No, the Google algorithm did NOT leak
Understand what actually leaked and how to use it to win in SEO.
This week’s newsletter is sponsored by the Digital PR agency Search Intelligence, which uses PR methods to grow a link portfolio and North Star Inbound, which is a recommended agency for penalty recovery. See their case studies linked in the newsletter.
This week’s recommended resources:
These are my favorite summaries of the Google API leak
Searchable summary from Dixon Jones
Mike King’s original post on the leak
Dan Petrovic’s story of how originally found the leak
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Last week, some information related to how Google ranks websites was leaked, but it is not what most people think it is.
Instead of rehashing the specifics (which can be read above) I want to offer a perspective on what this information actually is and how it can be used.
The truth could hurt users
This is a leak of API documentation that could be used by Google’s ranking systems. Some of the commentary around this leak was that this API proves that Google spokespeople lie to the SEO community to deceive. There were certain things in the API leak that seemed to contradict statements made by Google in the past (more on whether these are actual contradictions shortly), but I don’t think it is fair to accuse Google of malicious deception.
Google misdirects on specific key best practices for SEO precisely because they don’t want SEO to ruin the Internet.
If Google were to come out clearly and announce that Chrome page views, for example, are algorithmic signals, you can be certain that marketplaces would spring up overnight to sell bot traffic. As a result, Google would dampen this signal to protect search results from manipulation, but the marketplaces would still exist.
Much like obsolete statements from Google around page speed are still oversold by agencies today, these traffic marketplaces would thrive long after Google declared this signal dead. The only winners would be the utility companies that power the data centers serving the traffic and the agencies selling to the unknowledgeable clients.
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Toxic links
Another example of something that came out of this API leak is the attention the algorithms might pay to toxic links. Google has declared that toxic links are neutralized in the algorithm and not to worry about them. If they were to admit the power of toxic links, again openly, marketplaces would exist to allow competitors to purchase terrible links to their competition.
While Google may have misdirected or willfully deceived the SEO community, I think most of it was likely justified.
The algorithm is still safe and secure
Some have referred to this as an algorithm leak. This was most definitely not the algorithm. Google has said this information is out of context, which is an accurate way to describe it. At best, it’s a comprehensive list of definitions that Google could track in its ranking algorithms, but we have no indication that these elements are used, if they are, and how they are used.
Anyone who has used the Internet in recent years is well aware of how much data we leak to companies all day about who and what we are, and it should come as no surprise that Google might use these data points to determine search visibility.
(If you peruse the actual leak docs, you can see mentions of voice, Android, assistants, Chrome, and more. The paranoid have always believed Google tracked and listened to them everywhere; this just confirms it.)
One last point is that I don’t believe the full algorithm can possibly be contained in one file that can be downloaded, both because of the complexity of distilling Google’s multiple algorithms into one file and because, if it were, you can be certain it would have been stolen long ago. There are likely countries and companies around the world that might have paid tens of millions to anyone who could steal that code. They likely would have been successful.
There is no ranking formula for perfect SEO
Many people consider search ranking factors to be a precise mathematical formula for success; if you score high on each of these factors, you are guaranteed SEO success. This is misguided.
The information in this API leak is interesting, but I don’t believe it is very useful for most websites. Most websites' search engine visibility will result from following basic best practices that have been in use for the last two decades. The knowledge gleaned from the API leak could possibly advance a particular desired URL above closely-ranked competitors, but not to get an entire website dominating a category.
The best analogy is to think of the SEO competition as a race between sports cars. Each car will have all of the same basics just to compete on the track, but the minor enhancements will make one car faster by milliseconds. The knowledge from the API data is the enhancements.
Ranking Factors vs signals
According to many, the title tag has always been a very important ranking factor for a page. I don’t necessarily disagree; however, the importance of this as a ranking factor is flexible. I have seen pages rank well on valuable terms without any title tag whatsoever, and likewise, I have seen pages with fantastic titles rank deep in the search index.
These results are obvious because a title tag is simply taken into account when calculating rankings for relevant keywords for that page—not all words that exist in the world, of course.
There’s no absolutes
Now, let’s look at a second example: site speed. A fast-loading website and page are, of course, essential, but in no way does a fast website guarantee SEO success, just like a slow website does not guarantee SEO purgatory. (As I referenced earlier, this is something still included in SEO agency pitches.) If you are curious, Google some popular terms, and you will notice that page speeds of top-ranking websites are really all over the board.
Taken into context, I think these two examples demonstrate the definition of a “signal” rather than a “factor”. The word factor is a mathematical term that is defined as “a number or quantity that, when multiplied with another, produces a given number or expression.” According to that definition, a factor that is presented needs to be included as a part of an equation, excluding a number in a math problem is not an option.
However, a signal can be ignored or interpreted more flexibly. When you are driving and see a red light signal, you are being told that cross traffic is likely going to be in front of you, but there is nothing stopping you from ignoring that signal if you don’t see any traffic. If you are willing to risk a ticket from the police, you can certainly choose to use your judgment and experience in ignoring that signal.
Real time algorithms
This is how I believe search engine algorithms calculate visibility in choosing which web pages to show for a given result. Having a great title tag might indicate what a webpage is about, but the real time algorithm can simply choose to ignore it if there are other signals that override this one.
Unlike a factor that has to be considered in a calculation, signals can be magnified or minimized depending on a particular situation. This means that as elements of how a website ranks, each signal has variable strength rather than a fixed value like a factor. (Of course, these signals do make it into math equations eventually because that’s how algorithms work.)
Look at SEO holistically
When you build your SEO efforts, focus on each of these declared factors as signals rather than ingredients for success. Accrue as many positive signals as possible, but don’t feel like ranking factors are a checklist you must achieve. How a website earns visibility is a confluence of all of these signals, and you can rank very well in solid positions without a perfect score.
Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet for SEO success, the only way to win is with the hard work of building a brand, creating customer loyalty, and accruing valuable signals that search engines will appreciate.
One final point on this particular Google leak: Google is currently the most popular medium to reach search engine users. If you build SEO efforts around all search users, you will always have a relevant strategy when/if search mediums change. If you focus on Google and specifically Google loopholes, you risk being left behind when the world changes directions.
Dig into the API leak if you are curious, but then continue building great products for your users. The user pays your bills, not the search engines.
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