Danny Sullivan, Google's Search Liaison, said that Google Search does not use Google Analytics data for ranking purposes, even when that GA data is connected to Google Search Console.
He said this on X when asked by Adam J. Humphreys, "Is the GA data when connected to GSC used to assess query behavior by Google?"
Danny Sullivan replied, "As a ranking signal? No."
Here are those posts:
As a ranking signal? No.
— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) December 21, 2023
Just to be clear, Google said this in 2022. Google has said for years and years that it does not use behavioral factors for ranking, outside of any of the page experience system metrics. This has been the overwhelmingly consistent messaging from Google for over a decade, as recent as 2021, 2020 but 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Google said bounce rates are not good signals, in 2008 Google said it is a noisy signal and also in 2008 said click data is not used for rankings. This is a myth Google said but then you have people at Google misspeaking causing more confusion.
But as Googlers delete tweets, some of those messages are now gone, which make SEOs doubt the original answers even more.
I am sure many doubt this, especially with all the latest DOJ documents being released.
Forum discussion at X.
