Google Engineer Testimony Reveals the Simple “ABC” Core of Search Rankings

The simple ABC algorythm method revealed by Google Engineer during his testimony.

When the U S. Department of Justice pulled back the curtain on Google Search during its antitrust case, a seasoned Google engineer was asked the question every SEO professional has pondered for decades: “What really determines which pages rise to the top?”

His answer was startlingly straightforward. Google, he explained, evaluates the topicality of a page, the degree to which it satisfies a user’s query, largely through three bundled signals the company informally labels “ABC.” 

Google combines these three buckets into a single relevance score called topicality. If your page nails links, content, and engagement, it can out-rank competitors, even in the face of Google’s much-touted “200+” additional signals. 

Below is a deep dive into each element, what the testimony actually said, and how you can adapt your SEO program to thrive in light of this simpler, but still powerful framework.

1  The Courtroom Context: Why This Matters

During the 2024–2025 antitrust proceedings, prosecutors released hundreds of previously sealed exhibits. Among them was a transcript in which a senior Google engineer described how Anchors, Body, and Clicks roll up into Google’s scoring pipeline. Search journalists quickly confirmed these references across multiple exhibits and depositions, including a declaration by Search VP Pandu Nayak. 

For years Google spokespeople avoided direct answers on click data, link thresholds, or how modern language models feed the index. The sworn testimony forced clarity, and it harmonizes with hints Google has dropped since the original PageRank patent.

“Anchors tell us what the web thinks about a page, the Body tells us what the page says about itself, and Clicks tell us what users think in practice.” Extract from the engineer’s deposition 

2  Signal A: Anchors (Backlinks Pointing to Your Page)

2.1 What Anchors Measure

Anchors encapsulate two classic backlink concepts:

1. Authority: Links from pages already deemed trustworthy confer a greater boost.
2. Contextual Relevance: The anchor text and surrounding copy help Google map your topic cluster.

Google still applies distance ranking from “seed” sites, high-authority hubs in each field. A link two clicks away from a trusted medical journal weighs more heavily than twenty links from unrelated directories. 

2.2 Modern Link-Building Guidelines

• Prioritize topical closeness over sheer domain authority. A niche-specific blog with moderate traffic can eclipse a generic news site if its topical alignment is tighter.
• Leverage anchor-text variety. Excessive exact-match anchors raise spam signals. Treat anchors like natural language, not keyword stuffing.
• Earn links through referenceable assets. Industry studies, interactive tools, and in-depth guides attract citations organically, an approach the deposition confirmed Google rewards. 

2.3 What to Stop Doing

• Automated link swaps and scaled guest-post networks rarely pass manual or algorithmic smell tests.
• Disavowing everything risky without first auditing quality can remove legitimate equity. Google’s own reps caution that indiscriminate disavows might do more harm than good.

3  Signal B: Body (How Well Your Content Matches Searcher Intent)

3.1 From Keywords to Semantic Coverage

The engineer emphasized that “Body” is far more than keyword frequency. Google now embeds pages and queries in the same vector space (think BERT, MUM, and eDeepRank). The closer the semantic distance, the higher the topicality score. 

Key implications:

• Cover intent breadth: Address primary, secondary, and adjacent questions within one coherent hub so users don’t bounce to find missing details.
• Demonstrate expertise and trust: While topicality is query-focused, separate quality algorithms (E-E-A-T, Helpful Content) still gatekeep. High topical relevance fails if the page is seen as thin or untrustworthy. 
• Structure matters: Heading hierarchy, schema markup, and concise intros help both algorithms and users grasp relevance quickly, especially on mobile.

3.2 Practical Checklist

1. Intent Map: For every target query, list informational, commercial, and transactional offshoots. Ensure the page, or its internal cluster, answers each.
2. Depth without Fluff: Google’s systems prefer “information gain” (new or synthesized insight) over repetition.
3. Readability and UX: A 20-minute read can perform well if scannable with subheads, pull quotes, and bullet lists.

3.3 Common Misconceptions

• Myth: “Longer is always better.” Reality: Word count alone does not cause higher topicality. Substance and satisfaction do.
• Myth: “Exact keyword density still matters.” Reality: Google’s semantic models disregard formulaic thresholds and penalize forced repetition.

4  Signal C: Clicks (Real User Engagement)

4.1 What Counts as a “Click” Signal?

Court documents reference Navboost, a massive data table tracking 13 months of click behavior, and a separate popularity signal derived from Chrome usage.  Google aggregates:

• Click-through rate (CTR) from search results
• Dwell time (how long a user remains before returning)
• Pogo-sticking (rapid bounces back to the SERP)
• Repeat visits or brand navigational queries

These metrics help Google answer a simple question: “Did the searcher find what they needed?”

4.2 Improving Engagement Without Gimmicks

• Fast load times: Every extra second of latency can spike immediate bounces.
• Above-the-fold clarity: Put the hook, answer, or summary where a skim reader sees it first.
• Multimedia balance: Diagrams, short explainer videos, and tables keep scanning eyes engaged, but heavy embeds should defer loading.
• Logical UX flows: If the query is “best espresso machines,” link internally to detailed reviews and comparison charts; do not strand visitors on thin category pages.

4.3 Ethical Considerations

Attempting to simulate clicks is a violation of Google’s spam policies. Tests show artificial engagement trails often leave detectable footprints. Rely instead on solving user problems quickly; the clicks will follow.

5  Putting It All Together: The Topicality Score

Google funnels Anchors, Body content, and Click signals into a topicality vector that answers: “How relevant and satisfying is this page for Query X compared with all other candidates?” 

The engineer clarified that topicality is query-dependent, while “page quality” is largely static. A highly-rated medical paper remains high-quality, but it only surfaces when the query context overlaps its topic. That nuance explains why new pages on authoritative sites can rank quickly once they demonstrate relevance.

6  A Leaner, More Focused SEO Playbook

6.1 Step 1: Audit Your Anchors

• Use tools like Ahrefs, Majestic, or Google Search Console’s link report.
• Flag irrelevant or unnatural links. Consider outreach campaigns to diversify anchor sources in your niche.

6.2 Step 2: Elevate Your Body Content

• Draft expert-level pillar pages mapped to core commercial intents.
• Layer supporting articles (FAQs, case studies) that internally link back, reinforcing semantic coverage.
• Refresh aging posts with new data and visuals every 6–12 months to avoid staleness penalties.

6.3 Step 3: Engineer for Click Satisfaction

• Heat-map analytics can reveal above-the-fold blind spots.
• Trim intrusive pop-ups that disrupt reading flow.
• Add jump-to-section links so visitors can zero in on the answer that matters to them.

6.4 Ongoing Measurement

• Track organic sessions plus average engagement time in GA4.
• Correlate ranking climbs with link acquisition timelines and on-page enhancements. Patterns often mirror ABC improvements.

7  FAQs Raised by the Testimony

Q: Does Google still use over 200 ranking factors?

A: Yes, but the engineer’s comments suggest most feed into or modify the ABC score rather than acting as standalone gatekeepers. Think of ABC as the primary canvas; the other factors add shading and texture. 

Q: Are Core Web Vitals obsolete?

A: No. Speed and layout stability influence Click signals by shaping user engagement. A faster site indirectly boosts C even if it is not part of Anchors or Body.

Q: Is PageRank dead?

A: PageRank persists within the Anchors bucket, supplemented by distance-based trust metrics. It remains one of the clearest proxies for authority. 

8  Case Snapshot: How a Content Refresh Leveraged ABC

A regional SaaS provider’s blog post on “GDPR email consent” sat at position 11 for months despite dozens of decent backlinks. A quick ABC-centric audit found:

• Anchors: Many links were from generic marketing directories, topical mismatch.
• Body: The article lacked new 2024 legal amendments and examples.
• Clicks: Average dwell time was under 30 seconds.

Actions Taken

1. Guest posts secured five links from EU privacy law forums (better topical anchors).
2. The post was upgraded with a compliance checklist and timeline graphic.
3. A TL;DR accordion answered the query in 50 words at the top.

Outcome

Rank jumped to position 3 within five weeks, and dwell time rose to two minutes, mirroring improvements in all three ABC pillars. Results reinforce the framework’s practicality even outside hyper-competitive verticals.

9  Looking Ahead: SEO in the Post-Trial Era

The courtroom revelations do not render SEO effortless, but they remove some of the mystique. Rather than chase every rumored micro-signal, focus your resources on:

1. Earning credible, context-rich backlinks (A).
2. Publishing depth and breadth that genuinely answer searcher intent (B).
3. Designing pages that solve problems quickly and delight visitors (C).

These aren’t shortcuts; they are the backbone of lasting search visibility. Optimize for ABC and you address the algorithmic essence of what Google now openly calls topicality.

The next time an “SEO hack” promises miracles through metadata tweaks or secret scripts, remember the testimony. Google’s own engineers laid out the core formula in plain language, a formula any disciplined marketer can master.

Key Sources

• Search Engine Land – “The ABCs of Google Ranking Signals” 
• Search Engine Journal – “Googler’s Deposition Offers View of Google’s Ranking Systems” 
• Stradiji – “Google’s Ranking Secrets Leaked” 
• ROI Revolution – “Key Takeaways from the Google Antitrust Lawsuit” 
• Supple Digital – “6 Takeaways for SEOs From Google’s Antitrust Trial”