Google experienced a severe data leak of nearly 2500 documents, revealing how it ranks websites and builds its algorithm.
Google is the world’s biggest Search Engine Optimization battleground, where every industry leader fights to be at the top of users’ search results. Recently, the tech giant’s 2,500+ critical internal documents containing information about how Google ranks websites and pages were leaked.
The controversy is not in the revelation of these secrets but in the revelation of the hypocrisy Google has publicly expressed. One leaked document revealed that Google evaluates the number of clicks while allotting ranks for web pages but has always denied doing it. The leak was first reported by Rand Fishkin and Mike King, who sent a mail to Google to comment on the leaked information.
After multiple tries, Google replied, “We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information. The information could be out of date, used strictly for training purposes, or collected but not used for Search specifically.”
Google also clarified that it has always shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors that its systems weigh while also working to protect the integrity of the results from manipulation. Google’s algorithm has always been a tough nut to crack, with only a few mastering it truly. However, the recent documents and testimonies submitted to the US Department of Justice antitrust case have shed light on how Google ranks websites.
Google’s algorithms are a crucial base for many businesses to sustain their revenues as they rely solely on it for client inflow. Google’s position of ensuring commitment to transparency creates a grey picture as compared to the details furnished in the leaked documents.
