Experts Question Alleged Google Data Leak's Impact on Rankings

Many SEOs are coming to the conclusion that the alleged Google data leak was not a leak for several reasons:

• Outdated Information: The data is five years out of date.
• Lack of Ranking Algorithm Secrets: It did not contain ranking algorithm secrets.
• No Hard Evidence: There is no hard evidence that the data is actually from Google Search.
• Deprecated Code Base: The data is from a deprecated code base and not used in current algorithms.
• API Documentation: The data appears to be API documentation rather than algorithm data.
• No New Information: SEOs noted that there is nothing new in the data.

These points collectively suggest that the data is not as significant as initially thought.

Ex-Googler Pedro Dias responded to the alleged Google data leak with caution and advised others to do the same. Here are some key points from his responses:

• Advising Caution: He tweeted, 'Have no issues with the shared data. And advising caution on the interpretation of some items.'
• Context Needed: He emphasized the need for context and room for interpretation.
• Importance of Discussion: He later tweeted about the importance of having logical discussions and not jumping to conclusions.
• Impact on Community: He expressed concern that the leak could fuel 'tinfoil hattery and simplistic takes on search,' which he believes is more detrimental than beneficial.

Trevor Stolber, a twenty-year search marketing expert, shared his observations about the alleged Google data leak on LinkedIn. Here are some of his key points:

• Deprecated Code Base: The data is from a deprecated code base and is old and not used.
• Not Ranking Algorithm: It is an API used internally, not part of the ranking algorithm.
• Known Information: Most of the information in the data was already known.
• Lack of Documentation: Good production code documentation would specify ranges and values, which were missing.
• Domain Authority Misconception: Google doesn’t use DA (Domain Authority); DA is an analog to PR (Page Rank).

Brett Tabke, the founder of PubCon and WebmasterWorld, devoted five hours to studying the alleged Google data leak and posted his observations on Facebook. Here are his conclusions:

• Not a Leak: He stated that this is not a leak.
• No Algorithm Secrets: There is zero in it that’s directly algorithm related; rather, they are API calls.
• No Ranking Data: He found nothing that points to how any of the data could be used as part of a ranking algorithm.

His detailed analysis further supports the view that the data is not significant or revealing of Google's ranking algorithms.

Some SEOs believe the alleged Google data leak is just a distraction for several reasons:

• Outdated Data: The information dates from 2019 and is considered outdated.
• Lack of New Insights: There is nothing new in the data that wasn't already known.
• Not Algorithm Data: The data is an API document with a list of calls, not an algorithm code dump.
• Focus on AI Overviews: Many SEOs advised focusing on Google's new AI Overviews, as AI doesn’t follow traditional ranking factors.

These points suggest that the data leak is not as impactful as initially thought and may divert attention from more important updates in the SEO world.