Google has suffered significant leaks after 2,500 documents appeared online, revealing how its algorithm determines what users see, exposing the biggest secrets of the internet giant. The internal documents indicated that the system that ranks pages in search results focused on the number of clicks a site receives rather than the reputation of the source.
Click Data and Information
This could lead to false news sites or misleading stories rising to the top of Google search results, trapping people into receiving more information from weak sources, according to SEO expert Rand Fishkin. Fishkin released his initial review of the documents today, which were sent to him by an anonymous source, according to the British Daily Mail.
Fishkin also reported that the algorithm generates results by focusing on the number of clicks a site receives to measure its success, leveraging "Chrome" data and "domain authority," a tool that predicts how well a site can rank in search engines based on factors that align with Google's ranking criteria.
The company confirmed that it provides results "from the most reliable sources available," but the leaked documents claim that Google relies more on user clicks in its search rankings than previously thought. NavBoost is a system that heavily focuses on click data to enhance results and includes information about short clicks on the site versus users who stay on the page longer.
Google noted that the contents of the document are mere speculation for now regarding the implications of the information, adding that it cannot provide details about its algorithms as they change continuously. It also denied claims that it uses click-through rates (CTRs) for its algorithm in a 2019 Reddit post.
Google stated it does not directly inform individuals how to reach the top of search results and appears to frequently modify its algorithm to counter spam senders and bad actors attempting to manipulate the system. Nevertheless, the company claimed to focus on trending content that interests readers and users.
Google's algorithms take into account various factors when displaying search results, including the words used in the query, the relevance of the pages, the expertise of the source, and the user's location, according to its website.
"Pure Nonsense"
It is worth noting that Google previously denied using click-through rates (CTRs) to boost algorithm results. A researcher on Google's team stated in a Reddit post that such a claim is "pure nonsense overall." Google has also denied using these methods in the past, telling The Wall Street Journal in 2019: "Our systems aim to provide relevant results from trustworthy sources."
