Google using searcher behaviour to refine their SERPs

why we can safely assume that they do it

[le_gber]

it's like in a murder enquiry, they have the means, motive and opportunity.

Means:

Google Analytics: now they can see how long a visitor stays on your site for a set query you entered on Google, hence determine if your site is relevant to it. By pushing the thought even further, they can see the queries from other search engines as well and influence their SERPs accordingly

Google cookies and IP tracking: they can see what the searcher is looking for, and if he was to come back with the same query soon afterwards, they can assume that the link he clicked wasn't relevant to his search and slowly downgrade it.

Google personalized home: an additional way of tracking searches but also area of interest of certain demographic groups

Google toolbar: although used by webmasters, again an excellent tool to track visit duration and searches

Motive:

Their ultimate goal is to make the SERPs relevant to the searcher not the site owner, therefore tracking the user/searcher behavious seems only natural

Opportunity:

Their undisputed lead in the search engine war: they have the search volume

Their image as a fun, 'nice' company: they can do whatever they like with no conspiracy theories thrown at them - unlike Microsoft

Their virtually bottom-less piggybank: they've got enough money to buy loads of brains in statistics analysis, human behaviour and servers to test these high-demand processes.

Did I forget anything?

[tedster]

You've lined up some good reasons there. In fact, some people feel traffic is the key to ending the sandbox effect on a domain. I also think it could well be one factor. And when it comes to pages already showing in the SERPs, I'm sure that Google has long-time monitored for quick returns to the results page that click on something different.

I also think your title got it just right: user behavior is a factor in refining the results, and not a basic part of the scoring.

[Simsi]

IMO this is how it should be on SE's. Monitoring the searchers behavioural patterns will ultimately determine which sites they find most relevant and thus more relevant to SERPS.

Its only a matter of time before this is the main factor in algo rankings anyway. And quite right. All this offpage linking malarky is prone to problems.

[Chris_H]

Good post.

Like all murder mysteries, the pieces of the jigsaw are slowly coming together to form the bigger picture...

[frox]

nother mean I have sporadically seen is the use of redirect URLS.

usually, when you look at Google serps, the links are plain links to the target URL like www.example.com/page.html

Sometimes (I remember seeing this discussed a while ago) the display the URL normally but the link is something in the order of www.google.com/redirect?URL=www.example.com/page.html

(fictitious sURL, I canot remember the exact form)

this is a good way to monitor the response of users to sites already in SERPS. Apart observing the click itself, you could set a cookie and see if the users comes back to the SERPS within (say) 15 seconds. If yes, then the site was not interesting to keem the user browsing...

[phish]

As with everything else this has it's flaws...just in the last minute while reding this post I can think of a very easy way to alter that data. I doubt it can be relied on solely as a rank factor. Just my 2 cents

[crown]

There are some negative factors to this "murder". For one thing, this would mean that the top website would always be on top. The top ranking sites get almost all of the clicks, thus making them into unmovable giants. SERPs would basiclly become static.

[trillianjedi]

Did I forget anything?

Direct editing of the SERPS by the searching public.

A.K.A. the "Filter" link.

TJ

[BillyS]

I believe this concept is part of the Google patent.

[jomaxx]

Yes but as in a murder investigation, the concept of "means, motive and opportunity" doesn't make any sense. What's missing is evidence, or even any compelling reason to believe it's happening. Just because Google CAN theoretically put some element into their algorithm doesn't mean they DO do it.

[idolw]

all that is why i do not use analytics service.
why to give evil too much info?

[Pass the Dutchie]

There are some negative factors to this "murder". For one thing, this would mean that the top website would always be on top. The top ranking sites get almost all of the clicks, thus making them into unmovable giants. SERPs would basiclly become static.

If this was the case then it would make Google SERP's stale and prevent the user from locating new sites. I feel this method is being used primarly to spot spammy sites. User behavior can tell Google allot about which sites are spammy.

[le_gber]

yes I never meant to mean that it was the sole or most important factor in G's algo but just one of the many that will play an increasing role as time passes.