Google's SEO Patents: The Importance of Reading & Understanding Them

Google holds thousands of patents related to its search technology, many of which offer valuable insights into how the search engine’s algorithms may function. For SEO professionals, understanding these patents can offer a unique glimpse into potential ranking factors and the future of search. However, it’s important to approach Google’s patents with care, as not every patent represents active algorithmic changes. In this article, we will explore the value of Google’s SEO patents, how to test tips from them, and how to apply these insights to your own SEO strategy.

What Are Google SEO Patents?

Google SEO patents are legal documents that describe specific technologies or methods that Google has developed related to search engines. These patents cover topics such as how Google ranks web pages, how it interprets user queries, and how it processes and understands various forms of content, and even goes into great detail about how it decides to weigh how relevant a page is for a given query. By filing these patents, Google protects its innovations while providing a peek into the potential future of search.

For instance, Google’s famous PageRank patent, which describes how backlinks are used to rank web pages, shaped SEO for years. More recently, patents related to machine learning and artificial intelligence, such as those describing RankBrain or BERT, give insights into how Google is evolving to better understand natural language and user intent.

How Can Google's SEO Patents Help You?

Google’s patents can be incredibly useful for SEO professionals looking to stay ahead of algorithm updates. They often give you insights into very technical aspects of SEO and how to optimize your content for crawlers and users alike. They help you understand:

• Ranking Signals: By analyzing patents, you can identify potential ranking factors that Google considers important, such as user behavior, content relevance, and site performance.
• Crawling and Indexing: Patents often describe how Google’s crawlers interact with websites, providing valuable insights into optimizing your site for efficient crawling and indexing.
• Algorithm Updates: By studying recently filed patents, you can anticipate changes Google might introduce into their search algorithm, allowing you to adapt your SEO strategy in advance.

Where Can You Find Google's SEO Patents?

Finding Google’s SEO patents is fairly simple. By far the best place to checkout Google’s SEO patents would just be their patent database. Utilizing their database you’ll be able to search for any keywords related to the patent you want to look for. You can type in certain names of the patents, phrases, aspects of SEO, etc. But, it is important to note that many of the patents in their patent subdomain have nothing to do with SEO. Google has all sorts of patents related to various types of technologies and use cases.

Who Should Read Google's SEO Patents?

Google’s patents are technical, and while they can be insightful, they may not be for everyone. However, they are particularly useful for:

• SEO Professionals: For those looking to deepen their understanding of how search engines work, patents provide a behind-the-scenes look at the mechanics of search algorithms. They also help you understand more intimately about how you can structure and utilize your HTML to communicate more effectively with Google’s crawlers.
• Digital Marketers: Marketers who want to stay on top of SEO trends and anticipate algorithm changes can benefit from patent insights. Various Google patents also deal with many of the aspects covered in digital marketing, so understanding how Google pulls in information from your efforts will give you an advantage.
• Developers: Web developers focused on creating SEO-friendly websites can use patents to better understand how to structure content, optimize for crawlers, and improve user experience. You’ll have a better understanding of how to structure your code, how to optimize it for search, and how to plan according to the keywords and context of each page.

If you fall into any of these categories, reading Google’s patents can help you sharpen your SEO strategy.

What To Know Before Reading Google Patents

Not every patent is actively being used by Google today. Some are outdated. Some were created just to protect certain aspects of a technology. Some were altogether abandoned as search evolved.

This means that while patents offer insights into Google’s research and potential strategies, they don’t necessarily reflect active changes to the search algorithm. Use them as a guide, but don’t base your SEO strategy solely on them. However, you can test your findings to determine which patents are in active use.

How To Test Tips Found In Patents

Once you've identified potential insights from a patent, the next step is to test them. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Set Up a Test Site: Create a small test website where you can implement ideas from the patent without affecting your main site.
2. Implement Patent Ideas: Apply the concepts you found in the patent, such as changes to content structure, internal linking, or metadata optimization.
3. Monitor Results: Use tools like Google Search Console and Ahrefs to track how your test site performs in search rankings and traffic.
4. Compare Results: Compare the performance of your test site against your control (non-test) site. If the test site performs better, consider implementing the patent’s insights on your main website.

How These Patents Can Help Boost Your Rankings

Google’s patents can provide a clear roadmap for improving your search rankings. The list shared below is by no means comprehensive, but these points will give you a good understanding of what you stand to gain by reading patents, testing the actionable steps found, and implementing them into your own strategy.

Understand What Google Prioritizes

Google’s patents reveal what the search engine may prioritize, such as user experience, mobile-first indexing, and content relevance. By aligning your SEO strategy with these priorities, you can improve your ability to rank. Especially if you implement the actionable steps you find and test in patents.

Learn How To Communicate With Crawlers

Many patents focus on how Google crawls and indexes content. By understanding how crawlers work and what they prioritize, you can optimize your website’s architecture, ensuring that important content is easily discovered by search engines. You’ll also ensure that search engines are more easily able to read and understand your content.

Increased Relevancy

Many patents deal with weighing which websites are most relevant to a user’s query, and then ranking those specific documents (web pages) accordingly. Some will win featured snippets, others will rank first, second, third, etc., etc. By reading these patents and utilizing the information found you’ll understand how to further improve your relevance.

Learn Straight From Google, Not Influencers

SEO advice from influencers can be helpful, but patents give you information straight from the source. This allows you to bypass potentially misleading advice and focus on insights directly from Google. You’ll also learn without any personal bias or outdated information. Often when influencers catch wind of a specific tip or SEO concept it can be outdated, or blatantly wrong - to mislead their audience and prevent people from overtaking them in SERPs. By reading and testing the information found in patents you never again have to worry about outdated or incorrect information.

Understand The Future of SEO

Google’s patents offer a glimpse into the future of search engine technology. By studying patents related to artificial intelligence, voice search, large language models, and natural language processing, you can start preparing your site for upcoming changes.

By reading and testing patents you’ll be able to discern the direction SEO is taking in the future.

Understanding The Terminology & Other Commonly Used Concepts

When diving into Google’s patents, you may encounter technical language. By reading these patents you’ll familiarize yourself with the terminology and language used. By familiarizing yourself with this terminology you’ll be able to read and understand patents more easily. Here’s a quick guide to some commonly used terms:

• Document: A document in Google’s patents typically refers to a web page or website.
• Root: The primary heading of a page. Typically referred to as the H1.
• Heading Vector: The heading vector is how heading hierarchy or heading structure is typically referred to in Google patents.

There are thousands of words used throughout their patents, and by reading them often you’ll more easily understand the patents. By familiarizing yourself with their terminologies you’ll be able to more easily read through their literature.

Checkout Our Coverage of Google's SEO Patents

To stay updated on the latest SEO patents filed by Google and how they might impact your SEO strategy, check out our blog. We regularly provide deep dives into newly filed patents, offering practical advice on how to apply the insights from these documents to your website.