09/04/2025
Google’s Antitrust Lawsuit Just Confirmed What They’ve Been Dodging for Years
For as long as SEO’s been a thing, we've been told that site rankings come from keywords, backlinks and a vague “authority” score Google wouldn’t explain.
But now, thanks to documents made public during the federal antitrust trial, we have confirmation on a few things we've long suspected:
👉 We were told clicks and scrolls were “noisy” and not used for rankings.
🧠 Now we know Google does use on-page behavior to directly influence what ranks.
👉 We were told user data was just for testing, not part of live ranking systems.
🧠 Now we know machine learning models like Navboost and RankEmbed train on what people actually do—what they click, how long they stay, what they ignore.
👉 We were told backlinks were the foundation of authority.
🧠 Now we know they’re just one signal, and not as strong as how users engage with your content once they arrive.
Gut Check...
⚠️ A slow, confusing or boring site? Backlinks won’t save you.
⚠️ An agency still peddling keyword stuffing or shady link farms? Fire them.
⚠️ Content that’s not helpful to real people? Google’s AI is learning to skip it.
This isn’t more theory. This is from Google’s own internal documentation. On the record. In court.
Want to rank in search? Stop gaming the system. Start giving people what they came for.
