Google Tracking Clicks - Any Affect on Rankings?

Feb 21, 2005 - 9:42 am 2 by

Google does track clicks, but do they use this data to place page A over page B? Proof that they track links, well, I did a search on rustybrick and then moused over the first result. I saw the following target URL, http://www.google.com/url?sa=U&start=1&q=http://www.rustybrick.com/&e=10012 - see for yourself.

google-tracking-clickss.jpg

View Large Image

So, does this click tracking affect a site's rankings? Many people I meet that are "computer savvy" ask me if Google determines page rank by user clicks. Of course I laugh, but its a solid question. Direct Hit was an engine that based a page's rankings on click data, but that didn't last too long.

In all honesty, does the click data affect relevancy? You have to think so, on some level. Google is probably storing this data in order to do UI testing, relevancy testing and other kinds of testing. So on some small level, one can argue it affects relevancy and possibly a page's rank. But it is known, that clicking on your page in Google over and over again will not shoot your site up to the number one slot.

Forum discussion at WebmasterWorld.

 

Popular Categories

The Pulse of the search community

Google Search Volatility

More Details

Search Video Recaps

 
Video Details More Videos Subscribe to Videos

Most Recent Articles

Google Ads

Google Ads Tests Serving Search Ads With Restrictive Match Types In AI Mode

Sep 4, 2026 - 2:50 pm
Google

Google Job Search Not Showing New Jobs?

Sep 4, 2026 - 11:12 am
Search Forum Recap

Daily Search Forum Recap: September 4, 2026

Sep 4, 2026 - 10:00 am
Search Video Recaps

Search News Buzz Video Recap: Google Ad Tech Monopoly Won’t Be Broken Up, AI Mode Takes Over, Gemini Not Citing, AdSense Impression Changes & Bugs

Sep 4, 2026 - 8:01 am
Google Maps

New Google Business Profiles Submit A Business Photo For Verification

Sep 4, 2026 - 7:51 am
Google Ads

Google Expands Waze Ads Beyond The United States

Sep 4, 2026 - 7:41 am
Previous Story: Google A Bit Drunk on Heineken?