In a strange recent incident, thousands of documents that appeared to come from Google's internal content API warehouse were published to Github by automated code bots in early March.
It wasn't until a few weeks later that the online community noticed the leak and began combing through it in search of valuable information to decipher Google's search algorithm.
For almost two decades, Google has dominated the internet and shaped it into what it is today.
The impact of Google Search goes beyond just convenience: it's an essential part of our daily lives – it shapes how we see and interact with the world.
Need a recipe? Search on Google. Looking for a local plumber? Search on Google. This dependency has made Google an almost indispensable tool in modern life, guiding decisions big and small.
Ranking in Google search has become an art form, and SEOs wade through the minefield of organic search to figure out how it works — and, to their detriment, it's often treated as marketing's illegitimate child.
Let's be honest: organic search is what powers the internet. People don't come to Google Search for shopping ads or fancy snippets of words with a little “ad” notice plastered in the corner.
Every day, billions of people turn to Google to look for answers, find information, or simply learn something new. And they do this for free.
This has allowed Google to build an advertising empire that is deeply ingrained in our daily lives. But in the name of SEO, we can’t help but notice that most web pages on the internet are templates that are more or less similar to one another.
Google search leaks give us an inside look at the internet, how it's catalogued, and a glimpse into what Google deems worthy of that coveted first-page search ranking.
Naturally, the company protects its algorithms and is ready to take decisive action at any time if it detects the slightest sign of misuse.
That being said, it remains to be seen how Google will respond to this leak and how it will impact its marketing overall.
But one thing is certain: Google will do everything in its power to prevent webmasters from “abusing” the leaked information, whether that means announcing an entirely new set of ranking signals or changing the weighting of each signal.
So how can you stay relevant during this time and avoid becoming a statistic of any changes Google may make? Here are five things to keep in mind:
1. Stop optimizing algorithms
This may be the opposite of what most SEOs suggest, but often we get so caught up in making sure all the boxes are checked that we don’t really pay attention to the obvious fact that our information isn’t providing any real value. This goes back to the point that a lot of web content today is made for algorithms, not for the average user reading a blog or browsing a product.
It's unclear whether Google uses Chrome data or click data, but one thing is for sure: if users aren't actively interacting with your page, or clicking back, there's a good chance that any decent algorithm can detect this. So no matter how SEO-optimized your page is, if visitors are clicking away, it will eventually drop in the rankings of that page.
2. Pay attention to the funnel
Often times, your brand may be spending thousands of dollars on advertising to drive potential customers to your virtual storefront. As a marketer, you can get too caught up in ROAS, CPA, and CAC. But the opportunity you can easily leverage is to optimize your customer journey and design your website with your conversion goals in mind.
Increasing your conversion rate from 1% to 2% will double your revenue, all other factors being equal, so ensuring your pages are engaging and easy for users to navigate will ultimately lead to big profits.
3. Housekeeping is important
Imagine you run a brick-and-mortar clothing store and you've spent a lot of money on posters, brochures, and radio ads to attract customers to your store. But when your customers enter your store, they notice that the walls are dirty and the shelves are covered in dust. Not a good look, right?
A website is like a brick-and-mortar store and requires regular maintenance to avoid giving the wrong first impression. Make sure your navigation menu is not cluttered, users can easily find your pages, and make sure your website loads fast enough. Above all, try to keep 404 pages to a minimum, as they will kill your customer journey.
A well-maintained website sends subconscious signals that your store is trustworthy and authoritative. Plus, search engines highly favor websites that are responsive and have minimal technical errors.
4. Invest in building your brand
Often times, when new brands enter the market, they get too caught up in running conversion campaigns or hiring SEO agencies to rank for non-branded keywords. The truth is, nobody knows your brand and therefore nobody really trusts you. What motivates customers to shop with your brand compared to your competitors?
Awareness campaigns are your saving grace. Even established brands with strong brand authority run awareness campaigns all the time to inform users about their latest products, trends, and social causes. Best of all, these campaigns organically drive branded search, further increasing your site's authority.
There are lots of ways to run an awareness campaign, but if you’re looking for an industry-leading example, take a look at how Nike runs their social impact campaigns.
What's surprising here is that Nike's upper funnel campaign makes no effort to sell their product; they simply focus on getting regular people to participate in physical activity and overcome barriers.
5. Leverage CRM data to build customer loyalty
With CPC costs rising across all platforms and customers demanding lower prices, it’s no wonder marketing typically makes up the largest portion of your monthly costs.
But you could be sitting on a gold mine of previous customers who may be ready to buy their next handbag or summer outfit.
Every industry has a customer LTV (lifetime value) and return rate. If you're selling shoes, it could be every 2-3 years depending on the quality of your product. For travel, it could be seasonal periods or during school holidays.
A strong CRM is built to send regular emails at the right time when your customers are considering purchasing again. This form of marketing is highly effective and delivers unparalleled ROI.
Needless to say, marketing, if done right, can impact revenue and organic search visibility. As Google’s API leak suggests, SEO rankings are about more than just technical and on-page optimization.
One factor Google takes into account in organic rankings is user interaction (via Chrome data).
While manipulating search rankings is nothing new, Google Search has come a long way, and there's no denying that putting the user at the center of the experience is where search is ultimately headed.
Mohamed Siddique, SEO Lead, Assembly