A recent leak of internal Google documents has provided a rare glimpse into the inner workings of Google’s ranking algorithm. The leaked documents, which were shared with Rand Fishkin, the co-founder of SparkToro, and Michael King, the CEO of iPullRank, reveal some of the most important elements that Google uses to rank content.
According to the leaked documents, there are 2,596 modules represented in the API documentation with 14,014 attributes. However, the documents did not specify how these ranking features are weighted, only that they exist. Additionally, the documents mention the existence of “twiddlers,” which are re-ranking functions that can adjust the information retrieval score of a document or change its ranking.
The leaked documents also shed light on the factors that can lead to content demotion. These include links that don’t match the target site, signals indicating user dissatisfaction, product reviews, location, exact match domains, and porn. It’s worth noting that Google apparently keeps a copy of every version of every page it has ever indexed, but it only seems to analyze the last 20 changes of a URL when analyzing links.
Link diversity and relevance continue to be important ranking factors, according to the leaked documents. This confirms what many SEO experts have long suspected. Additionally, the leak reveals that successful clicks and providing a good user experience are crucial for ranking well.
One of the most significant takeaways from the leak is the importance of brand. According to Fishkin, building a notable, popular, and well-recognized brand outside of Google search is the best way to improve organic search rankings and traffic.
Google also stores author information associated with content, indicating that entities matter in the ranking process.
Overall, this leak provides invaluable insights for SEOs and marketers who are looking to improve their organic search rankings. However, it’s important to note that the leaked documents represent information as of March and Google’s ranking algorithm is constantly evolving. Therefore, marketers should continue to stay updated on any further analysis or changes that may occur.
In conclusion, the leak of internal Google documents has given us an unprecedented look into the ranking algorithm used by the search giant. Link diversity, relevance, successful clicks, brand recognition, and entities all play a significant role in determining search rankings. Marketers would do well to take note of these factors in their SEO strategies moving forward.
