What we really know about Google’s algorithm

Google’s search algorithm is one of the most important yet mysterious forces in online marketing. It determines who shows up on page one and who gets buried so deep in search results they might as well not exist.

But how much do we really know about how Google ranks websites? Is SEO based on official guidelines, or are we all just guessing?

The reality? While Google gives us some information, Google’s algorithm is essentially a black box.

SEO and the black box

Imagine you’re standing in front of a giant, sealed black box. You drop something in, but you don’t get to see what happens inside. A few moments later, something comes out—but you don’t know exactly why.

That’s Google’s search algorithm in a nutshell.

Google provides some guidance on what helps websites rank higher, but the actual ranking process happens behind closed doors. No one outside Google knows exactly how it works.

But that hasn’t stopped SEO experts from spending years reverse-engineering it.

What Google tells us (and what it doesn’t)

Google has published plenty of advice on how to rank well. Still, if you’ve read their official statements, you’ll notice a trend. They tell you to focus on quality content, good user experience, and relevance—but they avoid specifics on how rankings are actually determined.

One of the biggest guidelines Google has pushed lately is EEAT:

• Expertise – Show that you know what you’re talking about.
• Experience – Prove you’ve done what you’re writing about.
• Authoritativeness – Be recognized as a leader in your field.
• Trustworthiness – Earn credibility through transparency and accuracy.

EEAT is important, but Google doesn’t tell us exactly how it is measured. They just tell us that it matters, and we have to figure out the details on our own.

Here’s what Google has confirmed matters for SEO:

• Content quality (but they don’t define exactly how it’s measured)
• Page experience (but details keep shifting—Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, and speed are factors)
• Relevance to search queries (which is vague by design)
• Links matter (they don’t say precisely how much, but they also say links matter less than they used to)

Now, here’s where things get tricky. Google also gives misleading or contradictory statements all the time. Sometimes, they say one thing only for SEO professionals to prove the opposite through testing.

What SEO experts have reverse-engineered

Since Google isn’t handing out a step-by-step SEO manual, the best SEO strategies come from real-world testing. SEO professionals have spent decades running experiments—making website changes, tracking rankings, and figuring out patterns.

Some of the most important ranking factors discovered through testing (not just Google’s official statements) include:

• Great content still beats all other ranking factors.
• Internal linking structure impacts rankings more than Google lets on.
• Exact keyword usage in titles and URLs still plays a role, even though Google tries to downplay it.
• User behavior signals (like click-through rates and time on the page) seem to influence rankings, but not as much as many think.

Google doesn’t always confirm these findings, but when SEO experts consistently see certain factors move rankings up or down, it’s a safe bet they matter.

The AI factor

Artificial intelligence plays a more significant role in SEO than ever in how Google ranks content and how businesses create it.

Google has already integrated AI into interpreting search queries and ranking pages. AI-driven ranking models, like Google’s Helpful Content update, try to prioritize content that answers users’ questions—not just content stuffed with keywords.

At the same time, businesses are using AI to generate content, and that’s where things get tricky. AI can help speed up content creation, but Google has clarified that AI-generated content still needs to meet EEAT standards.

In other words, AI can assist but can’t replace real expertise. If you’re using AI to create SEO content, human oversight is still needed to ensure it’s useful, factually correct, and valuable to readers.

The big takeaway: SEO is both science and art

Some parts of SEO are clear-cut—we know Google values fast-loading, mobile-friendly websites with good content. Other parts? We’re still testing, tweaking, and figuring it out.

The key is to focus on what has worked consistently over time:

• Create valuable, well-structured content that answers searchers’ questions.
• Build a strong website foundation with good internal linking and fast performance.
• Keep up with SEO best practices, but only adjust your strategy when it’s really called for.

SEO isn’t about cracking a secret code—it’s about paying attention to what works and adjusting as Google evolves.

Need help navigating SEO?

Since Google isn’t handing out an SEO playbook, it helps to have someone on your side who knows how to read between the lines. At Backslash Creative, we help businesses improve their SEO based on real-world data, not just guesswork.

If you’re ready to stop wondering why your rankings are stuck and start seeing results, let’s talk. We’d love to see if we can help you dominate SEO.