Google confirms the authenticity of leaked documents related to search – Google

A set of 2,500 internal documents leaked by Google, which contain a wealth of details about the data the company collects, are authentic, such as The tech giant confirmed today. Google initially declined to comment.

The documents in question explain what kind of data Google collects, some of which may be used through its top-secret search ranking algorithm. These documents provide an unprecedented – if still mysterious – picture of what goes on behind the scenes of one of the most influential systems shaping the Internet.

“We caution against making inaccurate assumptions about search based on fragmented, outdated or incomplete information,” Google spokesman Davis Thompson said in an email to Google. edge. “We shared extensive information about how the research works and the categories of factors that affect our systems, making every effort to protect the integrity of our results from attempts at manipulation.”

The existence of the leaked materials was first described by SEO experts Rad Vishen and Mike King, who published preliminary analyzes of the documents and their contents a few days ago. As of 5/29, Google was declining to comment on whether these documents were real.

The leaked materials indicate that Google is collecting and possibly using data that company representatives have repeatedly said does not affect websites’ rankings in Google search results, such as clicks, Chrome user data, and more. Thousands of pages of documents serve as a repository of information for Google employees, but it’s not clear which of the data described is actually used to rank results: the information may be outdated, used strictly for educational purposes, or collected but cannot specifically be used to rank results . The documents also do not reveal how individual items were weighted in the research, assuming they were utilized.

However, the release of this information will likely impact your SEO, marketing, and more. Google typically avoids commenting on how its algorithm works, but these documents — as well as recent witness testimony as part of the US Department of Justice’s legal challenge to the company over its antitrust practices — provide more clarity about the types of signals Google considers when ranking results. . .

Google’s search options are having a huge impact on everyone who relies on the Internet for their business, from small, independent publishers to restaurants and digital stores. So an entire industry has emerged trying to decode or trick the algorithm, and in some cases, conflicting answers emerge. Google’s usual ambiguity and evasiveness doesn’t help, but this trove of internal documents provides, if nothing else, a general picture of what the company that dominates Internet searches is thinking.