When the “Google leak” broke in May, SEO experts may have panicked. The trove of documents shared online gave perhaps the clearest insight yet into the magic behind the search giant: how its algorithms work, what gets and doesn't get valued, and ultimately, how Google actually ranks content based on the features of a page.
Given the flurry of media commentary immediately following the leak, it's safe to assume that brand marketers and SEO providers had access to the information quickly. Many marketers likely felt empowered to demand new explanations for their SEO performance, which increased the likelihood of panic. The “inner workings” of search suddenly had to be explained, leaving less room to hide negative results from strategies that may not have worked as expected.
But for SEO professionals who have taken a moment to think about the true impact of the leak, it's a different story. Essentially, this information just confirms what Google's mission has always been: to sort the good information from the bad.
So none of these details should be a surprise: the message to the search industry is that shoddy content and SEO strategies won't cut it.
But there's still more we can learn from Google's leak.
Google Leaks: The Future of Search
Simply put, Google leaks can lead to improved SEO excellence and better results for your brand.
Experienced SEO consultants will recognize that much of the published information aligns closely with Google’s existing knowledge and practice of putting audiences first and serving up high-quality branded content, so the appropriate response to the leak is not a knee-jerk reaction but rather a tweak to your approach.
This requires you to put in the time and effort to ensure that you meet the basics of Google's requirements.
The tech giant is keen to downplay marketing tactics that require less effort and produce quick results: Google, for example, introduced Content Effort Score, an attempt to quantify the amount of effort and expertise that goes into each piece of featured content, presumably devised with generative AI in mind.
Additionally, this is an attempt to eliminate the “typing inertia” that leads to obvious shortcuts such as cut-and-paste content with blurred publication dates.
Below are our thoughts on other key points that could lead to further efforts.
Back to Basics – Google's main objective is to provide users with the most relevant and helpful answers. In that sense, the leaks show that this mission will continue. So analyze your search results pages (SERPs) and consider what your top competitors are doing to succeed. Leverage both user search intent and engagement data to support your bottom line strategy, make your content engaging, and always prioritize quality over quantity.
Cutting-edge content – The leak reaffirms the importance of user experience and topical relevance to ensure high search rankings on the results page. To take advantage of this, you should utilize Pulsar, Brandwatch and other cutting edge social analytics tools to better understand your audience. Additionally, try to use cross-channel research to understand the broader context of your content. And make the most of the wit and wisdom of expert content creators. Don’t rely on AI automation to pass Google’s rigorous tests.
please take it easy – Search is a slow channel for future profit growth. The leaked documents emphasized this point. Ranking on Google requires care, time and effort. Gone are the days of copying existing generic content and updating a few phrases. Recipe cards, style tips and other worn-out formats need to be refreshed. Get creative with your text and images, offer something unique and prove that your brand can add value in relation to all relevant themes.
No need to cry about leaked links
As always, taking a methodical test-and-learn approach to optimizing your search strategy will pay off, and the events of May have been extremely helpful in the sense that the leaks have allowed us to try, review, and tweak more aspects of our SEO.
One final thing to say about the leak is that the relevant documents contain information that was current as of the end of March, meaning it's been over three months since the details were posted, and it would be surprising if Google hadn't determined the impact of the leak in that time and come up with further rules as a result.
Ultimately, the best attitude for SEO professionals to take in response to this or any future breaches is the old anxiety-busting mantra: keep calm and carry on. Even better, take a step back and think about how you can use the insights to your own advantage, leaving behind competitors who can’t or won’t make the effort to improve.
Martina Cataldo is SEO Director at Green Park.