Thanks to newly released court documents from the U.S. Department of Justice’s case against Google—and a detailed technical summary by Brett Tabke of Search Engine World—we now have rare insight into the actual systems Google uses to rank websites. This is the first time in years that we’ve seen such a direct confirmation of how Google’s search engine stack really works.
If you own a website or rely on search traffic, this is worth understanding. Here’s the breakdown—no technical background needed.
Google’s Ranking Stack: A Combination of Old-School Logic and Modern AI
- PageRank: The Foundation
PageRank is Google’s original system for ranking websites, and yes—it’s still very much in use. This system evaluates how many other websites link to a page and how authoritative those linking websites are. Think of it like votes of confidence: the more credible sites link to yours, the more trustworthy Google considers your content.
What this means for your website ranking: Earning backlinks from respected websites is still a major factor in getting higher search visibility.
- Navboost: The Human Signal
Navboost isn’t about links—it’s about people. Specifically, what users click on, how long they stay on a page, and whether they return to Google to click something else. Navboost collects over a year’s worth of user behavior data and uses it to adjust rankings.
What this means for your website ranking: If users consistently choose your page and engage with it, Navboost rewards you with better rankings—even if your page doesn’t have the most links. Essentially, Google watches what people do. If your content makes people happy, you’ll move up.
- RankEmbed: AI That Understands Meaning
RankEmbed is part of Google’s shift toward using machine learning. It’s a deep-learning model that creates “embeddings,” or numerical representations of web pages and search queries. These embeddings help Google understand context and meaning—not just keywords.
What this means for your website ranking: RankEmbed helps Google know that a page about “sneakers for jogging” is relevant to someone searching “best running shoes.” That means keyword matching is no longer enough—your content has to genuinely address user intent. Essentially, RankEmbed helps Google match pages to searches even when the words don’t exactly match.
