🔍 Google leaks sends SEO world into frenzy

The SEO world has been abuzz this week.

Leaked insight into the coveted Google algorithm finally gave us a look at some actual ranking factors.

Allegedly.

The larger conversation has quickly devolved (as most things do on the internet). No, we aren’t arguing about what should actually be the rankings factors.

No, instead many used this as evidence that Google has been lying to people. For years (particularly about the importance of backlinks).

*GASP*

To that I say…

If you’ve been taking what Google says at face value, I also have a bridge to sell you!

Duh, Google has been lying to you. If they came out and told you everything that needed to be done in order to rank highly, the whole SEO industry would die.

Google wants you to build businesses on top of their business, which is why the Google algorithm is mostly a black box.

True, when Google does comment upon the algorithm it’s usually a lie. Either they intentionally omit things, they give vague details or the advice is given to prop up whatever initiative they’re pushing at the moment.

(For example, when traffic was moving to iPhones, Google made mobile-friendliness an important ranking factor and made that fact well known to developers and SEOs)

Also, Google has been smart to keep everything close to the chest for all these years, because, as the leaks show, Google has been biased. They paraded as an nonpartial arbiter of internet knowledge for years. Their intentions weren’t always the most pure of heart though.

For that reason, I’m not surprised that a publicly traded company valued at $2 trillion didn’t exactly tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth over the past few decades to civilians like us.

What is surprising to me is how quickly it’s all unspooling over there at the Big G. It’s hit piece after hit piece. It’s bad rollout after bad rollout. It’s cringe after change.

Google has quickly become a laughing stock. Though it was dark, I couldn’t help but laugh at their AI Overview for ‘I’m feeling depressed’:

What did they expect when sourcing from Reddit?!

Google has become a master of none. Instead of dominating search like they used to, they have settled for being OK at everything. They have a good video content platform and email service. I’ll give them that.

But search was their bread and butter and in fear of losing traction to AI, they’ve put made their flagship product mediocre.

Even worse, no one trusts them anymore. The worldwide leader is now under threat of competition, for what seems like the first time ever.

Recently, OpenAI has been rumored to be getting in the search game. I think if launched correctly, it stands a chance to become the new default, the Google killer everyone has been talking about for years.

Why? I have no data to base this off of other than my own experiences. But I do know that I’m using ChatGPT every day and way more often to answer things.

Google still makes it easy for me by being the default search tool of the Chrome toolbar and Safari. However, if I keep finding myself going to ChatGPT and they have a search feature for deeper research, why wouldn’t I just use that?

And I know Google is scared about this. Each release seems more frantic than the last. I feel they know that a changing of the guard is coming. And OpenAI is next up.

What do you think? I would love to hear from you, so please reply to this email ⤵️