Google has suffered the ‘mother of all leaks’ after 2,500 documents surfaced online, exposing how its algorithm decides what users see. These internal documents suggest that the system, which determines how pages rank in search results, has focused on the number of clicks a site receives rather than how reputable the source is.
Impact on information quality
This focus on clicks could push fake news sites or misleading stories to the top of a Google search, causing people to fall into the trap of receiving more poorly sourced information. According to SEO expert Rand Fishkin, this could have serious implications for the quality of information available to users.
Google has previously denied using click-through rates (CTRs) to boost algorithm results. An analyst on the Google Search team even stated in a Reddit post that such claims are “generally made-up crap.” However, the newly leaked documents appear to contradict these denials.
Expert analysis and reactions
Fishkin, who has worked in SEO for more than a decade, released his initial review of the documents on Monday, having received them from an anonymous source. Mike King, SEO expert and founder of iPullRank, wrote in his own breakdown of the documents, “‘Lied’ is harsh, but it’s the only accurate word to use here.” King expressed concern about Google’s efforts to discredit professionals in the marketing, tech, and journalism fields who have presented reproducible discoveries.
Google’s algorithms consider several factors when displaying search results, including the words used in the query, the relevance of the pages, the source’s expertise, and the user’s location. However, Fishkin reported that the algorithm also focuses on the number of clicks a site receives, Chrome data, the domain authority, and the author’s byline.
Google’s response
“We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information,” a Google spokesperson said. They added that Google has shared extensive information about how Search works and the factors their systems weigh, while also working to protect the integrity of their results from manipulation.
Google has denied using these methods in the past, telling The Wall Street Journal in 2019, “Our systems aim to provide relevant results from authoritative sources,” adding that organic search results alone “are not representative of the information made accessible via search.” The company also maintained that it provides results “from the most reliable sources available,” but the leaked documents allege Google relies on user clicks for its search rankings more than previously believed.
Potential consequences
NavBoost is a system that heavily focuses on click data to improve and enhance results and includes information about short clicks on a site versus users who stay on a page longer. Google noted that the document’s contents are only speculated at this time and what the information means, adding that it can’t provide details about its algorithms because they consistently change.
Google also denied the assertions that it uses CTR for its algorithm in a 2019 Reddit post. Gary Illyes, an analyst on the Google Search team, wrote at the time: “Dwell time, CTR, whatever Fishkin’s new theory is, those are generally made up crap. Search is much simpler than people think.”
The thousands of documents reportedly outline that Search Optimization (SEO) efforts using embedded links to boost a website’s ranking in Google Search are only a tiny piece of the puzzle. Google said it doesn’t directly tell individuals how to land in the top search results and appears to frequently change the algorithm to combat spammers and bad actors who attempt to beat the system. However, the company has claimed it focuses on trending content that readers and users are interested in.
If the documents are accurate and the search algorithm does rely on CTRs, this could prove detrimental in the upcoming presidential election as people turn to Google for additional information about the candidates. As with the false claims that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Donald Trump, which led to thousands of people storming the Capitol on January 6, if Google’s results turned up propaganda sites based on link clicks, it could lead to similar contention and violence, Fishkin warned.
