SEO : Google Search Algorithm Leak – 7 Secrets Marketers Must Know
Reading Time: 7 min
The SEO world is buzzing. A leaked internal Google document detailing over 14,000 potential search ranking factors has provided an unprecedented look inside the search giant’s algorithm. What does this mean for marketers? This article dissects seven crucial takeaways from the leaked document, exploring their impact on SEO strategies and offering actionable insights to capitalise on this newly revealed information.
Summary
What Happened?
The incident began in May of this year when an internal Google document titled “Google API Content Warehouse” was inadvertently uploaded to the code-hosting platform GitHub, sparking widespread attention. Containing 2,596 modules and a staggering 14,014 attributes, this document is considered one of the most significant news stories in the history of SEO and Google Search. It provides an unprecedented glimpse into the inner workings of Google Search, revealing the key elements the search engine uses to evaluate and rank websites. Given the document’s extensive length, we’ve selected seven essential takeaways that brands and marketers need to know to improve their website SEO rankings.
Key Takeaway 1: Negative Ranking Factors to Avoid
Want higher Google rankings? While Google often advises creating high-quality, user-friendly content for better rankings, this guidance is broad and offers limited practical help for brands aiming to climb the search results. This leaked document, however, provides rare insight into several factors that can actively lower a site’s ranking, such as:
- Inaccurate Location Targeting: This occurs when a website tries to rank in locations irrelevant to its business, potentially triggering red flags with Google. For example, a Hong Kong-based business ranking prominently for searches in Africa could be seen as suspicious.
- Backlinks from Irrelevant Sites: Links from websites unrelated to your business or industry can harm your rankings. Focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant sources.
- Poor User Experience: A negative user experience, often characterized by clunky navigation, slow loading times, or confusing design, can lead to lower rankings. Prioritise a seamless and enjoyable user experience to keep both users and search engines happy.
Extended Reading: The Importance of User Experience and UX Audit
Key Takeaway 2: How Google Measures Page Quality
Want to avoid Google penalties? Understanding PageQuality (PQ) is crucial. Google uses Large Language Models (LLMs) to detect low-effort content, so plagiarism and thin content are out. The document also warns against “gibberishScores,” meaning nonsensical content (common on link farms) will hurt your rankings. Therefore, boost your SEO by creating high-quality, original, useful content with multimedia elements and avoid shady traffic-buying schemes.
Extended Reading: What is Google Page Experience
Key Takeaway 3: The Importance of a Focused Content Strategy
Casting a wide net with your website content might seem like a good way to attract more traffic, but Google’s leak documents suggest otherwise. Google search engine uses metrics such as siteFocusScore, siteRadius, siteEmbeddings, and pageEmbeddings to assess the thematic consistency and authority of both websites and individual pages. Publishing content that deviates significantly from a website’s core theme can dilute its topical authority and negatively impact search performance. Therefore, brands should establish a well-defined core theme and develop in-depth, focused content to cultivate a strong topical authority and maximise their website’s search visibility.
Key Takeaway 4: Longer is Not Necessarily Better
The conventional wisdom that longer articles inherently perform better in search results is challenged by the recent Google leak. While longer content often correlates with increased backlink opportunities, the leaked document reveals a distinct scoring system specifically designed for shorter content. This suggests that conciseness, combined with high quality, can be equally effective in achieving prominent search rankings. Consequently, brands should re-evaluate their content strategies, prioritising quality and relevance over arbitrary length targets. A nuanced approach, considering both the target audience and the specific objectives of each piece of content, is recommended.
Extended Reading: Why is 30 blogs not enough to build a authoritative website
Key Takeaway 5: Chrome Browser Holds Particular Significance for SEO
Optimising website performance within the Chrome browser is paramount for achieving strong search rankings. The recently leaked internal document explicitly confirms Google’s reliance on data gathered from the Chrome browser for NavBoost, a ranking factor that analyses user interaction signals such as clicks, hovers, scrolls, and swipes to assess website quality. For example, if users consistently exit a website shortly after arrival and subsequently conduct similar searches, Google may infer a lack of content relevance, potentially resulting in a negative impact on search rankings. Therefore, prioritising website performance and user experience within Chrome is crucial for brands seeking to optimise their search visibility.
Key Takeaway 6: Not All Clicks Are Created Equal
The leaked document reveals that Google doesn’t just measure click volume on SERP results; it categorises clicks into “badClicks,” “goodClicks,” “lastLongestClicks,” and “unsquashedClicks,” using these distinctions to adjust rankings based on user behaviour. If a brand observes a surge in traffic from unknown sources, caution is advised. This influx could originate from low-quality websites and potentially harm rankings. Therefore, diligently monitoring traffic sources is crucial. If suspicious sources are identified, promptly investigate, pinpoint the origin of the unwanted traffic, and utilise Google’s Disavow Tool to disassociate from these harmful links.
Key Takeaway 7: Not All Clicks Are Created Equal
Ever encountered outdated or incorrect information about your brand on a Google Search Result Page (SERP) and felt powerless to correct it? There’s good news. The leaked document reveals that while Google retains a comprehensive history of website data, its algorithms prioritise the most recent 20 versions for analysis. Therefore, if your website contains outdated or inaccurate information, repeatedly updating the affected pages can effectively purge these older versions from Google’s active index. This allows the corrected information to take precedence and ensures that search results accurately reflect your brand’s current state.
Extended Reading: Why is my webpage not indexed by Google Search?
What Can Brands Do to Improve Their SEO Rankings?
Intuitive and User-Friendly Website Design
Intuitive navigation and a clear site architecture are crucial for a positive user experience. Google’s NavBoost algorithm considers user click behaviour as a ranking factor, rewarding websites that facilitate seamless navigation and engagement. The more intuitive and clearly structured your website is, the better the user experience and consequently, the higher your ranking will be.
Extended Reading: Improve Customer Experience with UI Audit
Develop and Implement a Content Excellence Strategy:
Google evaluates website quality based on overall user engagement and click-through rates. A consistent stream of high-quality, engaging content is essential for attracting and retaining audience attention, ultimately driving increased visibility and improved search performance.
Extended Reading: Four Pillars of SEO
Maintain Content Freshness and Relevance
Regular content updates are vital for maintaining relevance and attracting Google’s attention. Incorporating fresh data, insights, and multimedia elements enhances content value and encourages user engagement.
Conduct Regular Content Audits and Pruning
Underperforming content can negatively impact overall website quality. Regular content audits are essential for identifying and removing outdated or ineffective pages, streamlining the user experience, and optimising search performance.
Regularly Monitor Website Traffic Data
Regularly checking your traffic data helps identify website issues, such as high bounce rates or short dwell times on specific pages. This allows you to adjust your content and strategy to improve website performance.
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Conclusion
Following the leak, Google responded by stating that the information was incomplete and taken out of context. They emphasised that search ranking information is constantly evolving, and this document should not be considered definitive guidance. Therefore, brands should approach the leaked information with a healthy dose of scepticism. Nevertheless, the leak provides unprecedented insights into Google’s SEO ranking algorithms. As marketers, staying informed about such developments and conducting our own testing to validate these insights remains crucial for achieving optimal results.
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