What Actually Matters in the New Google Leaks
I hesitate to call this a leak because it mostly consists of documents provided in the most recent court cases that Google has been dealing with.
However, nothing in these papers should be shocking to anyone who has actively participated in the SEO industry for any amount of time. This was more of a confirmation document than anything entirely groundbreaking. Perhaps the most unsurprising thing to leak is the knowledge that you can fade most of Google’s announcements and perform well.
“Authority” doesn’t exist. Yeah.. ok
The Key Takeaways
Links Matter
Again, this should be no surprise to anyone.
These were perhaps the first and most powerful ranking factor. Always have been, probably always will be — at least for the near future.
Google has tried to get away from links or downplay the value of these for so long, but they can’t figure out a replacement. The best they can do is try to compensate by baking in other ranking factors.
They talk about links in the context of building authority. Links are truly the only way that such “authority” can be built. Think about websites as a peer-reviewed paper or a popularity contest. The links are the votes telling the algorithm that this website is helpful for a certain key term, but not everyones vote is weighted the same.
Unless they find another replacement for backlinks (votes) or begin to disregard these all together, they will remain a top ranking factor.
You Need a Real Brand
Introverted SEO is dead.
I’ve said this multiple times.
The idea that you can sit behind a curtain and rank a site has been outdated. And no, you can’t just produce one infographic with 1500 words under it every month and calling it a day. You have to be hitting multiple channels and producing content that resonates. Not just one or two engaging elements but an overall engaging brand supported by a true audience. Your strategy should be built around building this. Hit the socials, do the outreach, get in front of the camera, get out of the shadows.
Do the work, build your brand.
User Data is Important
Again, this should be no surprise to anyone.
Google owns the most popular desktop browser, of course they are going to use data gathered from that to make ranking decisions.
The takeaway here is simple. Optimize for chrome and mobile when you can. Provide a good technical user experience (think web vitals). And again, work on creating a brand with great content. This ties in with everything else.
