Google Search User Click Data Used in AI Models

[engine]

There are a few reports around a presentation made by Googler, Nick Frost, that search uses click data in some way, with some suggesting it may be used in rankings.

There's a great debate on the topic as to whether click data, or pogosticking, is actually used in the rankings algo, or whether, as indicated, it is used to train Google's AI models.

[seroundtable.com...]

What's your view, and what evidence to you have to support it?

[Shaddows]

I genuinely cannot see why they couldn't use that data, and then if that can, why they wouldn't.

I'm not sure that's actionable as an insight even if true - hitting a SERP is going to be too obvious, and is more likely to affect your Personalisation profile than the underlying document indexation.

For me, it's more a curiosity than a point worth going to the barricades over. I am fascinated that it is such a hot topic at the moment- far more interesting than the actual topic itself.

[martinibuster]

The article does NOT say CTR is used for ranking. It is used for training only.

[engine]

Yeah, I think people are reading too much into it. It's used for training the AI. However, you can be sure that Google looked at the concept. Anyone remember Direct Hit?

[martinibuster]

Remember Sphinn? That turned into a click-fest of spammy upvoting pretty fast. A well known SEO I won't name (lol) used a bot to autopost and upvote his posts to the front page...

This pogo stick myth started as a clickbait story from that same nutter who specializes in coming up with these kinds of unsubstantiated theories.

Most serious SEOs don't believe it but there are a few people who have invested their reputation writing blog posts in support of the idea who continue to refuse to walk it back.

Whatever.

[aristotle]

What about the old theory that big well-known brands climbed to the top of the SERPs by getting more clicks than other sites?

[martinibuster]

That's not the theory but you're very close! :)

The theory is that big brands climbed to the top because of people searching google with Keywords + Name of Brand.

This kind of CTR training would find out whether or not MOST users are satisfied with a brand name at the top of the SERPs. If people are dissatisfied then the rank promotion won't last.