MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Alphabet Inc-owned (GOOG) Google has accidentally published a 2500-page document explaining to employees how the Search results work, igniting questions about the transparency of search ratings.
The document, titled 'Google API Content Warehouse', was initially published by Google via GitHub, and was later removed on May 7. However, a copy of the document is still available on the internet as it was indexed to several third-party sites.
The existence of the document was first noticed by Erfan Azimi, an SEO practitioner, who later sought the help of Rand Fishkin of software company SparkToro, and search engine optimization expert Mike King to thoroughly understand the document.
'Google search is one of the most secretive, closely-guarded black boxes in the world,' said Fishkin. 'In the last quarter century, no leak of this magnitude or detail has ever been reported from Google's search division.'
'I feel a deep obligation to share information about how the world's dominant search engine works, especially information Google would prefer to keep quiet,' he added.
The leaked document discusses about how Google collects data such as user clicks and browsing history to rank the Search results. Earlier, Google officials have claimed that such data does not affect the ranking.
'Ultimately, thanks to this leak, we now have a clearer picture of what is being considered that can inform what we focus on vs. ignore in SEO moving forward,' King said. 'Google's public statements probably aren't intentional efforts to lie, but rather to deceive potential spammers to throw us off the scent of how to impact search results.'
Responding to the leak, Google spokesperson Davis Thompson told to The Verge, 'We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information.'
He continued, 'We've shared extensive information about how Search works and the types of factors that our systems weigh, while also working to protect the integrity of our results from manipulation.'
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