Absurd Presumption Of The New Google Algorithm
Google search engine | March 10th, 2008 | 4 CommentsSEO Optimization recommends you WordZe. Advanced web based keyword research tool that gives you detailed results on which keywords work for your business.
If you have been interested into SEO for a bit of time now and have been reading different blogs, articles or followed different discussions on search engine optimization techniques on webmaster forums you have most likely end up into the blessed SEO Myths.
The reason why people write a such seo myths is really not clear, perhaps its a presumption because of a fact that has happened (for example, I am convinced that website meta description tag does help in rankings, maybe doesn’t make magic but it definitively helps) or the other reason why people write such myths is just for writing, whatever the reason is some times these myths are so funny that neither the author truly believe in what he/she is writing other myths tho create confusion and long discussions.
The latest one regards about the Google Algorithm (well mainly most things related to search engine optimization are some how related to Google search engine as well). But before I even express my opinion on this topic I would like to quote what was said.
Now your asking how is it going to be changed, Google will soon be looking at factors such as: Visitors, Time on Site, Bounce Rate etc. – Basically all the information that you can get from Google Analytics, nearly every web site on the net is hooked up to Analytics, so they are going to utilise this information and add this to there algo.
Reading that paragraph that the thread opener wrote makes me wonder what he had in mind when he opened the thread? And I will try to briefly explain why I think all that is absurd.
- Visitors can be tracked on the side of Google, but only the number of the visitors that Google search engine delivers to the site. So it must have “rankings” in order to rank (my opinion, “rankings” = if ranking should be based on visitors)
- Time On Site can be some how tracked if
- Site webmaster is using Google analytics to track traffic of his site
- Site webmaster must be using Google AdSense on their site, so that Google could get informations about user behavior on the site
- All internet users must be using the Google toolbar or another browser plugin and share data with Google
If Google’s algorithm would be based on time on site it should some how get his hands on your site or on all your users and their behavior while they are surfing your site. And how would DigitalPoint rank since sometimes I join the forum, go out for a drink and don’t turn off the computer?
- Bounce Rate just as for the other metrics Google has to have his hands via Google Analytics, AdSense, Google toolbar or anything that is related to Google to get a picture of your sites bounce rate..unless Google has some sort of agreements with browser developing names to share data (without our acknowledgment) with Google.
Presuming that Google search engine can have its hands on major websites online through Google analytics, AdSense or even Google toolbar basing the algorithm on such informations will require lots of time, resources, servers and what so not and based on the informations they would gather Google search engine could determine the rankings of a site in the SERPs. But what does this mean, that sites which are not using any of the Google services/products rankings are going to sunk?
There were funded rumors that Google was going to change their algorithm and the new google algorithm is supposed to fight search engine spam (read, to fight those that are making money online by selling text links that pass PR/Link juice), but taking such an approach, or even thinking about such approach for me is absurd.
Is it Google that is trying to confuse webmasters…or is that the thread opener has the ideas confused? Well i call this bull*beep* but time will tell.
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Google are bound to update their algos to take some of this “stuff” into account but to have it as a mjaor influence on rankings is just crazy talk. The stats we get from even the most accurate stats packages are at best 80% accurate, it would be like basing search ranking on Alexa ranking!
Indeed it is just crazy. I have websites that have a pretty high Alexa ranking and have more traffic than the lower alexa ranking (i think this is how we met, on alexa talk no? lol).
The fact is that all tracking systems are based on javascript, and not all users have javascript enabled on their site. But still remains the fact that Google can’t get his hands on all the websites on the WWW and this would not bring an accurate results (it would sound like, if you use Google analytics or give access to Google your site is good).
P.S. I got a music related sites with UK traffic, don’t have the time and neither the idea what do with it, drop me an email if you are interested or have ideas.
I can’t see how they could even calculate half the stuff. Using Google toolbar? They will end up being as accurate as Alexa.
It would definitively be a complex algorithm if they will have to base the rankings on such data, and as you said…they would be as accurate as Alexa. On a second point of view, a website that has more pageviews and a lower bounce rate is definitively a sign of quality content, but not all sites are about content…