Ever wondered what makes your website rank on Google? A huge leak of Google documents has given us an inside look at the magic behind Google Search, showing us exactly how clicks, links, content, and more affect rankings.
In this article, we’ll dive into how you can use this newly revealed information to boost your website’s search rankings. Let's get started!
What happened?On March 13, an automated bot called yoshi-code-bot dropped thousands of documents from Google's internal Content API Warehouse on GitHub. These documents, later shared with SEO experts Rand Fishkin and Michael King, unveil some of the key elements Google uses to rank content.
Why this matters
For anyone involved in SEO, this is pure gold. Understanding how Google’s ranking algorithm works helps tailor strategies for better search engine performance.
It’s reminiscent of the big Yandex Search leak in 2023, which was a game-changer. This Google leak? It’s set to be one of the biggest revelations in SEO history.
What’s inside the docs?Here’s a breakdown of what Fishkin and King found:
- Current info: As of March, the details are up-to-date;
- Ranking features: There are 2 596 modules in the API documentation with 14 014 attributes;
- Weighting: The documents don’t reveal how the ranking features are weighted, just that they exist;
- Twiddlers: These functions can tweak the ranking of a document or its retrieval score;
- Demotions: Content can be pushed down in rankings for various reasons, like link mismatches, user dissatisfaction signals, and more;
- Change history: Google keeps a record of every change ever made to a page, though only the last 20 changes are considered when analyzing links.
The importance of links
Surprise, surprise! Links still play a crucial role. Diversity and relevance of links are key, and PageRank remains a factor. However, this doesn’t contradict Google’s past statements about links not being a top 3 ranking factor — we just don’t know the exact weighting.
Clicks count
Good content and user experiences are essential. Google measures clicks in various ways, like badClicks and goodClicks. Longer documents might get cut off, and shorter content gets scored (from 0-512) based on originality.
What does this all mean?
According to Michael King:
- “[Y]ou need to drive more successful clicks using a broader set of queries and earn more link diversity if you want to continue to rank. Conceptually, it makes sense because a very strong piece of content will do that. A focus on driving more qualified traffic to a better user experience will send signals to Google that your page deserves to rank.”
Moreover, documents and testimony from the U.S. vs. Google antitrust trial confirm that Google uses clicks in its ranking algorithm, especially with its Navboost system, which is one of the key signals Google relies on.
Brand power
According to Fishkin, the biggest takeaway is that a strong, recognizable brand is vital. “Build a notable, popular, well-recognized brand in your space, outside of Google search,” he advises.
Entity and authorship
Google tracks author information and tries to link entities with content. Google uses something called "siteAuthority."
Back in 2011, after the Panda update, Google mentioned that low-quality content on part of a site could drag down the entire site’s ranking. But since then, they've denied having an official "website authority score." So, while they've hinted at it in the past, they haven’t officially confirmed it in recent years.
Chrome data and whitelists
Data from the Chrome browser is used for ranking. Some domains related to elections and COVID are whitelisted, meaning they get special treatment.
Small sites
There's also something called "smallPersonalSite," which applies to small personal sites or blogs. King thinks Google might use a "Twiddler" to either boost or demote these sites. But here's the catch: we still don't know for sure how much weight this feature carries in the ranking game. It’s one of those intriguing but still mysterious elements.
More insights
According to Google’s internal documents:
- Freshness matters: Dates in bylines, URLs, and content are considered;
- Core topics: Google compares page and site embeddings to determine relevancy;
- Domain info: Google stores domain registration information;
- Page titles: Still important, with a feature measuring title-query match;
- Font size: The average weighted font size of terms in documents and anchor text is measured.
Sources for more details:
Leaked or discovered?
There’s some debate over whether these documents were “leaked” or “discovered.” It’s possible they were accidentally included in a code review and went live from Google’s internal code base.
Erfan Azimi, CEO of EA Eagle Digital, posted a video where he claimed that it was him who shared the documents with Fishkin.
Conclusion
This leak offers an unprecedented peek into Google’s ranking algorithm. For SEOs, it’s a treasure trove of information to refine strategies and enhance site performance.
From the continued importance of links and successful clicks to the impact of site authority and brand recognition, these revelations help decode the complex factors that influence search rankings.
As we dive deeper into the specifics, it’s clear that creating high-quality content and delivering exceptional user experiences remain at the core of successful SEO strategies.
