I have one of my own sites that I believe is being messed with. This particular site is in a competitive niche and I am on the first page (#3). My bounce rate is around 30% and people stay on my site for an average of 4 - 5 minutes. However, the last week, I've noticed on my GA (Google Analytics) that my traffic has gone through the roof and my bounce rate has risen to about 80%. I then dropped in the SERPs by two posiltions. What I'm afraid is that someone has targeted me and going to my index page and leaving very quickly. However, I wouldn't mind that, but if seems like it has effected my ranking in the SERPs. Is this possible??? Also - other questions... 1) My first question is - how can I find out if these are bots (though bots can't read javascript (the GA code snippit) so I'm thinking it can't be them (unless someone has made a bot to read JS)). 2) Also - on GA, do they have a log-file analytics where I can see the IP addresses coming through? - possibly to see if they are the same IP addresses that's staying on one page and leaving (that way I believe I can get Google Analytics not to count them). 3) If GA does have a log-file analytics - is there a way to find out if someone is using proxies to do this in order to mask their real IP? 4) Anyway in the world that there is a possibility of suing whoever these scumbags are if I find out (I know - the chances are probably none).
It's never been established whether or not Google counts - not bounce rate per se - but returns to serps, but it seems likely that it is one of the 200+ factors. Not a large one, however, and it seems unlikely that alone would cause you to drop in serps. No GA doesn't have log files. Your host/server has log-files. And no, you can't sue someone for clicking on a Google result too many times. Firstly you'd have to prove who did, and you'd have to have co-operation from Google to confirm that's where they came from and that it was doing some harm Find from your logs who is doing it, and block them by htaccess by Ip address