the aspects of the document that matter most to SEOs and marketers: clickstream, siteAuthority, branded search, and demotivations.
- Clickstream Data: Google uses clickstream data, such as Chrome traffic and long-click data, to determine search rankings, highlighting the importance of creating a user-friendly experience that encourages engagement and return visits.
- Site Permissions: Google employs a metric called “siteAuthority”, which is similar to domain authority, that is used to evaluate new pages and can also influence how other site-level signals, like helpful content updates, affect rankings.
- Brand Search: Google takes into account the ratio of branded search volume to link volume. Branded searches are queries that include your company name or branded products. Sites with a lot of links but few branded searches will be flagged as suspicious and may affect your rankings.
- Demotion: Google applies a variety of demotions, including exact match domain demotions, product review demotions, and potential penalties for poor navigation, which highlights the need for quality content and a user-friendly site structure to avoid penalties.
When asked about branded search and its impact on brands, Capper told CMSWire that, firstly, branded search is a significant traffic source for many businesses: Additionally, strong demand for branded search (especially related to products such as “Moz SEO Tools”) sends a strong signal to Google.
“I've previously theorized that these kinds of signals are particularly important to search engines in distinguishing between sites with strong link signals,” Capper said. “The leaked information is consistent with this kind of understanding, but doesn't fully confirm it. In particular, the concept of 'Navboost queries' is the equivalent of branded searches, and could be a way to determine which keywords have strong intent for a given site.”
Most online brands fear a drop in search engine rankings, as it can severely damage a website's visibility and traffic. According to Capper, Google appears to have a negative stance towards review sites, even extending to “best of” web pages that rate certifications and other articles.
“From the leaks we know that there are certain demotions, but not much information on how strong they are, how they are applied, or who they apply to,” Capper said, “but since affiliates (often including 'top 5' type articles) are often affected by these types of updates, it's reasonable to assume there's a connection here as well.”
Final thoughts on the Google SEO leak
Leaked Google documents provide unprecedented insight into the complex array of factors that influence a website's ranking in Google search, and while many details reinforce long-standing SEO best practices around quality content and user engagement, the revelations also reveal inconsistencies between Google's public statements and its internal processes.
As the SEO community analyzes these insights, marketers should stay vigilant in creating compelling user experiences, producing substantive content tailored to their audiences, and keeping an eye on ongoing developments that have the potential to reshape digital search.