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I'd like to try an SEO experiment
Posted by richrf • 5/24/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: google, google analytics, page ranking, SEO, serp, traffic
Hi,
I want to try out an hypothesis of mine that Google is using Analytics for its page rankings (SERP).
What I need is a bunch of people to visit my site at:
www.links.com
You don't have to do anything (though comments are always welcomed), but just stay there and browse around for a minute or so. I want to see if a boost in traffic and visit time, affects SERP. If you want to see the results for yourself, type in "TV Links". Right now I am about number 22 for these keywords. Other keywords of note are "game links" and "video links". Sometimes I show up for plain ole "links" but most of the time not. I want to see if it will move into the top 15. Anyone want to try this out? Let me know if you visited. Thanks.
Rich
User Comments
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Will do, you're lucky I'm bored tonight
Besides I could use some free tv. -
Thanks for being bored .... oh, I mean for helping me out. :-)
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When has there ever been correlation between time on site and a specific SERP. Even if you do improve your rankings it will be impossible to conclude that the result was because you got a handful of people to click through to your site from this discussion thread. Amazing that you put this under blogging help, when it should be in a category called Shameful Self Promotion, which in fact doesn't exist.-
Hi there,
Actually, I wrote an article on this subject on my blog a while ago at:
www.links.com/internet-technology-links/google-analytics-seo-toolbar-changi...
Most SEO experts agreed with me, on the SEO forums. This is the first chance I have to try to test out the hypothesis. It is really about learning more about SEO, though I agree that the effect may be too small to measure. But actually, I have seen SERP go up with traffic in the past. So I wouldn't be to quick to dismiss this. I think "links" are passe.
Rich -
Unless you control all other variables you cannot prove anything.
Google would not increase your position in the SERPs simply based on time spent on your site from a few visitors. I could see a possibility if they see a large, diverse number of visitors coming to your site and spending more time on it. However the way you are conducting this experiment will not prove anything. Visitor won't be material, page views wont be material, length of time on site won't be material and you are unable to control all other variables.
Ive been in SEO for a long time now and traffic does not drive SERPs. You may think it does simply because a well SEO'd site, with a crusty domain, that has a bunch of unique content, typically will see increased traffic over time. To some degree increased traffic will result in higher serps when visitors like the site and start linking to it. However this is not the same conclusion as the one you are suggesting. The one you are suggesting makes little sense except in rare situations where Google identifies a major interest in a site. Your site would not fall into that category based on a handful of visitors from this discussion.
Sweet domain! -
Hi Tony,
The reason I even suggest this, is that I have had some actual experiences to this effect. There was a period of time, when I had about 30% more traffic than I have now (factors that I had no control over), and indeed time spent on my site was about 100% more than now, and my SERP ranking for "TV Links" was in the top 10. When traffic died (because I was ignoring the site, so did my SERP. The number of links didn't change much, since I didn't have many links to begin with (you can look at the content and understand why.
)
I agree, there are many variables, but things have been very static for a while on my domain, so if I add some new behavior I actually may see something, and would be happy to relate to you my findings.
Thanks for the comments.
Rich -
Thinking from Google's perspective and goal of relevant search results, why would your hypothesis make sense?
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There are two things that Google is looking for:
1) Quality sites
2) Ad conversion
The original design of Google used links as votes in order to determine quality sites for the SERPs. However, instead of using links (or in addition to links), Google can use actual traffic as well as time spent on the site as an alternative way of voting. In other words, visitors are voting with the time that they are willing to devote to a site.
At the same time, Google can use data to match up visitors with their CTR patterns for a given site. By combining quality with conversion, Google can achieve its dual goals.
Rich -
It's too easy to manipulate. I didn't disagree with your hypothesis. However I believe if they are analyzing time spent on a site and increases in visitors for purposes of determining SERPS, then it will only apply in extreme cases. The changes would need to be material. Your test, increasing traffic by 10 or so visitors from here, will not be material.
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I don't think so. Probably less so than links which are extremely easy to manipulate.
There was some discussion on my posting on one of the SEO forums, and the potential algorithms to minimize tampering were discussed. I think with some amount of filtering, a fairly accurate picture can be drawn, though anything can be gamed, given enough effort.
Rich -
Well we must stop blogging and then go shopping
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I like your layout by the way, very professional and easy to navigate.
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Thanks Drowsey. I'm actually going to be changing the format, because I am really, really bored of TV and Movie links. I am going to a newspaper format using the Revolution News Theme:
www.revolutiontheme.com/themes/revolution-news
It will give me some breathing room. I just have to be careful, not to lose my really hard earned Google SERP. But I do need a vacation from TV and Movies. Wish me luck!
Rich-
Interesting. I take it this is your business then?
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Hi there Drowsey,
In a manner of speaking, it is my business, and I do take it seriously, when I am being serious. My hypothesis right now is that traffic drives SERP which in turn drives more traffic. I think Google has become much more sophisticated in his algorithms, and no longer looks that much at links, which can be manipulated. I think it is looking at sites that visitors find interesting (by voting with their time), and which are good for Google Adwords (click-thru-rate). It is tough to prove this, without a decent set of experiments, but SEO experts agree with me. My guess is that they have run their own private experiments, using large networks.
Rich-
well dude, that just went way over my head ... but good luck with all that.
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Over my head too. :-) Thanks for the comment on the blog.
Rich -
I say you sell that domain name and sail around the world -
I rather be on BlogCatalog. :-)
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I say links.com could be turned into a $50 million domain!
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$50 million would be a good goal. But I need an idea and then I have to implement. I think I have a long way to go. :-) But I have patience.
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ideas are all over...don't have patience move forward!
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Gotcha...hope it helps.-
Thanks there wolfcreek. At this time, I don't think I am going to get enough fuel in the tank here to make a difference in the traffic, but we'll see. I got about 8% more from this post, and I estimate that I need at least a 30% increase, to make Google move. If it moves, I'll let everyone know.
Rich
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Interesting. My SERP for links.com (Free TV Links, Movie, Games Links.com) was 22 yesterday. I got a 6% boost in traffic from BlogCatalog today. Not that much, and I didn't think it would have much affect, but as of right now, I am #16 for TV Links (a pretty heavily used keyword combination). That is pretty good. I wonder if I can get to my goal of 15.
I know that the effect will go away, but it seems to confirm to me that traffic does affect Google's ranking. Visitor time spent on average is still low at 39 seconds, so I do not think that this will have much effect.-
Interesting returns...I wasn't aware that the algorithm favored time involved so much more than traffic.
Thanks for sharing the details. -
Hi there,
I wrote this article on my blog a while ago:
www.links.com/internet-technology-links/google-analytics-seo-toolbar-changi...
Basically, I present my hypothesis about Google using data from Google Analytics, Google Toolbar, and other data sources, to locate sites that have a good amount of traffic and visitors spend time on the site. The article was discussed on several SEO forums, and most SEO analysts agreed that Google has moved or is moving in this direction.
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Wow , very Interesting discussion, though I am not much aware of SEO stuff.
Please point me link to some good SEO Sites just to gain knowledge. -
I'd like to try a little experiment. Could all of you visit my blog at least a dozen times each week, leave glowing comments, tell all of your friends (and have them tell all of their friends), and I'll report back on how many hundreds upon hundreds of visitors I'm getting? It's in the interest of science, people!-
After you finish visiting and commenting on Brian's site, please do visit mine - I'm conducting an experiment in which I want to measure the number of visitors and correlate them to the number of comments I receive. LMAO
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