Well, folks, the world of Google and search engine optimization (SEO) just got a bombshell in the form of a HUGE Google leak. 14,000 rank factors and 2,500 internal documents — all leaked last week. And it made front page news.
Google has confirmed that this treasure trove of information is indeed legitimate. For the largest search engine in the world to have this much information go public is quite the story in and of itself. Not to mention how all this might shed new light on the DOJ’s anti-trust case from 2023.
It’s now very clear that there are several things that the Google leak has revealed about the ways the tech giant has publicly and verbally downplayed in their ranking algorithm – that actually do, in fact, matter.
“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
– Quote from a famous guy (Sir Walter Scott) that I couldn’t help but think of as I digested the news
I’ve narrowed things down so far to two key takeaways that I am seeing come out of this massive Google leak that matter for YOUR business and online presence.
So here’s how you need to respond:
Google Leak Reveal #1: Focus on creating content for users, not for Google robots.
I really like this line from Nina Clapperton (https://sheknowsseo.co/).
“The #1 takeaway I have from this documentation is that Google is looking for the best content and isn’t really sure how to find it.”
Google is throwing the kitchen sink at trying to evaluate your site’s content. There are a ton of factors that Google has in place that are designed to try and “score” or “comprehend” the value of your site’s content.
So how should you play the digital marketing game with that in mind?
Here’s my take. This leaked documentation confirms that everything about the content on your site should be geared to add value to your site visitors.
What do they care about? What is their pain? What problems can you solve for them? How can you add value? What’s the best way to start a conversation with your leads? (Which is what we’re after at the end of the day – LEADS!)
If you try and solve for these questions, and write great content that you put on your site, you will be checking all the boxes Google is looking for.
A common acronym of what Google is looking for from your content is E-E-A-T, which stands for:
– Experience
– Expertise
– Authority
– Trustworthiness
If you aim at writing content for your site that hits at those four principles, you will not only write content that people consume, and engage with, but that Google rewards.
This content flies in the face of how most marketers build websites…
Step 1: build website design and content template
Step 2: spin out the same site to all clients
What’s true in website building, content writing, and marketing in general (as is true with most things in business) is that being more customized is more time consuming and costly. Marketers and website companies can cut costs if they are only responsible for giving you a template of generic content for your site. The same content that hundreds of other sites will have.
Resist the low dollar signs (see, low results) of cheap marketing shops. Expensive doesn’t necessarily mean effective, but cheap almost never does.
Google Leak Reveal #2: Google is looking for engagement.
Even though Google has stated in the past that clicks on your site don’t matter, we know now that they do. Clicks and user behavior on your site matter a lot. Dwell time, impressions, clicks (and how long the click is) are just a few factors that Google is indeed measuring.
What does this mean? To put it in simple terms, here’s what you have to ask yourself: does my site produce substantive engagement?
One key metric you can look at to diagnose this is your bounce rate. If you have a high bounce rate, where people visit one page on your site and then leave the site entirely, that’s not a good look as it relates to ranking on Google.
If people are visiting multiple pages, watching a video, filling out a form, going to a blog… those signals are massively positive as it relates to search ranking.
“Why does any of this matter?” you might be asking yourself right now.
All this “stuff” matters because if you rank on page one of Google, it opens the door for a host of good things to happen for you online. Potential customers in the form of traffic and clicks will find you – and not someone else.
And I will say that doing all this well, and keeping up with the Google Joneses, is not quick or easy.
So that’s why it’s a really good thing that you have friends like us.
We CAN make all of this easy for you, building out the ecosystem for your website and other online properties that will make you a rockstar in Google’s eyes.
I was just on a phone call with a client yesterday who told me his profits are up 12% YTD compared to the same time period last year. I asked him what he’s seen as the biggest drivers for growth. One of two or three key elements he mentioned was his Google rank and position.
I want you to be the next success story.
Let’s talk: https://taxpromarketer.com/leadflow
