Is human behavior and search result correlated? What if Google is using data from Google analytics and other channels to modify SERPs, using your site's data against you. Though it cannot be proved beyond doubt that it happens as most evidences are circumstantial, it very well could. I would like you to share your thoughts and any related experience on this issue.
They cannot, and I really doubt they'd use that data. For some sites, the visitor may go to other pages on the site, while on others, the page that he lands on might give him everything.
I did read a few compelling articles on this subject some time ago (they are not recent) and you too could read them at http://www.internetbusiness.co.uk/08072008/why-you-need-to-understand-bounce-rates/ http://www.ibrian.co.uk/14-12-2007/google-using-bounce-rates-for-ranking-purposes/ Most people are concerned about data privacy and so am I. If Google somehow feed site data into it algo it could very well be used against us.Even if it was used for us I would not be too pleased. Google never said it would do so and it is a shear breach of trust. However it also got me thinking.What if they used it to make search results more relevant just by using he browsing and search behavior of users?? Will it not be more beneficial??
I also think they don't use this analytics, adsense and other resources data to manipulate search engine rankings. It's just a thought not practical. Because there are plenty of sites those do not use analytics and adsense but still getting gud serp's then what happen in this case. I also have sites in which i never use analytics as tracker but getting gud positions................ So it is just a thought not practical.............
Maybe you are right. Not all websites use any Google channels and therefore possibly fall outside the ambit of this discussion. I was more keen on discussing that if search engines in general incorporated human browsing behavior in some form in their algorithms, will the search results be more relevant that what it already is??
They don't have control on natural results that's why they are updating their algorithm regularly. And ignorance directory backlinks and links from relevant sites by google is the first step to make search engine rankings more relevant and natural. Because with these techniques people are manipulating search engine rankings. And your thought might be they cud use but right now they are using completely imaginary............
Didn't I hear somewhere before that the relevance of a page, per its keywords, is partially determined on how many users click on that web site, for its particular keywords, in Google search engine results pages? It has been years ago, and I believe it was in a SEO book. It said that popularity of a site, based on click in SERPs, for particular keywords, will make that site more "relevant" in Google's eyes; therefore, potentially yielding higher rankings for that search term (or search terms). Maybe this is some very "old school" belief or theory, and never really was true at all. I just recall reading it when I was giving SEO a shot for the very first time about 8 or 9 years ago... I will try to find the actual reference for you, and post it. Wouldn't this be considered an equal ("equal" to your original reference about manipulating Analytics data) SERPs manipulation by Google?
Did you mean to say that search engines have no control over organic rankings?? Well they designed the algorithm so they should know why a particular pages ranks higher than the other. They are the ones who fed those ranking parameters into their search algorithm. But the links to the two articles, one of which details an experiment positively conclude that statistic accumulated from Google analytics (showing human behavior) somehow triggered a change in SERPs.
It very well will be Tara. I too recollect reading something on those lines. However apart from a very few experiments (one of which I quoted in my post) most of the evidence to support this is not factual and more circumstantial. I myself have had no such scenarios which could clearly depict that behavioral data somehow played a role in SERPs. I would like it too since I believe that it could help make SERPs more relevant. But on the other hand it could also be open to abuse. The other issue was that if at all Google used data collected from Analytics and other channels, to which Google can tap into directly, it would raise a lot of privacy concerns. Google has never (at least in my knowledge) publicaly admitted that it is using such data to modify SERPs.
The main objective for Google's algorithm is to deliver natural, relevant results and to counter attempts by site owners to manipulate results in their favor. I think it's perfectly legitimate for Google to change its software as it sees fit to achieve that goal.
Agreed weblaunch but would is fair on Google's part to use data from Google Analytics that many people use, for or against them. Google has never, as far as I can remember that it would using our data. If it is then don't you think that Google is being dishonest?
Dude don't get aggressive i also know that they have control but what i wanna say they change their algo to have proper control on rankings. As you know many people do spamming when they know how they rank??? So try to understand my words........ i wud try to give something here to prove that it is just myth. For this i need sometime to do some research.
My apologies if that sounded aggressive to you, was not meant to be that way. I would really love to see a contradicting theory or some experiment of that sort. Would really help in clearing off some dust. Will wait.