Google
has recently filed a patent that
details many points that Google uses
to rank web pages. The title of the
patent is "Information retrieval
based on historical data" and
it reveals details of algorithms
that Google uses in addition to its
main ranking algorithms.
In this article, we're trying
to find out what this means to
your web site and what you have
to do to optimize your web pages
so that you get high rankings on
Google. Click here to read part
1, part
2 and part
3.
Part 4: How search results
and user data can affect your
rankings
The patent specification indicates
that Google might track how often
users click on a page when it is
listed in the search results pages.
Google might also track the amount
of time that users spend "accessing
the document".
It seems that Google might be
tracking click-throughs and rewarding
those sites with higher click through
rates (similar to what Google does
with their AdWords program).
The patent specification also
indicates that Google might track
the behavior of web surfers through
bookmarks, cache, favorites, and
temporary files (possibly with
the Google toolbar and the Google
desktop search tool).
The patent specification indicates
that Google might track the following
information:
- The volume of searches over
time is recorded and monitored
for
increases.
- The information regarding
a web page's rankings are recorded
and monitored for changes.
- The click through rates are
monitored for changes in seasonality,
fast increases, or other spike
traffic.
- The click through rates are
monitored for increase or decrease
trends.
- The click through rates are
monitored to find out if stale
or fresh web pages are preferred
for a search query.
- The click through rates for
web pages for a search term is
recorded.
- The traffic to a web page is
recorded and monitored for changes.
- The user behavior on web pages
is monitored and recorded for
changes
(for example the use of the back button etc.).
- The user behavior might also
be monitored through bookmarks,
cache, favorites, and temporary
files.
- Bookmarks and favorites are
monitored for both additions
and deletions.
The overall user behavior for documents is monitored for trends changes.
The time a user spends on a web page might be used to indicate the
quality and freshness of a web page.
What does this mean to your
web site?
If Google really tracks the click-throughs
to your web site, you should make
sure that your web pages have attractive
titles so that web surfers
click on them in the search results.
Make your web pages interesting
enough so that web surfers stay
some time on your web site. It
might also help if your web site
visitors added your web site to
their bookmarks.
Make sure that your web page content
is optimized
for Google. The ranking factors
mentioned in the patent specification
are only additional factors. If
your web page content is not optimized,
all other ranking factors won't
help you much.
In upcoming newsletter issues,
we'll discuss other important factors
that can influence your ranking
on Google and that are mentioned
in the patent specification.
|
