Is this video recording of the Google SEO office-hours hangout from May 7, 2021 Googles John Muller states that organic web traffic is not a search engine ranking factor. SEO Professionals shocked!
Watch the video from the 18:53 minute mark to hear a statement that shocks many SEO professionals
This video was found deep in search by members right there at TBN
Organic Search Traffic
Organic search traffic refers to the traffic that appears on the first page of the Google search engine result pages. This traffic is not driven by the Pay-Per-Click advertisements on search engines but rather comes directly from user search queries.
What is so unique about this search? It differs from other types of traffic as it is completely organic and generated by the Google servers. The other types of traffic such as Pay-Per-Click and Ad-Words are very effective in delivering targeted traffic to your website, but none of them guarantees organic traffic.
There are several methods to increase organic traffic to your website, but some work better than others. One of these methods is the submission of your site to major search engines.
Some of the best known search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing and MSN include links in their search results to sites with natural listings. This organic search results are normally paid, but it is still worth a try. Paid organic search results include the highest paying ads on search engines and are generally considered to be the most effective way to get targeted traffic to your site.
Another way of increasing organic traffic is through creating quality content rich articles that are related to your specific niche, and submitting them to article directories such as EzineArticles. Back links are also important as well as the ability to leave relevant comments on blogs, forums and related websites.
All of these tactics increase the possibility of organic searches which ultimately increases your site visits. The more of these visits you have, the more likely people will click on the Google AdSense advertisements on your site.
Click through rate (CTR)
What is click through rate? It is a very important metric for website owners and marketers to compare one another. Click through rate is the actual ratio of visitors who clicked on a certain link to the total number of people who viewed a web page, video, or ad.
This is typically used as a way to track the effectiveness of an e-mail campaign or online marketing campaign for a certain site. There are many factors that affect a company’s or a person’s click through rate, but the most important one is definitely in the interest of the user.
If the user is interested in the subject matter, the content, and everything about it, there is a much greater chance that they will be able to perform a successful action on the web page or advertisement.
In addition to how many visitors actually click through to a website, the CTR also takes into account the amount of times someone clicked on a link, and the duration of time that it took them to leave the page.
Many studies have been conducted that compare the duration of time it takes people to read a text advertisement versus the time it takes them to click a link. The study reveals that links are more successful if the text is interesting and enticing. Therefore, it is important to not only make sure that people are entertained while reading your advertisements, but most importantly, that they will be enticed to click on the links whenever they are ready to go.
A great way to drive traffic to your website is to use search engines. Using search engine optimization techniques will increase the CTR of your ads, because of the increased popularity that will bring to your site.
Another way to increase your CTR is to advertise on message boards, discussion forums, and other locations where a lot of people are browsing. All of these areas will increase the traffic to your site, which means your CTR will also be effected.
SERP Power of an External Link Unaffected by Organic Web Traffic
Traditionally, it has been widely believed that the more organic traffic a website receives, the more powerful its outbound links would be for influencing search engine rankings. However, the groundbreaking research, analyzing data from numerous websites and their respective SERP performance, has debunked this long-standing myth.
The study found that the SERP power of an external link, which is its ability to positively impact the ranking of the linked page, primarily depends on other factors such as the authority and relevance of the linking domain, the quality of content on the linked page, and the overall trustworthiness of the website.
Organic web traffic, while crucial for measuring a site’s popularity and engagement, does not appear to directly affect the influence of its outbound links on search engine rankings.
- Website Ranking Position: Organic Web Traffic Not a Key Metric
In the realm of SEO, organic web traffic has often been considered a vital indicator of a website’s authority and relevance. Many have assumed that higher organic traffic volumes lead to improved ranking positions on search engine results pages. However, the recent research findings have challenged this belief.
According to the study, while organic web traffic does provide valuable insights into a website’s audience engagement and content performance, search engines employ a more sophisticated set of algorithms to determine ranking positions. Factors like the website’s backlink profile, the quality and uniqueness of its content, user experience, mobile-friendliness, and site speed play more significant roles in determining a website’s position in search results.
- Implications for Digital Marketers and Website Owners
The discovery that organic web traffic does not directly impact the SERP power of external links and a website’s ranking position has profound implications for digital marketers and website owners. Instead of solely focusing on increasing organic traffic as a means to boost rankings, SEO strategies must be recalibrated to prioritize other crucial ranking factors.
Experts advise that investing in high-quality content creation, building authoritative and relevant backlinks, optimizing user experience, and adhering to search engine guidelines will likely yield more tangible improvements in SERP performance and search rankings.
While organic web traffic remains a valuable metric for measuring a website’s popularity and user engagement, it is essential to recognise its limitations in influencing search engine rankings.
