Do you think viewing your competitors site can harm your rakings?

As part of google's algorithm I think they incorporate the click through rate on your site.

So say your site was #4 and people searching your keyword clicked on your site more than site #2 then you may get a ranking boost because google thinks visitors think your site is better.

Now my question is, do you think when you search your competiors and click their site after typing in your keyword, this gives them a boost?

 

Well, if you think it's such a big problem, then just don't click your competitors.
Copy and paste the URL and explore their sites, easy as that

Please don't tell me that you visit your site from Google in order to increase your SERP

P.S.: for the links in your signature, it will be better if you place some anchor text.

 

Is this confirmed or is this just another SEO theory? Where did you read this new Google algo? From Google?

 

No, I was just wondering as its a popular thing to type your keyword into google and click other sites rather than your own. I was just wondering people's opinions on this. I read an article that there are companies that sell SERP clicking services from different ips.

Don't worry I'm not one of those people who have nothing better to do than check my site in google.

Yeh, thanks I will change my sig links.

 

I have read it several times in articles that click through is a factor, but I don't know if it is true or not.

 

Google does keep track of click through rate. Just do a search on Google and check the tracking code. It use to be where they only tracked click-through a percent of the time, but it seems as if it is all the time now.

As for them using it as part of their rankings, I doubt it is directly. It is probably more of clicks per page, finding related material, etc.

 

I tend to just cut and paste the URL into the browser. Maybe it's SEO paranoia.. but who knows what Google actually factors in.

 

How often are you doing this? one or two clicks isn't going to influence anything.

 

I would make sense to use it though. As I said before, if a site lower down gets more clicks, then the user likes the content more, so it is more relevant.