You may have heard in the news that there was a Google Algorithm leak. This isn’t true. However, Google pushed an AI bot, which did upload Google documentation for all to view. This included information on how Google ranks websites. We have taken a good look over Google’s SEO data leak, and we have placed our key takeaways below;

Google’s Ranking Signals

The leak doesn’t clearly outline Google’s ranking signals. It only hints at how things might or have worked in the past, so it should be taken with a grain of salt.

User Engagement

User engagement is a key ranking factor. Links help a website’s initial ranking, but a page with low click-through rates may drop in rankings.

Chrome Tracking User Engagement

Chrome tracks user engagement data, which is unsurprising given Google’s access to a wealth of data, including information from Chrome.

Author Information

Author information and brand building are crucial for SEO. Having clear author information on your site and establishing a brand identity is important.

Content Demotion

Content demotion can occur due to anchor mismatches and exact-match domains. It is essential to ensure your anchor text aligns with the target page’s topic.

Link Whitelists

Link whitelists have been manipulated, particularly in sensitive topics like US elections and COVID-19, showing the impact of politics on rankings.

Site Authority

Site authority and brand strength matter. Google uses a domain-wide metric called Site Rank, which influences new pages until they develop their Page Rank.

New Websites enter a sandbox period

New websites enter a sandbox period during which their links are temporarily devalued. This contradicts Google’s previous denial of the existence of a sandbox.

Organised Site Structure

A clear and organised site structure is crucial for human usability and for Google to present information in a structured manner.

Mobile Friendliness

Mobile-friendliness and site speed are important factors for SEO. Finding a balance between functionality, visuals, and speed will ensure better rankings.

Summary

We already suspect most of this, but it is interesting to see it written in black and white. It will be interesting to see how people adapt to this information and what changes happen in the SEO industry. We will keep you updated, so please check back to our news.