Google’s Algorithms Exposed: What Google’s Trial Docs Tell Us

Google’s algorithms have always been somewhat of a mystery. However, thanks to Google's recent antitrust case, documents provided in court have given us a rare insight into the company's internal ranking systems. 

So, let’s take a detailed look at what these documents tell us about Google’s ranking signals.  

User Behaviour is Key 

Google’s stance has always been that signals such as clicks are not a direct ranking factor. But, the trial documents say otherwise. 

While the court files still don’t directly state that clicks have a direct affect on rankings, they do show that Google relies heavily on user interactions to inform its ranking systems. 

Clicks and engagement help the system determine whether a page is truly helpful to a user and over time, this influences how content ranks.

Google’s ‘DocID’ System Tracks Extensive Metadata

Each webpage is given a unique code by Google - a DocID.

DocIDs have been present since the beginning, but it’s not always known which signals are included in the DocID. 

The files reveal that Google’s understanding of a page goes beyond traditional on-page SEO elements.

Metadata in the DocID includes:

• When a URL was first seen
• When a URL was first crawled
• Popularity (clicks and usage data)
• Quality and authority measures
• Spam scores 
• Device-specific performance

Content is More Important Than Ever

PageRank continues to play a crucial role but the court documents have confirmed that Google is increasingly relying on the content itself to assess quality and relevance.

Dr James Allan, Google’s expert in computer science and information retrieval, stated: 

‘Do you understand that most of Google’s quality signal is derived from the webpage itself?’

Google’s deep learning models analyse the page content along with user engagement metrics to determine the quality and usefulness of a page. 

Links are of course still important, but they are just one of many signals feeding into Google’s understanding of page quality and popularity. What’s on the page is just as, if not more, influential.

Crawl Frequency is Dependent on Popularity and Quality 

The documents have also revealed that Google crawls valuable content more often than pages deemed low-quality, spammy, or unpopular. This could be causing a delay in rankings for pages that have been updated or improved.

Chrome and Usage Data Influences Popularity Signals

There is evidence that Chrome browser data and the number of anchor links pointing to a page may feed into Google’s popularity assessments. 

The document states:

‘Two exhibits suggest that popularity is based on “Chrome visit data”  and “the number of anchors,” which is a measure that quantifies the number of links between pages and is used to promote well-linked documents.’

‘The former appears to be a type of user-interaction data - albeit from Chrome visits not through key default distribution channels’.

Chrome and usage data may not be a direct ranking factor, but it does imply that these are signals used to determine which pages are popular and useful to searchers.

What Do These Findings Mean For You? 

Google’s search algorithm has become more human-centric. Google is relying more on how users are interacting with your content to determine its quality and helpfulness, and where it should sit in the search results.  

Going forward you should: 

• Optimise for user interaction - create content that not only attracts clicks but also matches search intent and keeps a user engaged. Bounce rate, time spent on a page, and actions taken are crucial metrics to track. 
• Think holistically - site performance, mobile-friendliness, and trustworthiness all contribute to how a page is scored internally. 
• Create high-quality content that directly addresses user needs - content on the page is key. Always follow E-E-A-T guidelines and invest in high-quality, in-depth, useful content that’s structured in a user-friendly manner. 
• Improve site quality for crawlability - keep content fresh, mitigate outdated pages, and focus on building positive user experiences to ensure your content is crawled more often. 
• Prioritise UX - user experience, particularly across Chrome, is critical. Pages that are slow and hard to navigate may reduce engagement and reduce your crawl priority, ultimately hurting your SEO efforts. 

By giving more weight to user interaction and satisfaction, you can stay ahead of the game and thrive in an increasingly competitive market.

Need Expert SEO Help? 

These court documents have provided us with a better understanding of how Google’s algorithms operate and solidified a lot of what we already know. If you’d like expert guidance tailoring your SEO strategy to meet Google’s expectations, then get in touch with us today.