The biggest news in the last month was the announcement that more than 2,500 pages of Google’s internal API documentation were leaked providing unprecedented insights into how the search giant’s algorithm functions. Google has confirmed that these documents are indeed from their internal sources.
The leak revealed over 14,000 features and ranking signals used in the Google search engine. These documents provide insights into various aspects of search ranking, from PageRank variants to user interaction metrics.
Although there are many wild assumptions out there on what the leaks mean in terms of SEO, it is evident that Google stores a large amount of data. The documents provide not real insight into how ranking factorings are weighted individually. The most important components of Google’s algorithm appear to be NavBoost, NSR, and chardScores. These components focus on click data and user engagement.
In a world where AI is being used to assist in writing digital content, it is evident from the leak that google is looking for more original content when it comes to ranking your website pages. Let’s dive into more on what you as a marketer should focus on when it comes to creating digital content.
Engagement Matters
The leaked documents reveal Google’s NavBoost algorithm, which utilizes clickstream data to evaluate user engagement. It is important that as marketers, we are doing everything we can to make our digital content engaging and providing a great user experience.
A discovery from the leaks found that Google uses data from Chrome browsers to assess site-wide authority. This includes metrics like user engagement and site popularity, which help Google determine a website’s overall quality. Click through rates and time spent on the page are user engagement metrics that can influence a page’s rankings. It is important to create content that not only captures and holds the attention of your audience, but also has a compelling call to action (CTA).
If another site publishes similar content but includes more diverse information like interactive maps or infographics, video tours, and more, this page will most likely rank higher due to its engaging elements. To stand out, create original content that offers a new perspective or additional value to what is already available. Provide new data, a different take on a popular topic, create a detailed guide, or interview a subject matter expert and provide quotes to add authority and authenticity to your digital content.
Optimize your Pages
Along with having engaging and original content on your site, the user experience is important. Page load time is a game changer. Faster-loading pages not only enhance user satisfaction but also likely rank higher in search results.
Look to improve page load time by optimizing images by compressing them without sacrificing quality. Try to leverage browser caching to reduce load times for repeat visitors and use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute content efficiently across multiple servers, reducing latency.
Make sure that your website is utilizing responsive design which adjusts screen sizes to fit various screen sizes. Simplify navigation on mobile devices by using clear, easy-to-tap buttons and streamlined menus. You can test your site’s mobile performance using tools like Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. It is important to identify and address any issues promptly and maintain a smooth user experience for all users.
Organization of your content is vital when it comes to the user experience. Make sure that your content is categorized in a logical manner where users can access important pages within a view clicks.
By focusing on page load speed, responsiveness, and the site architecture, your website will not only rank well but will keep your visitors engaged.
Refresh, Refresh, Refresh
One intriguing aspect that was leaked is the Page Quality (PQ) metric. Google uses a large language model (LLM) to estimate the “effort” involved in creating content. This helps Google assess whether a page could be easily replicated or if it provides unique value. Make sure to frequently update your content with unique information, new images, and videos. This helps with freshness and effort calculations.
As you work to improve the pages that are working and have appeal to your users, it is important to remove what Is not working. If certain pages perform poorly and have no significant backlinks, consider removing them to improve your site-wide scores.
At Leadarati, our team prides itself on creating high quality, relevant and engaging content. Our focus is to drive more traffic and customers to our clients’ websites by focusing on content that not only Google loves but content that inspires conversations, relationships and more. Reach out today to see how we can help.
Comments