Do on page metrics actually count?

thegoat99 · Dec 3, 2012

So every forum i read these days seems to have some stuff about bounce rate, number of page views etc all being part of the algorithm. What's your take on that? In terms of giving a good user experience and creating a brand, return visitors etc. i feel on page metrics are important, but algorithmically i'm not sure they play any role. What dy'all think?

Aegean · Dec 4, 2012

Absolutely they do. If you have a 90% bounce rate, an average of 1 page per visitor and a time on-site of 5 seconds, your site can't be that relevant to the conducted search. Relevant results are what Google is all about.

They may not discuss it much you can bet your bottom dollar the data is incorporated.

Some further reading about bounce rates for your information:

boxfish · Dec 4, 2012

Another link to show Google are measuring time on site

http://searchengineland.com/google-confirms-hidden-benefit-of-authorship-134526

eddieb · Dec 4, 2012

Ignoring Google, if people are not staying on your site they are not making you any money.
Make sure the pages load quickly, that the navigation is simple to understand, and that when people get to the page they want they can find what they have been looking for.

bermuda · Dec 6, 2012

I believe bounce rate is not an integral part of the Google ranking algorithm because it is actually something affecting your website's interaction with the audience. It is possible to maintain a number one position on Google, even for a very competitive term but through using a poor web template, the majority of the visitors will leave the spot as soon as they visit it. Now, in such cases the way pages have been created, usage of graphics, arrangement of text paragraphs, etc. will play crucial roles.

thegoat99 · Dec 6, 2012

eddieb said:
Ignoring Google, if people are not staying on your site they are not making you any money.
Make sure the pages load quickly, that the navigation is simple to understand, and that when people get to the page they want they can find what they have been looking for.

One of my highest earnings sites had an average time on site of about 20 seconds, so I'd have to disgagree with that. People not staying on my site is precisely what's making me money.

cc976a · Dec 6, 2012

bermuda said:
I believe bounce rate is not an integral part of the Google ranking algorithm because it is actually something affecting your website's interaction with the audience. It is possible to maintain a number one position on Google, even for a very competitive term but through using a poor web template, the majority of the visitors will leave the spot as soon as they visit it. Now, in such cases the way pages have been created, usage of graphics, arrangement of text paragraphs, etc. will play crucial roles.

I would disagree - this is exactly what Google want to measure. They don't want to provide top spot to a site that can't keep the majority of it's visitors for 5 seconds without bouncing back.

Now whether Google have algorithms capturing this information dynamically for every site - or just piggy backing on to data held in Analytics - is another question

boxfish · Dec 6, 2012

cc976a said:
I would disagree - this is exactly what Google want to measure. They don't want to provide top spot to a site that can't keep the majority of it's visitors for 5 seconds without bouncing back.

Now whether Google have algorithms capturing this information dynamically for every site - or just piggy backing on to data held in Analytics - is another question

Presumably they can get a good measure either by

i) how long you leave the results page for

ii) how long until the average adsense click

iii) how long until you click though to another site with analytics installed

so they don't necessarily need analytics. Also if you do click back and go back to the results page then the 'remove result from my searches' link appears on personalised results. Clicking this must have some impact

eddieb · Dec 6, 2012

thegoat99 said:
One of my highest earnings sites had an average time on site of about 20 seconds, so I'd have to disgagree with that. People not staying on my site is precisely what's making me money.

Thats unusual. If so, then I would have to say bounce rates are irrelevant for you even if Google considers them noteworthy.
Would you mind pm-ing me your url, I'd like to see your site to see how that works

Blossom · Dec 6, 2012

eddieb said:
Thats unusual. If so, then I would have to say bounce rates are irrelevant for you even if Google considers them noteworthy.
Would you mind pm-ing me your url, I'd like to see your site to see how that works

Well, the problem really is that it's in Google's best interests to favour a higher bounce rate on sites running Adsense. Obviously it's not as good as someone clicking an ad in the SERPs, but it's better than nothing.

Conflict of interest.

namdas · Dec 7, 2012

I think the main thing to consider is whether your bounce rate is unnatural for the niche your site is in

30 seconds on site might be fine for a site displaying a weather forecast, but not a site that ranks for 'history of britain'

Perhaps more important than pure bounce rate is whether a user clicks your site, hits back and selects another site from the serps within a short space of time - this suggests they were unhapy with the result and are seeking further information.

In terms of what they know... As well as click data from the serps, many new computers come with Google toolbar installed, analytics and adsense units can both be used for tracking, and google probably buy data direct from ISPs in the same way Hitwise and Compete.com do too. Certainly enough data to be statistically significant.

I definitely think Google is using this data and it has become a major factor in more recent Panda iterations - however if you are not yet on the front or second page and have low traffic it may not be worth worrying aobut until you are

But above all else - regardless of Google - what is written above is correct: you want your page metrics to be good as you want someone to convert on your site. If people are failing to do so you are leaving money on the table.

Murray · Dec 7, 2012

Well, I think it's already been said but..

Ignoring google, if you have a large bounce rate, unless you have adverts that you get paid for them being viewed, you aren't going to be making money.

Also it's been said but niche is very important, something like breakdown recovery.. someone will come to a website, get the number and leave and there's nothing wrong with that.

In the end, if you are giving the visitor what they want and you're making money that is the main thing.

ps. Links are still the most important ranking factor, no linky no ranky.

cc976a · Dec 7, 2012

I struggle with it's Googles accuracy, particularly in Analytics

I have a site with a high bounce rate (90%) but stats show 18% of unique visitors sign up to the site, in which they'd view another page nullifying the bounce.

You do the maths! Even if one was slightly out it would mean either someone bounces or signs up - with nothing in between.

Anyone else notice unusual patterns?

Murray · Dec 7, 2012

cc976a said:
I struggle with it's Googles accuracy, particularly in Analytics

I have a site with a high bounce rate (90%) but stats show 18% of unique visitors sign up to the site, in which they'd view another page nullifying the bounce.

You do the maths! Even if one was slightly out it would mean either someone bounces or signs up - with nothing in between.

Anyone else notice unusual patterns?

Is it 90% average bounce across the sites pages or 90% of all users.

cc976a · Dec 7, 2012

Good question - if you load Analytics which one is the staring-you-in-the-face % Bouce Rate on the Dashboard?

raysaj · Dec 13, 2012

90% bounce rate does seem to be awfully high, but whether the bounce rate will be a ranking factor further remains to be seen but it definitely is something that is taking over now...