Google AI & AI Traffic Metrics, News Corp Signs with OpenAI

This week’s Coffee & SEO blog touches on the Google document leaks and then jumps back in with Google AI Overviews, as they remain at the top of the search results pages, and no timeline is offered for AI traffic metrics in the future. Google’s John Mueller also reiterates that toxic backlinks are not a Google metric, and News Corp has signed with OpenAI.

Over 14,000 Google Search Ranking Factors Leaked

Rand Fishkin was notified by an ex-Google employee that they were releasing over 2500 pages worth of Google API information that disclosed over 14,000 Google search ranking factors back at the beginning of May. This information was leaked via GitHub at the end of March and is now being speculated on by SEOs and website owners.

The big callout is that click data is a ranking factor, which Googlers have long said is not a factor. So CTR and dwell time do impact rank, which makes sense because those are user interaction metrics, and Google is all about the user experience.

Anonymous Person Behind Leak Comes Forward

Although we can’t be sure who actually leaked the documents, a YouTube video from the person who shared the document disclosures has been released, claiming that he brought them to Rand Fishkins’ attention not with a monetary motivation but in an attempt to force Google’s hand to be more transparent.

Erfan Azimi, the person in the video, goes on to say what Google has been saying: If you want to rank, create good websites for users. He also speaks out against creating bots to rank websites and hopes that the information released isn’t abused for selfish gains but instead put to good use.

What Does This Mean for SEO?

The information here tells us what we already knew: Write content for your buyers, and they will show up. Is Google secretive, and now they’ve had a lot of exposure? Absolutely, but at the end of the day, like we always say, if you’re following SEO best practices, then all of these things are already lining up for you.

Google AI Overview Remains Over Organic Results

Google has no plans to move AI Overview below organic search results. In fact, they have plans to keep AI Overviews above organic search results but add ads under the AI Overviews as they relate to the searches.

This could be another opportunity for SEOs and website owners to optimize their ads to align with the websites so that website links and ads are shown under the AI Overviews at the same time.

Google and AI Traffic Metrics

If you’re waiting for Google to acknowledge how we can track AI search traffic to our websites, you will have to continue waiting. Google CEO Sundar Pichai responded to The Verge interview, basically saying that if Google reports the data, we (marketers) find a way to use it and manipulate it.

“It’s a good question for the search team. They think about this at a deeper level than I do. The more we spec it out, then the more people design for that.” – Google CEO Sundar Pichai

How to Search Web Only and Give Google Feedback

We cannot turn off AI Overviews, but Google updated its AI Overview content to include a how-to for adjusting the web filter after you’ve performed a search, as well as how we can submit feedback to Google on the AI Overview experience.

Source: Find information in faster & easier ways with AI Overviews in Google Search

Although the web filter cannot be changed until after the search results are populated, it is an immediate adjustment, providing a link-only, no AI Overview, scrolling experience.

Google’s John Mueller Reaffirms Toxic Links Are Made Up by SEOs

John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, has spoken out (again) about toxic backlinks, this time going as far as saying toxic backlinks are a made-up thing by SEOs.

“The concept of toxic links is made up by SEO tools so that you pay them regularly.” – John Mueller

This is not the first we have covered backlinks, nor the first time someone from Google has talked about backlinks and their lack of value.  In 2022, Google’s Duy Nguyen spoke out about the impact of backlinks and how they do not offer the value they once did. Then, in 2023, Gary Illyes came out and said backlinks are not even a top three ranking factor.

If that isn’t enough for you to save yourself the time in the effort, Google mentioned again at the beginning of May that they will be removing the Google Search Console disavow tool ‘at some point,’ reaffirming the lack of value backlinks offer, let alone the impact some believe toxic links have.

News From News Corp Will Show in ChatGPT

OpenAI has signed yet another deal, but this time with News Corp, which includes the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, and Politico. This deal will allow ChatGPT to show news publications in search results.

OpenAI has been sued by news outlets like the New York Times over using their content and not paying journalists for their work, which could change how news is used in ChatBots.

Copilot to Come to LinkedIn

Microsoft, who purchased LinkedIn in 2016, has plans to bring AI computing resources, such as machine learning, neural networks, natural language processing, and more, in the way of a ‘LinkedIn Copilot.’

With AI integrations like AI-writing already available with LinkedIn, it’s not exactly clear how or what the ‘Copilot’ additions will be, but one thing is clear: AI has done amazing things for Microsoft’s bottom line, with a valuation of more than $3.2 trillion.

Watercooler Highlights

Two updates bring improvements to websites with automated LCP adjustments and lastmod elements included in website sitemaps.

WordPress Update Gives SEO Boost with Lastmod Support

Gary Illeyes, a Google Analyst, went to LinkedIn to share the news that the newest WordPress update, version 6.5, now includes the lastmod element. If you’re not familiar, lastmod is an element in your sitemap that provides information to search crawlers on when and how often they should crawl the content of your website.

Automatically Update LCP Core Web Vitals With WP Rocket

Core web vitals are a ranking factor that Google uses to determine the performance of our websites and WP Rocket just got an update that now automatically updates largest contentful paint (LCP) elements. WP Rocket 3.16 will automatically adjust LCP elements and the images above the fold, removing them from lazy loading.

Source: WP Rocket 3.16: Improving LCP and PageSpeed Score Automatically