Inside Scoop: Google's Ranking System Revealed

An article by Mike King where he found leaked Internal documentation for Google Search’s Content Warehouse API has revealed some key points. He got his hands on leaked Google docs revealing secrets about their ranking systems.

The leak exposes how Google has misled SEOs over the years on things like site authority and click data usage. King also gives a rare peek under the hood of Google's complex ranking architecture. While scoring functions remain unknown, he shares insights on factors like links, freshness, and content treatment.

Uncovering the Truth About Google

• Google does have a site-wide authority metric, contrary to their claims of not using "domain authority."
• Click data and user behavior signals are heavily utilized for rankings, despite denials from Google.
• A "sandbox" system for new websites does exist, despite their assertions otherwise.
• Chrome data is used for ranking purposes, contradicting previous statements.

Anatomy of Google's Ranking Systems

• Google's ranking system is a complex architecture comprising over a hundred different ranking systems or "microservices."
• Key components include crawling, indexing, rendering, processing, ranking, and serving systems, each with its own specialized function.
• Systems like Mustang, Ascorer, NavBoost, and FreshnessTwiddler play crucial roles in scoring, ranking, and re-ranking.

Insights for SEO Professionals

• The leak provides valuable insights into various ranking factors and features used by Google, such as Link analysis, including indexing tier impacts and spam velocity signals.
• Importance of freshness signals, font sizes, and dates.
• Treatment of specific types of content, such as videos and YMYL (Your Money Your Life) pages.
• Use of site embeddings to measure topical relevance.

Actionable Advice

• Focus on creating great content and promoting it effectively to connect with audiences.
• Revive correlation studies to replicate and understand Google's ranking factors better.
• Implement a robust testing and experimentation plan for SEO within your organization.

The Way Forward

• The leak confirms that SEOs have been on the right track in their understanding of Google's ranking systems.
• While nuances have been revealed, the core principles of SEO remain unchanged: understand your audience, create high-quality content, optimize for technical accessibility, and promote effectively.
• Continuous testing, learning, and growing businesses should be the focus for SEO professionals moving forward.

For Michael King's tips for SEO and interpretation of the documentation, check out his blog.

For Rand Fishkin's perspective go through this blog.