In March, an unprecedented event shook the foundations of the Google SEO (Search Engine Optimization) world: an automated bot called yoshi-code-bot published a set of documents from the company’s internal Content API Warehouse.
Google SEO Isn’t What We’ve Always Been ToldThe Impact of the Leak on SEO Professionals and Digital Marketing
These once jealously guarded documents were shared with Rand Fishkin, the co-founder of SparkToro, who compiled a detailed article based on nearly 2,500 pages describing how Google SEO ranks pages and websites on the Internet .
This episode raises a fundamental question: why should we care? The answer is simple but profound, as these files offer us an unprecedented look at what really matters for Google SEO when it comes to ranking websites and web pages.
Google SEO is not what we have always been told
What emerges is a very different picture from what Google has traditionally communicated. These documents tell us how the Internet is indexed, revealing a series of factors and metrics that Google has never openly discussed.
Search Engine Land, one of the most authoritative voices in the field of SEO, believes that this leak could represent one of the most relevant stories in the history of Google SEO and search in general, but what exactly do these leaked documents contain?
Let’s start first from the fact that the documents are updated in March 2024 and include 2,596 modules represented in the API documentation, with 14,014 attributes, however it is not specified how the classification characteristics are weighted; we only know that they exist.
Then we find the downranking factors among the most relevant information, i.e. those documents that reveal various factors that can lead to the declassification of a site, these include:
mismatched links: a link that does not match the destination site; SERP signals: indicators of user dissatisfaction; product reviews: the impact of reviews on rankings; geographic location: the influence of location; exact match domains: domains that match a keyword exactly; pornography: the presence of adult content.
According to the leak, many of the claims made by Google to SEO professionals appear to be false, and another SEO expert, Mike King, published his findings based on the leaked documents and said: :
“’Lied’ is harsh, but it’s the only accurate word to use here.”
who then added:
“While I don’t necessarily blame Google’s public representatives for protecting their proprietary information, I disagree with their efforts to actively discredit people in the worlds of marketing, technology and journalism who have presented reproducible findings”
One of the main ways in which the American company deceived the public regarding Google SEO was by claiming that it does not use Chrome data to rank pages, whereas in the leaked documents, Chrome is specifically mentioned in the sections relating to how websites appear in search results.
So far, Google has not commented on this leak, however we can be sure that Google will do everything in its power to suppress this information.
The Impact of News Leaks on SEO Professionals and Digital Marketing
The leak of internal documents relating to Google SEO is not just a matter of academic curiosity, but has concrete implications for professionals and anyone working in digital marketing.
Understanding how Google classifies web pages is essential to optimizing online visibility and structuring effective content strategies, which is why the revelation of these documents has created quite a few problems across the industry.
Transparency has always been a key demand from SEO professionals of Google, which is why this leak raises questions of trust as it suggests that Google may not have been completely honest about the metrics and factors that influence rankings. , this would involve a reconsideration of SEO practices and a more critical examination of Google’s official statements.
With the knowledge of new ranking factors and penalties, SEO professionals will have to re-evaluate their strategies, for example, the revelation that Google may be using Chrome data to influence rankings is a game changer for web page optimization, and this it means that factors such as time spent on the page and user behavior take on greater importance.
The leak also raises ethical questions, if Google has indeed deceived the public and professionals, this raises questions of liability, how should Google be held accountable? And how can SEO professionals and digital marketers protect themselves from potential future misinformation?
The SEO and digital marketing community has reacted with a mixture of surprise, outrage and curiosity, with many eager to review the documents to adapt their techniques and strategies, while others express concerns about possible legal repercussions and the privacy of users. data.
This leak could mark a turning point for SEO, it could lead to greater openness and collaboration between Google and SEO professionals, or it could spark a battle for control of information and transparency of search algorithms.
In conclusion, the leak of internal Google SEO documents has opened Pandora’s box, revealing information that could transform the way we understand and practice Google SEO, and as the debate over ethics and transparency continues, a one thing is certain: the world of Google SEO will never be the same again.
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Source: SEO Google: all its secrets updated to 2024
