We would have used the word ‘lying’ instead of ‘misleading’ in the headline had it not been associated with immensely negative connotations. A gigantic leak – ~2500 pages – on the internal workings of Google’s search engine has put it under the scanner. Again.
Google is search. It helps the world move on so many different levels that it is difficult to fathom a life without it. Google has had its fair share of controversies over the years, but this apparent crisis is different. A trove of internal documents from Google’s “Content API Warehouse” were leaked on GitHub in the last week of March by an automated bot named yoshi-code-bot.
The report was clearly meant for internal communications and runs to over 2500 pages. It was pulled down in early May, but it was too late. SEO experts & digital marketers had indexed it, gone through it, and determined that what the company says in public and what it does behind the scenes are very different.
Even if you are not interested in SEO and just use Google’s services, it should concern you. Rand Fishkin, an expert on search engines and user experiences and founder of ‘Moz’, has labeled the search giant a ‘liar’ and that it manipulates its rankings to expand its user footprint and market dominance.
And to push its Chrome browser. Business malpractice, anyone?
How did the cookie crumble, and what changes should your digital marketing strategy undergo? We have a few answers for you.
Background and Context
The leaked documents have sent ripples through the tech community. For years, Google has maintained a veil of great secrecy over its ranking algorithms, claiming that they are designed to provide the best and most relevant search results for users.
While that last part might be true, there may be more to the story. In fact, this bombshell of a leak will probably lead to significant changes to most existing plans for digital marketing for SMEs.
Key Findings Which Could Hit SEO Strategies 2024
The leaked documents underscore several aspects of Google’s search ranking algorithms that were previously unknown or merely speculated upon.
If you are jotting down the latest digital marketing trends, do keep in mind the following:
-
Ranking Factors and Their Weightage
Google has often hinted factors like backlinks, user experience, and content quality are most significant in how it ranks websites. But the documents shed more light on each of these aspects, and they are quite different from official Google ranking strategies.
> Backlinks: Where you get your backlinks from is a more important aspect the algorithm considers than how many you have. Enter domain authority. The bigger the brands you’re getting your backlinks from, the better chance you get at higher rankings.
> Content Quality: It turns out that the E-E-A-T (Experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) that Google swears by is overrated and not as valuable as most SEO experts think. Of course, Google’s algorithms assess the depth, originality, and comprehensiveness of the content, but you must try and build a brand that exists outside of the search engine ecosystem.
> User Experience: Some longstanding SEO practices including page load speed, mobile friendliness, and overall user engagement metrics play a far more critical role in rankings than was expected.
-
The Role of Human Evaluators
Another intriguing aspect is how Google uses human evaluators to fine-tune the algorithms. This is where things get controversial. For example, human evaluators whitelisted or blacklisted certain sites during the Coronavirus pandemic (especially those related to traveling and booking hotels and flight tickets), the 2020 US Presidential elections, and on several debatable subjects worldwide.
Besides human evaluators, Google’s own internal quality rating platform (referred to as EWOK, a shoutout to the Star Wars movie franchise) uses a set of guidelines provided by Google to assess queries, adjust algorithms, and improve search accuracy.
-
Algorithm Updates and Testing
The documents also shed light on how Google tests and updates its algorithms. The company rolls out core updates to its algorithm publicly; before that, it constantly A/B tests and integrates user feedback to fine-tune all of them. There are no ‘minor’ updates and tweaks; each one is different and part of a bigger picture.
-
Transparency vs. Secrecy
We could have a much longer blog on this point alone, but the way Google strikes a balance between transparency and secrecy needs a serious relook. While the company publicly emphasizes its commitment to transparency, the leaked documents suggest manipulative practices and deliberate information suppression to maintain a competitive edge.
We touched upon this at the beginning. Industry analysts have called out such actions as unethical, and the US DOJ seems to agree. In January 2023, the DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google, accusing the company of illegally monopolizing the digital advertising technology (AdTech) market.
3 Quick Takeaways for Website Owners and SEO Professionals
Anyone involved in SEO and digital marketing for SMEs and bigger businesses should focus on a few points going by what we learnt from the internal papers.
-
Quality Over Quantity
Google says it openly- quality outweighs quantity. SEO strategies should prioritize producing high-quality, well-researched, and engaging content. Backlinks should be curated carefully.
-
User Experience Matters More Than You’d Think
Improving overall user experience is crucial. From better page load times to seamless mobile optimization and easier-than-ever navigation. Other critical metrics include time on page, bounce rate, and click-through rates or CTR.
-
Start Building a Brand
The leak has shown how Google can identify entities, and then “sort, rank, filter, and employ them”. Entities here mean brands. The algorithm will always send traffic to major brands over smaller and independent businesses. Sad but true.
There is, however, a mantra all digital marketers can follow. Invest in brand-building exercises, and don’t delay. When you are a well-recognized brand in your space, organic search volumes will rise.
Are The Leaked Documents Reliable?
This is the first question we asked ourselves too. After a lot of digging and given that the company has not denied the information gleaned, it would be reasonable to assume it is truthful and factually accurate.
The official statement goes: “We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information.” That was what Google spokesperson Davis Thompson said to The Verge.
Like all official statements, it’s bland. But it doesn’t deny that ~2500 pages of private information exist!
“Nothing I saw in a brief review suggests this is anything but legit.” This is what an ex-Google employee said to Rand Fishkin when he reached out for comments on the legitimacy issue.
Mike King, founder of iPullRank and one of the world’s foremost experts on technical SEO also analyzed the leaked documents and concluded it was legitimate and bore all the hallmarks of being part of Google’s internal documentation.
Where Does Remote Resource Come in Here?
Let our world-class SEO experts examine digital marketing trends based on such revelations and hand you a bespoke online marketing plan that will set you apart.
As a savvy business owner, you should be spending your efforts elsewhere. Like building your brand, for example. Meanwhile, our remote staffing solutions will keep you ahead of your closest competitors without breaking the bank.
