Many SEOs are concluding that the alleged Google data leak was neither a leak nor did it contain ranking algorithm secrets. It was outdated by five years and revealed nothing new. While opinions vary, the general consensus is skeptical.
Initial Reactions and Caution
- Ryan Jones advised viewing the information objectively.
- Pedro Dias, an ex-Googler, urged caution and emphasized the need for context and interpretation.
- Dean Cruddance and Pedro Dias agreed that the data did not reveal any "secret sauce" and warned against simplistic interpretations.
Doubts and Observations
- Trevor Stolber noted that the data was from a deprecated code base, not the ranking algorithm, and contained no new information.
- Kristine Schachinger confirmed the data was from 2019 and largely irrelevant.
- Many SEOs advised focusing on Google's new AI Overviews instead of the so-called leak.
Expert Opinions
- Brett Tabke, founder of PubCon and WebmasterWorld, spent five hours analyzing the data and concluded it was not a leak and contained no algorithm-related information.
- Ash Nallawalla described it as merely an API document with a list of calls, not an algorithm code dump.
Conclusion
The SEO community is realizing that this was not a Google algorithm data leak. It wasn't even a leak by a Googler and contained no new information, serving more as a distraction than a revelation.