Massive leak of Google’s algorithm
A massive leak of more than 2,500 pages of internal Google documents explaining how its algorithm works has recently been detected. These documents describe in detail how Google search works, including secret information about the types of data it collects and uses, as well as how Google manages and ranks smaller websites.
Why is it so important?
This leak is of great value to SEO experts, as it provides detailed insight into how Google’s ranking algorithm might work. Similar to the Yandex ranking factors leak in 2023, this revelation could be one of the most significant stories in the history of SEO and Google Search.
What does the leak contain?
According to Rand Fishkin, CEO of SparkToro and Michael King, CEO of iPullRank, who have analyzed and reviewed the leaked documents, they include:
Classification Features: 2,596 modules with 14,014 attributes.
Twiddlers: Functions that act as reordering filters that can adjust the score obtained from the information on a page.
Small Websites: Google can re-adjust the ranking of small websites through twiddlers filters.
Change Log: Google keeps a copy of every version of every page it has indexed, using only the last 20 changes to analyze links.
Links matter: Link diversity and relevance are still key, and PageRank is still relevant.
Clicks: Google measures various click metrics to evaluate a page based on the quality of the content, so it is crucial to generate as many clicks as possible and to have a diversity of links. Strong content and a better user experience will send signals to Google that your page deserves a good ranking.
Entities and Authority: Author information and site authority are more important than they seem. Google uses something called “siteAuthority”.
Chrome data: Google uses data from its Chrome browser to adjust the ranking.
Strong content and a better user experience are crucial. Fishkin says that building a notable and recognized brand is more important than ever to improve organic rankings.
Classification Features: 2,596 modules with 14,014 attributes.
Twiddlers: Functions that act as reordering filters that can adjust the score obtained from the information on a page.
Small Websites: Google can re-adjust the ranking of small websites through twiddlers filters.
Change Log: Google keeps a copy of every version of every page it has indexed, using only the last 20 changes to analyze links.
Links matter: Link diversity and relevance are still key, and PageRank is still relevant.
Clicks: Google measures various click metrics to evaluate a page based on the quality of the content, so it is crucial to generate as many clicks as possible and to have a diversity of links. Strong content and a better user experience will send signals to Google that your page deserves a good ranking.
Entities and Authority: Author information and site authority are more important than they seem. Google uses something called “siteAuthority”.
Chrome data: Google uses data from its Chrome browser to adjust the ranking.
Strong content and a better user experience are crucial. Fishkin says that building a notable and recognized brand is more important than ever to improve organic rankings.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this massive leak gives us an unprecedented look inside one of the most influential tools in the SEO world. It is a reminder that, although we perform thousands of fast and accurate searches on a daily basis, we must also be aware of the price we pay and how our information is handled and managed. User trust, after all, depends on a delicate balance between innovation and transparency, and this leak could be a turning point in understanding how that dynamic works.