Clicking results in SERP helps rank?

[Taghyra]

Does clicking on your listing in the SERP help increase your ranking?

And for instance let's say that often person A searches more for Shopping Related pages and person B searches for Baby Items pages, if both persons have a search for the same term, person A is going to start to see more shopping related sites in his results, and person B is going to see more Baby item results.

Google will over time modify the results you see in an attempt to better conform to what Google thinks you're interested in, based on your search patterns. Is this right? If so doesn't that mean that search results are very different for each person no matter if they're searching for the same term?

[Ajay]

I don't think so, since then it would be really easy to cheat the system.

[Sergio]

You're saying that based on my searching/clicking pattern, I could theoretically push my own site to the front page for a certain keyword on my computer only right? Interesting... but no that's not how it works based on my traffic stats.

[minnseoelite]

no, thats just a myth. if it was that easy everyone would do it ;)

[Elvis.]

Never heard off this one! :)

[Kyle]

It probably helps, but not alot. Remember there are over 200 different factors Google takes into consideration for each site. Google has to keep their algorithm a secret to maintain their monopoly in the search game.

[Benahue]

It does help. I used to think that it didn't, and that only backlinks were important. Then I saw bh programs that manipulated it, and it is one of the factors in the rankings. But I don't think it really helps that much..

[minnseoelite]

i don't think it would help, google can see that its the same IP over and over. if you want to try it i would get a bunch of people to do it once or twice a day then maybe you might see a small gain....if you think 2 or 3 spots is worth the hassle

[Kyle]

i don't think it would help, google can see that its the same IP over and over. if you want to try it i would get a bunch of people to do it once or twice a day then maybe you might see a small gain....if you think 2 or 3 spots is worth the hassle


Exactly, it's not about the same IP doing it. It's about people really clicking on it because a better title, description, etc. It's probably a tiny amount of help, but it definitely is not going to hurt!

[lyzyrdgyzyrd]

Back in the old days pre-2001 there were a few small search engines that used clickthroughs as a ranking factor. That's probably where the myth is rooted.

[PGZ]

If that be the case the ones up top that get the most clicks would always be there....On Top.........

[jvuonger]

maybe they take bounce rate into account...if a person clicks on the top link and doesn't find what they want, they click the next one and so on. If google tracks this, they can determine which website actually has to quality content that searchers are looking for.

The truth is, there are too many variables and nobody knows 100% how google's algorithm works. =P

[geg2]

Based on this Google patent, it is possible that user behavior influences rankings.

http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsrchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=%2220050071741%22.PGNR.&OS=DN/20050071741&RS=DN/20050071741

[0092] User Behavior

[0093] According to an implementation consistent with the principles of the invention, information corresponding to individual or aggregate user behavior relating to a document over time may be used to generate (or alter) a score associated with the document. For example, search engine 125 may monitor the number of times that a document is selected from a set of search results and/or the amount of time one or more users spend accessing the document. Search engine 125 may then score the document based, at least in part, on this information.

[0094] If a document is returned for a certain query and over time, or within a given time window, users spend either more or less time on average on the document given the same or similar query, then this may be used as an indication that the document is fresh or stale, respectively. For example, assume that the query "Riverview swimming schedule" returns a document with the title "Riverview Swimming Schedule." Assume further that users used to spend 30 seconds accessing it, but now every user that selects the document only spends a few seconds accessing it. Search engine 125 may use this information to determine that the document is stale (i.e., contains an outdated swimming schedule) and score the document accordingly.

[0095] In summary, search engine 125 may generate (or alter) a score associated with a document based, at least in part, on information corresponding to individual or aggregate user behavior relating to the document over time.

[minnseoelite]

and it also says that in order to get results you would need to stay on the site for X amount of time and view X amount of pages per visit. your time would be better spent adding content, getting incoming links, and analyzing and tweaking your site for higher rankings