✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist, which gives you all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Everyone knows Google patents hold a lot of secrets.
But let’s face it, none of us are decoding these legal puzzles for fun!
So, I spent the last few weeks digging into 104 high-value Google patents to see how Google uses backlinks for rankings, what I found was eye-opening!
I’ve broken down all my findings into actionable steps you can use right now:
Remember, if you’re going to follow any SEO strategies online, it makes sense to do it from Google right?
If you’re short on time, grab the checklist below and save it for later:
Let’s dive right into building links that work!
What Will I Learn?
- Patent Name: Ranking Based on Reference Contexts
- Patent Number: US8577893
- Patent Summary: Quality links that are contextually relevant contribute more to SEO than a large number of unrelated links, enhancing search ranking.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Google’s patent on Ranking Based on Reference Contexts is quite a significant shift for link building.
It’s not just about how many links you have anymore. It’s about how good those links are and how well they fit with your content.
Patent Image: Flowchart of the process for ranking a document based on context, including hashing and context identification
Think about it like this…
If you’re running a fitness blog, which do you think Google would prefer:
That makes sense, right…
Google wants to see relevant links. That means you want to be more strategic in your link building and selective about where your website is mentioned.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Your entire link building strategy should be built around acquiring quality backlinks that are contextually relevant to your website.
What does that mean?
Google’s system is smart. It evaluates links by considering the topical relevance between the source and target pages.
The algorithm then assigns weighted scores based on the thematic relevance of linking clusters.
Google gives more value to links from:
These are the types of links you really want to build.
Real World Example: If you have a cooking blog, aim for links from popular food websites, cooking magazines or news sites that cover recipes. One good link from a site covering topics similar to yours is worth more than ten links from random sites.
The ‘Link Graph’ concept means Google doesn’t view links in isolation but considers the overall link profile of the source page or site.
That means if you receive a backlink from a website that regularly links to low-quality sites, Google might devalue your backlink.
This is why Google is so good at assessing whether a link is quality.
You must go beyond metrics like Domain Rating and Domain Authority.
Look at the quality of the websites from which you build links – How To Do A Backlink Audit In Under 45 Minutes.
✅ 1. Build A Prospect List
✅ 2. Qualify Prospects
✅ 3. Find Contact Information
✅ 4. Prepare Outreach Strategy
✅ 5. Execute Outreach Campaign
✅ 6. Track And Analyse Results
- Patent Name: Ranking Nodes in a Linked Database Based on Node Independence
- Patent Number: US8719276
- Patent Summary: Diverse inbound links from independent sites are more valuable for ranking than those from affiliated networks.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Ever wondered why some sites rank with ease while others struggle?
Well, Google has a secret weapon: the Ranking Nodes in a Linked Database Based on Node Independence patent.
This patent isn’t just about counting links; it’s about independence. Google’s system can spot clusters of sites controlled by the same entity. And what happens?
It doesn’t care about your internal linking within that network; it’s all about diverse, independent links from authority sites.
But here’s the thing…
Patent Image: Shows how the ranking engine is implemented in an internet search engine.
The patent introduces a voting system where sites vote based on their own rank. So a link from a high quality site is worth its weight in gold!
The system limits the ranking influence one site can have on another. Why? So you’re not putting all your eggs in one basket.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Ranking with this patent in mind is pretty simple. Just get diverse inbound links from independent and authority sites.
Real World Example: Let’s say you have a fitness blog. Instead of just linking with other fitness sites you own or have relationships with, you could:
- Guest post on a nutrition blog about the link between diet and exercise.
- Write for a parenting site that covers family fitness activities.
- Contribute to a business journal with categories on workplace wellness.
Instead of building a network of affiliated sites or always landing links in the same PR publication… You need to branch out.
Guest posting on various authority blogs? That’s right up Google’s alley.
But here’s the thing…
It’s not just about getting links from anywhere, you want links from trusted authorities. These are the sites that can give full votes in Google’s ranking system.
In short: natural link building is more important than ever.
See the difference? You’re getting links from diverse, independent sources all within your niche.
✅ 1. Find Independent and Authority Sites
✅ 2. Pitch for Guest Posting
✅ 3. Create Linkable Content
✅ 4. Check the Diversity and Quality of Inbound Links
- Patent Name: Predictive Searching and Associated Cache Management
- Patent Number: US20100318538A1
- Patent Summary: Authoritative backlinks boost content’s credibility, making it more likely to be included in predictive search results.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Google is better at evaluating backlinks than you might think. That’s why quality control is so important!
Their patent on Scoring Documents In A Linked Document Database provides some interesting insights into how they evaluate backlinks.
Patent Image: Outlines the system architecture, showing the interaction between the query manager, document manager, predictive result manager, predictive cache, and search engine.
The key takeaway?
Quality and relevance trump quantity every time. This isn’t exactly groundbreaking information in and of itself.
But the interesting part is that Google’s algorithm is sophisticated enough to distinguish between high-value editorial links and low-quality artificial ones.
It even further breaks these down into different link types (citations, endorsements, brand mentions etc).
Crazy, right?
The best way to boost your backlink profile is to acquire backlinks from websites that carry more weight in Google’s eyes.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Research high-quality websites in your industry.
Real World Example: If you run a fitness equipment ecommerce store, aim for a product review on a popular fitness blog or a feature in a ‘top gym equipment’ list on a respected sports news site.
You want to look for sites that have a branded presence online with high domain authority and have been featured on other major sites.
These sites can be as simple as an authority blog or as big as a well-known publication.
The key here is quality.
Google’s link graph assigns higher scores to authoritative and relevant websites.
Links from these high-scoring sites carry more weight in Google’s eyes. Think of it like getting a vote of confidence from the most respected players in your field.
Here’s why this matters:
- Links from high-scoring sites can significantly boost your own site’s authority
- Relevant links signal to Google that your content is valuable within your niche
- Editorial links, like mentions in industry publications, are particularly powerful
Bottom line: Focus on building relationships with authoritative publications in your industry.
Then, look for opportunities to build links!
Ideally, this is done through a win-win situation. Links from these sites are worth far more than a bunch of low-quality backlinks.
✅ 1. Identify High-Authority Sources
✅ 2. Create Quality, Relevant Content
✅ 3. Outreach And Relationship Building
✅ 4. Maintain Backlink Quality And Focus On What Works
- Patent Name: Identifying a synonym with N-gram agreement for a query phrase
- Patent Number: US8321201
- Patent Summary: High-quality backlinks are a significant factor in the machine learning model’s ranking algorithm, indicating trustworthiness and authority.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Google’s Machine Learning Ranking patent introduces a new level of complexity to using links in the ranking algorithm.
But this is the interesting part…
The system analyses link structures and patterns, distinguishing between high-quality and low-quality links.
Patent Image: Likely depicts the process of feature generation from documents and queries.
It values backlinks from reputable, authoritative sources within relevant industries more. And Google has the capability to analyse all of these factors.
That means earning diverse, high-quality and natural backlinks from respected websites in your field is likely more important than ever.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
The machine learning algorithm doesn’t just look at individual links in isolation.
It considers the overall link structure, the link’s authority, how it relates to your content, and how users interact with your site after following these links.
Impressive, right?
That means you need to develop a holistic link building strategy that goes beyond just building the same types of links.
Focus on diversifying your link building, but ensure that you are only building quality links from quality websites.
Real World Example: If you run an ecommerce store for home office furniture, getting a link from a well-known home design magazine is ideal. It’s authoritative, diverse, and niche-relevant, making it more valuable to Google than a content site with a simillar domain rating
The more links you get from “authority sources”, the more Google will associate your website as an authority source.
That’s exactly what you want!
✅ 1. Research Authority Trusted Sites And Qualify
✅ 2. Create Engagement-Focused Content
✅ 3. Reach Out To Let Them Know About Your Content
✅ 4. Monitor Link Impact
- Patent Name: Predictive Searching and Associated Cache Management
- Patent Number: US20100318538A1
- Patent Summary: Authoritative backlinks boost content’s credibility, making it more likely to be included in predictive search results.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Patent Image Outlines the system architecture, showing the interaction between the query manager, document manager, predictive result manager, predictive cache, and search engine.
Google doesn’t evaluate every relevant site for every search.
The patent shows that Google “pre-computes” the search results for common search queries.
This simply means that Google pre-prepares the search results ahead of time, and the rankings only change periodically.
Think of it like how caching works for a website.
Google calculates the rankings for a search query and stores them on the server. When someone searches for that query, the page loads fast because the algorithm has pre-calculated the order of website rankings.
But here’s the thing:
This system favours high-quality, authoritative content that frequently receives backlinks from reputable sources.
Backlinks are a significant factor in whether your content makes it into predictive searches.
It also suggests that fresh and regularly updated content has an advantage. Once you’re in, it will likely provide a massive boost to your traffic!
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Start by creating authoritative content that is likely to get new backlinks naturally and regularly.
This is especially important for competitive keyword searches!
Let me explain…
Real World Example: If you run a home gardening blog, getting links from agricultural research institutions, gardening magazines, and authoritative gardening blogs is a signal that your content is quality. This boosts your chance of being added to the “cache”.
The patent shows that Google scores a document’s (pages) relevance.
If a page has links from well-known sources, Google scores it higher. This works the same for freshness and quality content.
Creating link-worthy, well-researched and valuable content will position the page to be included in predictive searches.
✅ 1. Create High-Quality, Link-Worthy Content
✅ 2. Target High-Quality Backlink Sources
✅ 3. Monitor And Optimise For Predictive Cache
- Patent Name: Document Scoring Based on Link-Based Criteria
- Patent Number: US8407231
- Patent Summary: Prevents the document from being classified as ‘stale’ and maintains or improves its ranking based on natural link growth.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Ever noticed how some sites age like fine wine while others go stale faster than yesterday’s bread?
Well, Google’s Document Scoring Based on Link-Based Criteria patent isn’t just about counting backlinks.
It’s about the growth of those backlinks over time.
Patent Image: Outlines the processing steps for scoring documents based on link data.
Google can monitor the rate of new links to your site; it’s about steady growth, not bursts.
Nothing we didn’t know? Well…
The patent considers the inception date for link growth and uses this to determine whether your content is “fresh” or “stale.”
Meaning it’s processed with the content freshness algorithm for quality scoring.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Ranking with this patent in mind is all about playing the long game. The key is to focus on building high quality backlinks over time not in bursts.
Let me explain:
Instead of trying to game the system with quick link building schemes, you need to build relationships. Think marathon, not sprint.
Building connections with industry influencers? That’s music to Google’s ears.
Real World Example: Building relationships with industry influencers to get natural backlinks.
Let’s say you run a tech review blog. Instead of buying a bunch of backlinks all at once, you could:
Build relationships with tech influencers and get mentioned in their content regularly Create valuable, shareable content that attracts links over time Engage in industry events and get cited in event wrap-ups and reports
But here’s the thing:
It’s not just about getting any old links. You want high quality backlinks from reputable sources. These are the links that will keep your content fresh in Google’s eyes.
In short… Natural link growth is more important than ever.
See the difference? You’re getting high quality backlinks over time not in bursts.
✅ 1. Identify Backlink Sources
✅ 2. Engage with Influencers
✅ 3. Create Content for Backlinking
✅ 4. Monitor Link Growth
- Patent Name: Method and Apparatus for Clustering News Online Content Based on Content Freshness and Quality of Content Source
- Patent Number: US9361369B
- Patent Summary: Associating content with authoritative sources enhances its credibility and can lead to improved search engine rankings.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Google’s patent on clustering news content reveals a crucial aspect of evaluating and ranking content based on source quality.
How does it work?
Patent Image Illustrates the overall environment and system architecture where these processes are executed making it the best fit for this section.
Google’s system evaluates the quality of content sources using metrics like circulation statistics, views, and links.
They also look at source metadata, including:
- Author information
- Publication date
- Citations
- References
- Content type
…and more.
This helps them work out which sources are trustworthy and authoritative.
That means collaborating with well-branded, large, reputable sites considered authority sources can significantly boost your website’s credibility.
But that’s not all…
Even linking to well-known and trusted sources in your own content can potentially improve your site’s perceived authority in Google’s eyes.
Think of it as an association through outbound links.
The key point of this patent is that being grouped with high-authority source sites is likely to improve your content’s visibility significantly.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
This is a two-step SEO action:
Both work hand in hand to boost your website’s credibility.
Let me explain:
Google’s system evaluates sources using several key metrics:
These metrics help Google determine which sources are most authoritative and trustworthy.
Real World Example: Let’s say you run a finance content site. Quoting analysts from financial publications, referencing major reports, and collaborating with respected financial news journalists are all great ways to boost credibility.
Building links and gaining mentions from high-quality sources can increase your website’s authority.
Additionally, linking to these reputable sites signals to Google that your content is trustworthy.
This combined approach enhances the authority and credibility of your website.
✅ 1. Identify High-Authority Sources
✅ 2. Build Authority Backlinks And Collaborate
✅ 3. Optimise Your Website Content
✅ 4. Monitor And Adjust Your Strategy
- Patent Name: Ranking Based on Reference Contexts
- Patent Number: US8577893
- Patent Summary: Diverse link contexts help prevent spammy patterns and ensure that links are seen as relevant and trustworthy by search engines.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
The Ranking Based On Reference Contexts patent shows that Google evaluates the relevance of each link by examining the words and phrases surrounding each link.
Google looks at the “context” of the link in the content.
Patent Image Diagram of network configuration, essential for understanding document parsing and context analysis.
Context simply means that Google can easily identify if the link was naturally placed based on the content around it.
More relevance typically means a more valuable link.
That’s why context is so important!
This is also probably why Google has become very good at identifying spammy, unnatural links.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Place links within varied and relevant contexts (words/phrases) across different pages to avoid spammy patterns.
But diversifying your link contexts isn’t just about avoiding spam flags – it’s also about creating rich, varied signals of relevance and authority.
Real World Example: If you are building links to your article ‘The Benefits of a Balanced Diet,’ you can vary the words, phrases, and anchor text to cover different benefits.
Here’s what I mean:
Using different contexts can increase the value of both internal and external links.
That means that the words and phrases around your links are crucial for determining each link’s value to your site.
What’s more?
Google’s algorithm creates hash-based identifiers for each link context.
These identifiers help Google understand the uniqueness and relevance of each link placement.
The big takeaway is that you must ensure that your links are surrounded by relevant, unique and descriptive content.
This will help you avoid spammy link patterns and as a bonus…
Squeeze the most “juice” from each link.
For example:
✅ 1. Review Current Links
✅ 2. Mix Up Your Link Descriptions
✅ 3. Spread Out Link Variety
✅ 4. Check And Improve
- Patent Name: Generating Synthetic Descriptive Text
- Patent Number: US9208232B1
- Patent Summary: High-quality backlinks contribute to the credibility of your content, and when these links are contextually relevant, they enhance the quality of descriptive text generated by search engines.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
Patent Image Illustrates a search system interacting with user devices, which directly aligns with the description of the system identifying and working with linking resources.
Google almost always rewrites your meta-descriptions to display whatever they think is most likely to win the click.
Sometimes, this is text pulled from your page, other times the description you write and more often than not…
It’s the text they generate themselves.
Where does this generated text come from?
Well, Google often uses the content of websites linking to you to create templates for search result snippets.
Basically the content used around the links to your site are taken by Google and plugged into their templates.
These text phrases are then shown in the SERPs in place of your meta descriptions.
Crazy, right?
This means the quality and relevance of your backlinks directly impact how your content is represented in search results.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Build high-quality and contextually relevant backlinks to your site. This is especially important for your content pages.
Real World Example: You run an online store selling handmade pottery. Many of the high-quality sites linking to your pottery shop describe your products as “excellent handcrafted ceramic pieces with unique glazes.” Google might use this phrase as a template to generate your search snippet.
Google’s algorithm analyses the content of the linking website to create templates for descriptive text.
This is the text that often replaces your meta description.
High-quality, contextually relevant backlinks provide better data for this process. That means they have the potential to improve the accuracy and appeal of your content in organic search results.
The better your website is presented in the SERPs, the more clicks you’ll get.
✅ 1. Audit Current Backlinks
✅ 2. Improve Your Existing Backlinks
✅ 3. Build New Quality Backlinks
✅ 4. Optimise Link Context
✅ 5. Monitor And Refine
- Patent Name: Ranking Based on Reference Contexts
- Patent Number: US8577893
- Patent Summary: Including specific, less common words around links helps create a clearer context, which improves the relevance of the linked content.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
We all know that Google wants unique content.
But the Ranking Based On Reference Contexts patent showed that they have a particular interest in what they call “rare” words.
Patent Image: Shows the creation of context identifiers using rare words around the link
This is especially true for words surrounding links.
Google calls these “context identifiers.”
Context identifiers give Google more context about the link and the linked page. This helps the algorithm understand whether the link is relevant or not.
The patent seems to show that using unique and rare context words around your links can increase the link’s value on your website.
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
This is actually pretty simple…
Include relevant, less common words around links to create a strong context identifier.
Real World Example: Instead of writing: “For more information about gardening, click here.”
You could write: “Explore advanced permaculture techniques for sustainable urban gardening.”
Let me explain:
Using less common (rare) relevant words, you can create unique hash-based identifiers for each link context.
This is something your competitors won’t bother doing.
The patent shows this could improve the rankings of the linked page. It applies to both the surrounding words and the anchor text itself.
✅ 1. Audit Existing Links For Surrounding Text
✅ 2. List Unique And Relevant Terms For Your Industry
✅ 3. Optimise Your Link Context
✅ 4. Enhance Your Anchor Text
✅ 5. Monitor Performance And Refine Your Strategy
- Patent Name: Document-Based Synonym Generation
- Patent Number: US8762370B1
- Patent Summary: Titles and anchors are crucial for synonym generation, affecting how documents are retrieved during searches.
- FREE Resource: Download The Google Patent Checklist
We’ve talked a lot about how Google uses the content surrounding your links to better understand them.
But with this next patent – We are about to go up a level!
Google’s patent on document-based synonym generation shows that they don’t just look at exact keyword matches for rankings.
It describes a system that generates synonyms by examining words used in your page titles and link anchor text.
The algorithm also analyses their correlation with the page’s content.
Patent Image Related to the process of generating altered queries.
Sound complicated?
It’s actually pretty simple…
This synonym generation process allows Google to understand the broader context of your content and create semantic relationships between linked pages.
This potentially enables your page to rank for more related keywords.
Here’s the cool part:
Just by being strategic with the words used in page titles and anchor text, you can increase the number of keywords a linked page ranks for.
Crazy, right?
✅ Download The Google Patent Checklist – Get all 88 actionable optimization tips from Google’s Patents.
Here’s what you need to do…
Ensure titles and anchors include important keywords to trigger Google’s synonym generation process.
Real World Example: Let’s say you have content about “Best Running Gear.”
To optimise for related queries, you could use anchor text like “top rated running shoes” when linking to this page.
You could also include phrases like “athletic footwear” or “jogging equipment” in the page’s headings and subheadings that link to that content.
This mostly applies to internal links and pages on your own website.
Including relevant synonyms in these areas allows you to expand the range of queries the linked content ranks for.
Don’t just plug your main target keyword into the anchor text. Use related terms that help Google understand the broader context of your content.
✅ 1. Audit Current Titles And Anchors
✅ 2. Research And Incorporate Synonyms
✅ 3. Check For SEO Best Practices
✅ 4. Monitor And Adjust
There is a ton of information in this post.
To help you implement these strategies effortlessly, we’ve created a downloadable PDF checklist covering just the practical takeaways.
The truth is that backlinks do more than just increase your site’s authority. They play a significant role in various aspects of Google’s algorithm.
The biggest takeaway is that you can optimise your links.
Don’t just build as many links as you can. Invest in the right link building strategies and ONLY build quality links that boost your rankings and traffic.
At the end of the end day, that’s the whole goal of link building!
What was your biggest takeaway? Drop it in the comments below!
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That is a great resource. Appreciate you for hardwork you did to help us build a solid link building strategy.
Glad it was helpful