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Is Avg. Time On Site a Ranking Factor?

by Sirr
16 replies
  • SEO
    • |
This is interesting, and I'm trying to find some info on it from Google or Matt Cutts.

Basically, do you feel the Average Time On Site count towards your SERP?

If anyone has any articles on this, feel free to share. I've noticed recently some of my pages are ranking for the wrong keywords, thus getting a lower Average Time on Site result in analytics.

Naturally I want Google to stop ranking me for these keywords, and at a guess I'd say they are using it as the information is not relevant for the user on those keywords.

Anymore on this topic?
#avg #factor #ranking #site #time
  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
    Google definitely uses bounce rates as a ranking factor....time on site is close to the same thing so I don't see why they wouldn't use it. Not sure I've read anything specifically on this though...

    That's why I never never never use Google analytics on my adsense websites. Google will use your analytics data to make ranking decisions...

    Adsense sites are built to get people to click an advertisement and LEAVE your site...so a successful adsense site will be a site with a high bounce rate and low time on site number... which will penalize your rankings...it's an insane catch 22. Make it as hard for Google to indentify time on site and bounce rate as you can by not using Google analytics...

    end crazy rant.
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    • Profile picture of the author retsek
      Nobody can be sure what "Google definitely does"!

      The truth is a High Bounce and Low Time on Site isn't always a bad thing. You can have a page that provides EXACTLY what the reader is looking for ...then that reader wouldn't have a reason to go elsewhere.

      A good example is the "what is my ip address" keyword. Guess whatismyaddress.com's bounce rate & time on site? Are they suffering in rankings?
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      • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
        Originally Posted by retsek View Post

        Nobody can be sure what "Google definitely does"!
        Oh I don't know...when google announces or suggests that they're using bounce rates as a ranking factor, and then I start to see hundreds of my sites with high bounce rates take a big dip in the rankings....and then when I remove Google analytics and slowly start to see those sites struggle back *shrugs* I'll amend my statement to "Google definitely seems to take..." :-P
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  • Profile picture of the author TopKat22
    I haven't read anything about it but I have very short times on my landing pages and I use google analytics and my sites are ranking on page one in some pretty competitive keywords so I think it must be with enough other good factors, it must not be such a big deal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
      Originally Posted by TopKat22 View Post

      I haven't read anything about it but I have very short times on my landing pages and I use google analytics and my sites are ranking on page one in some pretty competitive keywords so I think it must be with enough other good factors, it must not be such a big deal.
      Sure...bounce rate is only one factor...and probably not a huge factor...if your site has enough going for it, then you probably don't have much to worry about...

      But if your site is on the thinnish side, which many adsense sites are...then it's definitely something to keep in mind...
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  • Profile picture of the author JerrickYeoh
    I think it would affect , higher average time on site mean that your content quality is better.
    If you do not have quality website will cause lot of bounce rate due to average on site low.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tim Wallace
    Low Average Time On Site and high Bounce rate, it is bad use experience. Let alone SEO
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    • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
      Originally Posted by Tim Wallace View Post

      Low Average Time On Site and high Bounce rate, it is bad use experience. Let alone SEO
      Why is it a bad user experience? If someone comes to my site looking for a specific model vacuum cleaner, see's an ad for that exact model on sale 50% off and clicks on the ad, all within 3 seconds of coming to my site...is that a bad user experience?

      The user found exactly what they wanted (cheap deals on the vacuum cleaner they want), I got paid for them clicking on the ad....everyone is happy!

      Except Google...google thinks that was a bad user experience! Go figure...
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      • Profile picture of the author Jon Potts
        Originally Posted by Marketing Fool View Post

        The user found exactly what they wanted (cheap deals on the vacuum cleaner they want), I got paid for them clicking on the ad....everyone is happy!

        Except Google...google thinks that was a bad user experience! Go figure...
        That is not exactly the user experience Google would like to offer. I think they would prefer that the client finds what they want on the page Google delivers, not an affiliate page. That is why affiliate linked sites are taking a hit these days.

        However, it is not going to completely wreck a sites ranking if they have a low average time on the site.
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        • Profile picture of the author Marketing Fool
          Originally Posted by Jon Potts View Post

          That is not exactly the user experience Google would like to offer. I think they would prefer that the client finds what they want on the page Google delivers, not an affiliate page. That is why affiliate linked sites are taking a hit these days.

          However, it is not going to completely wreck a sites ranking if they have a low average time on the site.

          Yeah but in my example, Google gets paid too....because that visitor is clicking on a Google ad.

          In your example, Google doesn't earn a penny. Which says more about why sites like mine rank and will continue to rank, me thinks.... ;-)
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          • Profile picture of the author paulgl
            What they like to measure, and something they can measure,
            is the rate at someone clicks back to the search results after
            clicking on your site, from the search results.

            The other stuff is pure speculation, as they would have to have
            some worldwide tracking of servers. Something I don't think
            is possible.

            Like they care about how much time someone spends on
            a trillion sites? Measured by who? What? Where?

            Google analytics? Sure, but I'll bet 99.9999% of the sites worldwide
            do not use GA. So...if someone gets to your site then goes
            to make a cup of coffee....you go up in rank?!?

            Here's a tip. On the main page of your site, put a sign up,
            front and center. "Please leave browser window open on
            my site for 10 minutes. Help me rank in google."

            Sound silly? Exactly.

            Google ranks pages, not domains anyway. And who stays
            on a page very long anyway? Longer article means higher
            rank? Because people read it? Fat chance.

            Paul
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            • Profile picture of the author Daedalus
              Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

              Longer article means higher
              rank? Because people read it? Fat chance.

              Paul
              Indeed, I think it would be more effective to put a huge red button image saying ''Press here for fun''.

              Google Analytics is not a bad thing. I don't really see how it would hurt you, since you already have a piece of their code anyway (AdSense units), so they can see whatever interests them anyway.
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  • Profile picture of the author InternetMarketingIQ
    The answer from everything I've read is YES it is a factor. The question is "To what extent".

    Anything that Google measures in Google Analytics is a potential ranking factor... the question again is what is the weight used in the Alogrithum?
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  • Profile picture of the author Oranges
    Google Analytics is not only tool with which they can track the bounce rate of a particular website, they can also use cookies when people search from their engine to track the bounce rate. May be they are already doing it.
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  • Profile picture of the author stephenwaldo
    Okay, well if we're going by what Google says they do NOT use GA to influence rankings - Period. However, bounce rate? You betcha. What they CAN see with their little cookies is how long it took the user to see your website, and if they returned to the search page afterwards and how long it took them to do so, hence how Google generates it's own bounce rate figures outside of GA.
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  • Profile picture of the author Sirr
    I am pretty sure a number of the people posting silly responses about "low avg. time on sit e is a bad user experience" cannot read properly.

    Did I not say I am ranking for additional keywords that I do not want to rank for which are unrelated to my site? Is that not in my post above?

    I appreciate all the other posts that attribute to this discussion. I am going to ask Matt Cutts about this, maybe he'll answer my question in a video.
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