An alleged leak of 2,500 pages of internal Google documentation sheds light on how Search, the Internet’s most powerful algorithm, works. Released documents show the company was hiding the truth about some aspects of its search algorithm. Experts found contradictions with the company’s public statements.
A few days ago, there was a large-scale leak of internal Google documents related to the operation of the company’s search algorithm. According to search engine optimization (SEO) expert Rand Fishkin, who first reported the leak, we are talking about 2,500 pages of confidential documentation.
The documents claim to contain unprecedented detail about how Google analyzes and ranks web pages in search results. However, they also contain information that appears to contradict some of the public statements made by Google representatives about the workings of their search algorithm.
Contradictions in Google’s Public Statements
In particular, the documents mention the use of data from the Google Chrome browser to analyze and rank web pages. However, Google representatives have previously repeatedly denied that Chrome data in any way affects the ranking of sites in search.
Another potential example of a gap between words and deeds concerns the EEAT (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) metric that Google uses to evaluate the reliability of information sources. According to the leak, Google actively monitors content authorship attributes on pages, which may impact EEAT rankings. However, company representatives have previously stated that EEAT is not a ranking factor.
In addition, the documents contain technical details about what data Google collects from web pages and sites, how queries on politically sensitive topics are processed, what signals are used to analyze small, low-traffic sites, and much more.
Rand Fishkin and other SEO experts who have reviewed the information say it shows Google hasn’t been completely honest and transparent about how its search algorithm works. In their opinion, the company deliberately hid some aspects in order to mislead competing sites.
Call for Greater Scrutiny
Many experts agree that Google’s secretiveness about its search algorithm has contributed to the growth of an SEO industry based on guesswork and theory, notes NIX Solutions. Fishkin calls on journalists and experts to be more critical of Google’s public statements and not to take everything for granted. In his opinion, this leak should become a reason for a closer analysis of the actual operation of Google’s search algorithm, as opposed to the official position of the company.
Google representatives have not yet commented on the authenticity of the published documents and the accusations of deceit. The company is expected to make an official statement in this regard soon. We’ll keep you updated as more information becomes available.