Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position?

amarketing · 12-19-2011, 05:39 PM

Hi all.

I've been reading that many folks are saying to use quality content that is targeted to the visitors in order to help your site to rank better. Their reasoning for this is that having quality content lowers the "bounce rate" of your site. That is, they cause the visitor to stay longer on your site before leaving.

Now, I'm not arguing having quality content on a website, that's a given. However, does Google monitor how long someone spends on your site and do they really reward/penalize your site if searchers spend more/less time on it?

Thanks for any of your observations!

Jon Potts · 12-19-2011, 05:58 PM

There is going to be no cut and dry answer to this but I will explain why bounce rate matters. Google wants to provide search results that yield... well a result. If the user found your website and then bounced out it means the result was not sufficient enough. If I were Google and the website in position 1-3 has a higher than usual bounce rate or an increasing bounce rate since it has hit high position then I would question its ability to provide a relevant result.

packerfan · 12-19-2011, 06:06 PM

According to your logic if a user searches for "what does 2+2 =" and my website is in the first position with the answer 4, and then the user leaves my site, that's a bad thing.

It's not quite as simple as you're making it.

evertd · 12-19-2011, 06:34 PM

I have to agree, if you page gives the perfect answer, your bounce rate might very well be 100%. And in that case, you could argue that time on site could be a factor.

timpears · 12-19-2011, 09:55 PM

If my visitor comes to my site and reads the title and sees one of my ads right below that and clicks on it, then that would be a bounce. Do you really think that Google is gong to hold that against me? I kind of doubt it. I don't buy the bounce rate belief personally. I may be wrong, but I have had bounce rates over 80% and made a constant $100 to $200+ per day from a single site. It didn't stop Google from placing my articles on the first page of the search results.

aygabtu · 12-19-2011, 10:24 PM

A high bounce rate in itself doesn't mean it is a bad site. I would think google looks to see if you continue your search, going back to the google search results and looking at more sites. If they did find the answer they were looking for on your site, they wouldn't continue browsing the other sites.

Google watches and knows all. I am sure they can figure out what sites are providing users the answer they are looking for and whether it takes them one click or 10 to get it.

TBInternetMarketing · 12-19-2011, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jon Potts

There is going to be no cut and dry answer to this

Yea this is correct. Only Google will know for sure just how much it effects your SERP, but my guess would be that it definitely does play a part.

Google is all about relevancy. They want their users to have the best experience possible, so when they see people bouncing off your site like a rubber ball, this tells them that the user is not finding what they searched for.

stelweb · 12-19-2011, 11:23 PM

Bounce backs as opposed to bounce rate is a clear indication of a site or web page's quality. Try to get bounce backs to the minimum by all means.

StoneWilson · 12-20-2011, 02:14 AM

I'm still testing it now. On August I built two WP blogs with same theme, two blogs targeted two different keywords, all contents are original, just got backlinks from my old blogs, in a word... I built them with the same method, the only obvious difference is on one blog I added a "related posts" plugin, on the other one I didn't. Now more than 4 months passed, I still can't tell any differences, the blog with "related posts" got 60% bounce rate, the other got 77%, but their keywords ranked almost the same. I'm confused now.

kennykjtan · 12-20-2011, 02:20 AM

I really doubt that bounce rate make a different on SERP. My sites are still on position #1 even though I got bounce rate of 67% and the other one is 73%

C Rebecca · 12-20-2011, 03:48 AM

Bounce rate does affect your SERP rankings... Technically speaking, there are more than one type of bounce rate and the one that affects your SERP is actual bounce rate. Actual bounce rate is the time spent on the web pages by the organic user and then return to the SERP results.

This tells the search engines that your website is less valuable for the user and it may affect your rankings.

alexschmidt · 12-20-2011, 09:40 AM

hi,
i have seen that bounce rate really affects your search engine rankings because according to Google is the Bounce rate is high in your website that means people are not willing to stay in your website.

whiplashclaims · 12-20-2011, 10:40 AM

I am pretty sure bounce rate affects your serps, as the longer people spend on your site, its an indicatioin that it is what they are looking for.

msu · 12-20-2011, 11:33 AM

Bounce rate is just one of many factors that may affect your rankings.

Ultimately, Google is looking for ways to detect that users were glad they found your site and they seem to be putting in place increasingly sophisticated algorithms to try to do that.

elexmedia · 12-20-2011, 03:39 PM

The bounce rate alone might not be used by Google but combined with other factors, it could have an effect on the rankings. For example, Google could measure how many people start a new search for the same topic after visiting your web page. That would be an indicator that your website is not suitable for the chosen keyword.

Andrew S · 12-20-2011, 05:58 PM

Google is using on-page metrics in their algo, although I believe it is just a small piece of the puzzle.

This data they can source pretty easily from Chrome users.

Paul M · 12-20-2011, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by amarketing

Hi all.

I've been reading that many folks are saying to use quality content that is targeted to the visitors in order to help your site to rank better. Their reasoning for this is that having quality content lowers the "bounce rate" of your site. That is, they cause the visitor to stay longer on your site before leaving.

Now, I'm not arguing having quality content on a website, that's a given. However, does Google monitor how long someone spends on your site and do they really reward/penalize your site if searchers spend more/less time on it?

Thanks for any of your observations!

My answer would be yes and no. I personally doubt google would penalize a site simply for having a high bounce rate, but they may do so if other on and off page factors combined with a high bounce rate indicated the site is spammy or thin on content and relevancy.

All of this aside, the logical answer for anyone suffering from a high bounce rate and low SERP positions is to make their site more sticky by;

- Adding more engaging content.
- Optimizing the sites navigation.
- Sealing off traffic leaks and dead ends.
- Ensuring speedy page loading.

All the things both your visitors and google will like.

-Paul

Juvv2096 · 12-20-2011, 07:24 PM

You should try asnd lower your bounce rate if possible, but on the other hand, that one page could have all the information needed and they just werent interested. The bounce rate of some of my sites is high, (50-70%) but they are ranking in top 5 on google so I dont think it has anything to do with your SERP Position at all

JanusNg · 12-20-2011, 08:29 PM

If I were Google my customers' satisfaction would be on the top of my list. So it's easy to understand that Google will do everything it can to get the most relevant results to its searchers. Bounce rate is definitely one of the factors that is used to determine a page's relevancy. But it's also not the only factor. Regardless, focusing on giving quality (content) is key to success, online or offline.

sanjeevkumaar · 12-20-2011, 09:44 PM

Because google is try to give the best and most relevant results to their users so bounce rate can affect your website ranking results.

treezie · 12-20-2011, 10:27 PM

I have a site with a bounce rate nearing 85% and I'm still in 1st position and have been for over 3 months now (with it slipping to #2 once in awhile). However, the caveat is that when I SEOed the bad boy, I SEOed an inner page...so the ranking page is an inner page...and most people who come through my site come through that page...and then leave.

12-19-2011, 05:39 PM	#1
amarketing HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 241 Thanks: 47 Thanked 17 Times in 17 Posts	Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Hi all. I've been reading that many folks are saying to use quality content that is targeted to the visitors in order to help your site to rank better. Their reasoning for this is that having quality content lowers the "bounce rate" of your site. That is, they cause the visitor to stay longer on your site before leaving. Now, I'm not arguing having quality content on a website, that's a given. However, does Google monitor how long someone spends on your site and do they really reward/penalize your site if searchers spend more/less time on it? Thanks for any of your observations!
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12-19-2011, 05:58 PM	#2
Jon Potts Active Warrior Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Orange County, Ca Posts: 82 Thanks: 5 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? There is going to be no cut and dry answer to this but I will explain why bounce rate matters. Google wants to provide search results that yield... well a result. If the user found your website and then bounced out it means the result was not sufficient enough. If I were Google and the website in position 1-3 has a higher than usual bounce rate or an increasing bounce rate since it has hit high position then I would question its ability to provide a relevant result.
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12-19-2011, 06:06 PM	#3
packerfan Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Posts: 1,165 Thanks: 38 Thanked 210 Times in 144 Posts Social Networking	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? According to your logic if a user searches for "what does 2+2 =" and my website is in the first position with the answer 4, and then the user leaves my site, that's a bad thing. It's not quite as simple as you're making it.
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12-19-2011, 06:34 PM	#4
evertd HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: , , . Posts: 178 Thanks: 10 Thanked 7 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? I have to agree, if you page gives the perfect answer, your bounce rate might very well be 100%. And in that case, you could argue that time on site could be a factor.
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12-19-2011, 09:55 PM	#5
timpears Senior Warrior Member War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Vancouver, WA, USA. Posts: 3,501 Thanks: 327 Thanked 584 Times in 408 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? If my visitor comes to my site and reads the title and sees one of my ads right below that and clicks on it, then that would be a bounce. Do you really think that Google is gong to hold that against me? I kind of doubt it. I don't buy the bounce rate belief personally. I may be wrong, but I have had bounce rates over 80% and made a constant $100 to $200+ per day from a single site. It didn't stop Google from placing my articles on the first page of the search results.
	Tim Pears

12-19-2011, 10:24 PM	#6
aygabtu Advanced Warrior Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 608 Thanks: 20 Thanked 29 Times in 24 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? A high bounce rate in itself doesn't mean it is a bad site. I would think google looks to see if you continue your search, going back to the google search results and looking at more sites. If they did find the answer they were looking for on your site, they wouldn't continue browsing the other sites. Google watches and knows all. I am sure they can figure out what sites are providing users the answer they are looking for and whether it takes them one click or 10 to get it.
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12-19-2011, 11:23 PM	#8
stelweb Active Warrior Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 44 Thanks: 18 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Bounce backs as opposed to bounce rate is a clear indication of a site or web page's quality. Try to get bounce backs to the minimum by all means.

12-20-2011, 02:14 AM	#9
StoneWilson Advanced Warrior Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 693 Thanks: 69 Thanked 30 Times in 30 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? I'm still testing it now. On August I built two WP blogs with same theme, two blogs targeted two different keywords, all contents are original, just got backlinks from my old blogs, in a word... I built them with the same method, the only obvious difference is on one blog I added a "related posts" plugin, on the other one I didn't. Now more than 4 months passed, I still can't tell any differences, the blog with "related posts" got 60% bounce rate, the other got 77%, but their keywords ranked almost the same. I'm confused now.
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12-20-2011, 02:20 AM	#10
kennykjtan Diet Plan Consultant War Room Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Posts: 118 Thanks: 1 Thanked 8 Times in 8 Posts Social Networking	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? I really doubt that bounce rate make a different on SERP. My sites are still on position #1 even though I got bounce rate of 67% and the other one is 73%
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12-20-2011, 03:48 AM	#11
C Rebecca Advanced Warrior Join Date: Jun 2011 Posts: 592 Thanks: 1 Thanked 29 Times in 26 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Bounce rate does affect your SERP rankings... Technically speaking, there are more than one type of bounce rate and the one that affects your SERP is actual bounce rate. Actual bounce rate is the time spent on the web pages by the organic user and then return to the SERP results. This tells the search engines that your website is less valuable for the user and it may affect your rankings.
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12-20-2011, 09:40 AM	#12
alexschmidt Active Warrior Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 47 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5 Times in 4 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? hi, i have seen that bounce rate really affects your search engine rankings because according to Google is the Bounce rate is high in your website that means people are not willing to stay in your website.
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12-20-2011, 10:40 AM	#13
whiplashclaims Active Warrior Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: London , uk Posts: 43 Thanks: 8 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? I am pretty sure bounce rate affects your serps, as the longer people spend on your site, its an indicatioin that it is what they are looking for.
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12-20-2011, 11:33 AM	#14
msu HyperActive Warrior Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Live from the hammock Posts: 219 Thanks: 7 Thanked 16 Times in 15 Posts Social Networking	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Bounce rate is just one of many factors that may affect your rankings. Ultimately, Google is looking for ways to detect that users were glad they found your site and they seem to be putting in place increasingly sophisticated algorithms to try to do that.
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12-20-2011, 03:39 PM	#15
elexmedia Banned War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Singapore & Jakarta Posts: 219 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 180 Thanked 64 Times in 38 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? The bounce rate alone might not be used by Google but combined with other factors, it could have an effect on the rankings. For example, Google could measure how many people start a new search for the same topic after visiting your web page. That would be an indicator that your website is not suitable for the chosen keyword.

12-20-2011, 05:58 PM	#16
Andrew S HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 288 Thanks: 7 Thanked 44 Times in 29 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Google is using on-page metrics in their algo, although I believe it is just a small piece of the puzzle. This data they can source pretty easily from Chrome users.
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12-20-2011, 07:24 PM	#18
Juvv2096 HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Australia Posts: 292 Thanks: 8 Thanked 29 Times in 26 Posts Contact Info	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? You should try asnd lower your bounce rate if possible, but on the other hand, that one page could have all the information needed and they just werent interested. The bounce rate of some of my sites is high, (50-70%) but they are ranking in top 5 on google so I dont think it has anything to do with your SERP Position at all
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12-20-2011, 08:29 PM	#19
JanusNg Warrior Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Taipei Posts: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? If I were Google my customers' satisfaction would be on the top of my list. So it's easy to understand that Google will do everything it can to get the most relevant results to its searchers. Bounce rate is definitely one of the factors that is used to determine a page's relevancy. But it's also not the only factor. Regardless, focusing on giving quality (content) is key to success, online or offline.
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12-20-2011, 09:44 PM	#20
sanjeevkumaar Warrior Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: New Delhi Posts: 6 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? Because google is try to give the best and most relevant results to their users so bounce rate can affect your website ranking results.
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12-20-2011, 10:27 PM	#21
treezie Active Warrior War Room Member Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 89 Thanks: 10 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	Re: Does Your "Bounce Rate" Affect Your SERP Position? I have a site with a bounce rate nearing 85% and I'm still in 1st position and have been for over 3 months now (with it slipping to #2 once in awhile). However, the caveat is that when I SEOed the bad boy, I SEOed an inner page...so the ranking page is an inner page...and most people who come through my site come through that page...and then leave.