Do you think google can detect when your link is clicked?

[SPC]

I don't know if this true and wondering if someone would clarify this. Say I posted some links in forums, blogs or whatever, do you think google would give more value to that link if people clicked on that link compared to a link that no one clicks and is most likely not as useful. By more people interacting with that link give it value?

Just a thought

[stacyk]

Hey SPC,
I say the answer is yes! Reasons i think so...
1. Google SERPS are hosted on their servers hence their search engine. (we all track our server hits/clicks/etc)
2. Google loves to data mine everything
3. There has been case studies outlining google "sniper" tools that seem to work but weigh in very little in SERPS ranking except only in very very small niches/keywords.
4. They love mining free data! LOL

Stacy

[yukon]

I will say yes ONLY, if at least one of the pages has Google Adsense or Google Analytics.

Otherwise no...

[RichardF]

Agreed, only if you have Adsense or Analytics, or if the user has Google software, like their toolbar or Chrome. The only way they'd be able to do it otherwise is if they were analyzing data streams from ISPs. Not saying they don't, but if they do they'd probably use it more for discovery than as a ranking signal.

[Abdullah0991]

thank you guys .. good answers

[SPC]

Thanks everyone. So all in all I guess it doesn't really matter too much

[linkwhizz]

Nobody really knows the answer to this...it would make sense though..surely a sign of a sites poularity is the amount of clicks it gets?!

there was a tool back last year, i cant remember the name now but thats basically what it did. It found your site in the rankings and then clicked it. It supposedly worked to increase rankings but I didnt go for it..

Search Engine Sniper I think it was called

[Mr Lim]

This is exact what "SE Sniper Software" is working on.
They believe this will increase their rank, try google or enter sesniper dot com.

[Steve Crooks]

Originally Posted by SPC

I don't know if this true and wondering if someone would clarify this. Say I posted some links in forums, blogs or whatever, do you think google would give more value to that link if people clicked on that link compared to a link that no one clicks and is most likely not as useful. By more people interacting with that link give it value?

Just a thought

I have often wondered this myself and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if referrer activity is a small ranking factor by utilizing data scraped from Google chrome, toolbar, analytics etc..

As always with these theories though unless you work for Google it is just guesswork.

There is certainly a lot more evidence these days to suggest that social proof like Diigs, tweets etc is a ranking factor so why not referral traffic as well. It is like a vote for the recipient site after all when someone clicks on the link. The other point as well is that a click on a link could have a bearing on PR distribution through that link... More food for thought.