Are .Gov Links a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Are you building .gov links? Or are you still buying .GOV links from marketing companies? Do you know if they are valuable or not?

Before building links, you should know if they are valuable in Google search ranking algorithms or not.

Links have been an essential part of search ranking factors since the beginning.

Are .Gov Links a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

Sites that link to your site can offer great value according to the niche, topic, and trustworthiness.

You must earn links from only high authority and trusted websites.

Bloggers and web admins often fall for when it comes to building authoritative links.GOV backlinks.

But are they precious?

Let’s find out today.

Claim: .GOV Backlinks are Ranking Factor

The government website only publishes authentic and relevant information, including stats, reports, financial information, health announcements, etc.

It is believed that every piece of information is checked and authenticated before publishing it on .Gov websites.

Governments spend a lot of money publishing accurate and precious information for the common public.

Content published on Government sites is often shared by multiple people, organizations, and social media groups.

This is the reason why search engines and people find government websites trustworthy.

When you earn a valuable link from the government website, it shows that the government finds your information authentic and gives you more value than others.

Evidence: .GOV links are a ranking factor

Why do people still believe in buying or building .GOV links?

Here are some of the reasons told by marketing agencies:

• You can get a higher ranking, more trust scores, and authority.
• Due to high authority of .Gov sites you will also get high authority backlinks.
• .Gov links pass precious link juice.
• Links are do-follow.

Well, everyone wants some link juice from high-authority websites.

There are tons of sites that guide you to build .GOV backlinks.

Evidence Against: .Gov backlink as a ranking factor

In 2008, Matt Cutts told the world that a link is just a link no matter if it is coming from .GOV site or another site. Even if the link is coming from sites like DMOZ, .edu or .gov, they all are the same. The only reason why these sites have high authority is that more people link back to .GOV sites.

The high authority does not depend upon one link only.

The thing that matters the most is how relevant that link is.

There is no sense if the Department of Social Studies links to a Pharma website.

Search engines understand that the link comes from comment spam, link injection, or low-quality tactics.

Conclusion: .Gov Links as a Ranking Factor

My study shows that .GOV links are not a Google ranking factor.

.gov link is simply a link that cannot give you any value if there is no relevance.

Google algorithms can quickly identify link manipulation. So, you should not fall for that.

Always focus on creating link-worthy content that can help you positively earn links.

Remember: Your content is your asset.

If you want deep knowledge about Ranking Factors, then check our guide.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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SiteWide and Page-Level Signals: What Matter for Google Rankings

Google has updated its ranking system guide document to clear the impact of page-level and site-level ranking.

Google’s document explains that both site-level ranking and page-level ranking influence search position. While page-level ranking is the first signal that matters, it is the wide signal that impacts the organic traffic.

SiteWide and Page-Level Signals: What Matter for Google Rankings: eAskme

In my study, I also found that sitewide ranking signals do not guarantee that every page of the website ranks higher; at the same time, a low ranking of the website is not the metric to tell that a page cannot rank in search.

This time, rather than telling us something new, Google brings clarification to ranking signals.

Sitewide and Page-Level Signals:

Google’s ranking system guide explains that Google’ not only focuses on sitewide ranking but also individual pages.

A strong or poor sitewide ranking signal cannot influence the ranking of every page.

It is one of the very few times that Google has clarified its ranking signals.

Here is what the Google Ranking System Guide says:

Google’s ranking works on page level but also considers site-wide signals. Both contribute to the overall ranking of the content. Google considers both page-wise and site-wide ranking signals.

What Does the Google Ranking System Guide Explain?

Google made it clear that it considers both page-level and sitewide ranking signals.

Google’s ranking system document update cleared doubts about the ranking factors. It helps you improve the overall content quality of your website.

Conclusion:

Google’s updates are targeting low-quality and spammy content. It also punishes sites with site reputation abuse, expired domain abuse, and scaled content abuse.

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Is Core Web Vitals Score a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not

Is Core Web Vitals Score a Google search ranking factor? Do you optimize Core Web Vitals search ranking? Can CWB score influence rankings?

Core Web Vitals Score is used to help webmasters analyze page optimization and influence user engagement and experience.

Core Web Vitals and Google search ranking factor: eAskme

But how much does Google care about Core Web Vital's score? Let's find out today.

Let's understand everything about content and its impact on search results.

Core Web Vitals Score:

Core Web Vitals is the score that you get after analyzing your website using Google tools. Each score displays a different aspect of the user experience.

Core Web Vitals Score measures the user-friendliness of a website or webpage.

Claim: Core Web Vitals Score is a Google Ranking Factor

There are the 3-core metrics of CWV (Core Web Vitals):

• Largest Contentful Paint: LCP measures the load time of the webpage, including text images and other content.
• Interaction to Next Paint: INP measures a web page's overall responsiveness at the level of user interaction. It has replaced the First Input Delay (FID), which measured the browser response during user engagement.
• Cumulative Layout Shift: CLS measures the content shift during page load.

INP replaced FID in March 2024.

Difference Between INP and FID:

FID was part of Core Web Vitals before March 2024. It measured taps, clicks, and other user engagement on the page. The focus of this metric was to measure the first input on the page.

INP replaced FID to analyze user engagement at a much deeper level. It explores the complete lifecycle of user interaction.

To get a better ranking, it is a must to keep INP lower or equal to 200 milliseconds.

Evidence: Core Web Vitals Score is a Ranking Factor

Google Search Central announced CWV as a ranking signal. The related article published on the Google developer page states that Core Web Vitals is the set of metrics to analyze the responsiveness, speed, and stability of the webpage for user experience. It will impact the search ranking change.

During the Ask Me Anything event in 2021, Philip Walton said that web vitals are the ranking factor.

John Muller also clarified that the Core Web Vitals score impacts search ranking as it plays a vital role in analyzing a web page's user-friendliness. He added that even if a website has the best CWV score but its competitor has better relevance to the search query, Google will prefer relevance over CWV score.
Websites optimizing for Core Web Vitals will see a shift in organic ranking.

In 2022, John Muller confirmed that page experience is a ranking factor.

Improving the Core Web Vitals score is a must, but focusing on other metrics is also necessary to rank better. Page experience is and will always be a ranking factor.

Conclusion: Core Web Vitals Score is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google itself confirmed that the Core Web Vitals score is a ranking factor. There is not much left to say. All you need to do is optimize your website for CWV. It can also impact the helpfulness of your content.

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Is Content a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is Content a Google search ranking factor? Do you optimize Content for Google search ranking? Can Content influence rankings?

Content is the king, is the oldest saying in the SEO and marketing industry. Without content, there can be no search, no marketing, and nothing else. You cannot do anything without content.

Is Content a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

But how much Google cares about it? Let's find out today.

Let's understand everything about content and its impact on search results.

Content:

Content is information that you share to display your expertise, knowledge, products, and services to others.

Content is everything that you can find on a website like eAskme.

But does Content impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Claim: Content is a Google Ranking Factor

Content is the basis of every website or app. Engaging with readers, ranking in Google searches, and boosting organic traffic is necessary.

Almost every person in the business understands the potential of high-quality content and its impact on search results.

Search engines like Google rely on content. Without content, Google cannot display anything.

It is a part of search engines, algorithms, marketing campaigns, etc.

Evidence: Content is a Ranking Factor

Google's "How Search Works" explains how content automatically generates results. When ranking a website or webpage, Google focuses on meaning, relevance, quality, usability, and content.

And everything comes from the content.

Google explains that its system analyzes content relevance to rank it in SERP.

It also means that the Google system understands the queries and the intent behind those queries.

Ten years ago, it was easy to create a website that ranked with a clean design, audience targeting, valuable content, site structure, etc.

Even after a decade, Google has preferred valuable content when ranking your website or page.

Google's "Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Starter Guide" explains image optimization, video optimization, website performance, SEO, and site in search console.

How to Create Valuable Content?

To create a valuable content experience, it is a must to create content that has the following ingredients:

• Create content to satisfy user intent.
• Use easy-to-read language.
• Optimize images, videos, and other types of content.
• Create scalable, unique, and fresh content.
• Use evergreen content.
• Display authority and expertise using data and research.
• Add enough information to satisfy users' needs.
• Optimize links.
• Avoid ad manipulation.

Google is interested in content that is trustworthy, expert, and authoritative.

Google's John Muller also said that Google looks at the whole content instead of just H1 tags.

Evidence: Content is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

There is no single piece of evidence to support this theory. The reason is simple: content is only possible with it.

Content search is only possible with content search.

Conclusion: Content is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Content is the soul of every business. Search engines rely entirely on content and quality.

Content quality is among the top 3 ranking signals in Google search results.

Create evergreen, exceptional, trustworthy content to rank better and improve organic position.

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Is Canonicalization a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is canonicalization a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the canonicalization strategy for Google search ranking? Can canonicalization influence rankings?

Search engines want you to use canonical tags or canonicalization. But does it impact organic search ranking?

Rel=Canonical tag you will direct Google to the preferred version of your website URL. Still, there is no guarantee that Google will follow your path.

Is Canonicalization a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

To answer this question, first understand the canonicalization and then dig deep to find facts.

There are very few people who are asking this question, yet it is worth answering.

But does Canonicalization impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about canonicalization (rel="canonical") and its impact on search.

Canonicalization:

Canonicalization is the process of telling a search engine which URL is the best representative of your website. It also helps Google to choose the best page and avoid duplicate pages or versions of the same page.

The easiest way to use canonicalization is to add a rel=canonical tag to declare the representative URL.

Google wants to use to use rel="canonical".

But is canonicalization (rel="canonical")  a Google organic ranking factor? Let's find out.

Claim: Canonicalization is a Google Ranking Factor

Canonicalization or rel="canonical" is an HTML tag that tells Google the best representative of your URL.

In most common cases, Google uses the canonical URL to avoid duplicate versions.

For example, if you set the www version as canonical, then Google will use the URL with www to crawl and index.

This helps Google save resources and time by avoiding duplicate versions of the URL.

In 2023, Google itself recommended the use of canonical tags.

But if you want to avoid duplication in syndicated content, then you should now use canonical links.
Ask syndicated sites or webmasters to use the noindex tag instead of canonical.

The sole purpose of a canonical URL is to share a preferred version of your domain URL with search engines.

As rel=canonical helps Google to find a preferred version of URL, webmasters started believing that it also impacts search engine ranking.

Evidence: Canonicalization is Not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google has nowhere mentioned that canonicalization or rel=canonical is necessary for ranking.

Google's John Muller said that the best strategy is to use the rel="canonical" tag to avoid duplicate content issues in search results.

Difference between rel=canonical and Noindex:

Rel=canonical tells Google that the source or link is essential and should be indexed. But no index tells the search engines that that page should not be indexed.

In other words, rel=canonical pass link juice, but noindex doesn't do it.

Conclusion: Canonicalization is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Canonicalization helps Google to identify the preferred version and avoid duplicate versions of the URL. It is necessary to index only preferred URLs. It works as a suggestion.

You should rel=canonical to help Google. However, it is not a Google ranking factor.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Code-To-Text Ratio a Google Ranking Factor or Not?

Is Code-To-Text Ratio a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to use the Code-To-Text Ratio for Google search ranking? Can the Code-To-Text Ratio influence rankings?

Code is a must for any website. Without code, there cannot be a site or app. While coding can make or break a website, it is also believed that coding can influence search ranking or ranking signals.

The code-to-text ratio impacts responsiveness, speed, indexing, and user experience. To create the best user experience, SEOs work, SEOs work hard to find the best Code-to-text ratio for clients' websites.

Is Code-To-Text Ratio a Google Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

It is not easy to determine the code-to-text ratio, yet SEOs try everything.

But does the Code-To-Text Ratio impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about the Code-To-Text Ratio and its impact on search.

Code-To-Text Ratio:

Code-to-text ratio is the percentage of text compared to code on the webpage or website. Code-text ratio checkers are available to calculate the exact ratio.

It is a must to have optimized code on your website or page. Anything more than that is unnecessary. Yet, it is good to find out if your code is impacting search ranking.

Claim: Code-to-text ratio is a Google Ranking Factor

The code-to-text ratio can directly influence user experience. Code-heavy sites load slowly, which negatively affects user experience.

Sites with low code or poor coding create design, crawling, and indexing issues. The code helps search engine engines understand why the page is there and its relevance to the website.

Evidence: Code-to-text ratio is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google’s John Muller once said that HTML code does not affect website search engine rankings.

Although Google does not outrank sites based on their code, too much code is not beneficial for users. Complex or hidden codes can damage your page's SEO and rankings.

It is better to optimize code to create a fast-loading website with a clean user experience. Better user experience and Core Web Vitals score are important for better rankings.

How to Optimize Code-to-text Ratio?

The code-to-text ratio directly impacts Core Web Vitals score and user experience.

• Check code errors using the W3C validator tool.
• Check the HTML code errors and fix them.
• Improve code and get rid of any useless code to improve page load time.
• Compress images, use cache codes, and get rid of flash codes to improve website speed.

Conclusion: Code-to-text ratio is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Your website code is not a ranking factor. Yet, it is important to optimize website code to optimize load time and responsiveness and fix coding errors. It is best to optimize the Code-To-Text Ratio within 20-75%.

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Is Contact Information A Google Ranking Factor or Not?

Is contact information a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to use contact information for Google search ranking? Can contact information influence rankings?

The reason why contact information is necessary is to give your audience a way to contact you. It can be through email, chatbot, or phone. Contact forms are the most common way to let people contact you.

Yet, only some websites publish contact information or contact pages.

Is Contact Information A Google Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

But does contact information impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about contact information and its impact on search.

Contact Information:

Contact information is the information that the webmaster publishes on his website to let others contact him. Contact forms, email IDs, phone numbers, and social media pages are part of the contact information.

Claim: Contact Information is a Google Ranking Factor

SEOs have two beliefs about contact information. Many believe that it is necessary to rank in search results, while others believe that it is not necessary.

Contact information is used on two most popular places:

• Contact information on Google My Business.
• Contact Information on website.

Evidence: Contact Information is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Contact information such as website name, physical address, email ID, phone numbers, and social media links are usually published on citation sites. Citations influencer search engine position as they are helpful for users to find ways to contact the website or business.

In 2009, Google launched Places to display contact information.

Since then, it is believed that contact information play a crucial role in ranking for local search terms.

According to the Google Quality Raters Guidelines document, the role of contact information changes according to the type of website. Contact information is crucial for businesses operating in the local area, such as banks, offices, etc.

While it is essential to have contact information on important pages and citations, it is not a ranking signal that can influence rank position.

The presence of contact information is necessary for a good user experience.

Contact information also helps in building a high level of trust. It is necessary to display contact information on important pages where users are most likely to contact your business.

Evidence: Contact Information is Not a Google Search Ranking Factor

John Muller answered the question by saying that Google does not look for search information as a ranking signal. It does not impact search ranking.

Yet, it is good to display contact information from the user's point of view.

Sites with contact information are gaining points on user experience.

Conclusion: Contact Information is a Google Search Ranking Factor (Not Always)

Contact information is an integral part of the local listing. It influences local search ranking in Google organic results.

In recent years, Google has improved its algorithm to analyze the importance of contact information for the user. Contact information is necessary when a user needs to contact a business. In most cases, this happens to businesses in the local area.

Contact information on your website is more important for your clients and users than search engines.

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Are Browser Bookmarks Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Are browser bookmarks a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the browser bookmarks for Google search ranking? Can browser bookmarks influence rankings?

Browser bookmarks are the most common way to save the page from visiting again.

There is not much going on about Browser Bookmarks in SEO discussions. You also cannot find data about the number of times the users bookmark your site.

Are Browser Bookmarks Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

There are very few people who are asking this question, yet it is worth answering.

But do browser bookmarks impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about browser bookmarks and their impact on search.

Browser Bookmarks:

When a user saves a webpage in his Chrome or Mozilla browser that becomes a browser bookmark. User can save a webpage in Google Chrome or Mozilla FireFox browser using browser bookmarks.

Claim: Browser Bookmarks is a Google Ranking Factor

There are sites and web admins who believe that Google tracks browser bookmarks and uses this data to rank web pages or websites in Google's organic search results.

People started making assumptions when Google applied for the patent in 2006. Google patent data shows how others can use search customization based on data.

This is not true, as its nature has nothing to do with the user's experience and the answering of organic queries.

Bookmarking is the easiest thing to do. But it has nothing to do with the organic ranking.

And here is the evidence.

Evidence: Browser Bookmarks are a Google Search Ranking Factor

Browser bookmarks do not solve the search engine's core purpose. Thus, it never impacts search engine ranking.

Also, if Google is going for a patent, it doesn't mean that everything is related to search results. There are major flaws in this theory.

Bookmarks are easy to manipulate:

Bookmarks are under the control of the user, and they are easy to manipulate. Web admins can hire a freelancer to create thousands of bookmarks in no time. This is the poorest strategy that anyone wants to follow.

Search ranking is a challenging task. It takes quality, authority, and expertise.

Bookmarks play out of Context:

Users tend to save Browser Bookmarks without adding any context. A lot of times, these bookmarks are saved using non-related words such as my favorite site, etc.

Such data do not help organic users.

Google has Better Ways to Collect Data:

Google has better algorithms and ways to collect and filter data to optimize organic search results.

Google algorithms, machine learning, and AI technologies work way better than browser bookmarks.

Conclusion: Browser Bookmarks are not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Browser Bookmarks has nothing to do with the Google search ranking. It is not a ranking factor. Google never uses any browser bookmark data to rank a website. Organic ranking is more about content, user experience, and engagement.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Co-Citation A Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is co-citation a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the co-citation strategy for Google search ranking? Can co-citation influence rankings?

SEOs believe that co-citation is a ranking factor. It is known as a long-time link-building strategy in which a webmaster cites two different sites from one page. It is often confused with co-occurrence.

SEO experts have been building links for two or more clients from one website using this strategy.

Is Co-Citation A Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

But does co-citation impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about co-citation and its impact on search.

Co-Citation:

Co-citation is the way to publish or source two different documents or articles from the existing content or newly published content.

For example, when a webmaster publishes an article about real estate in New York and cites different real estate companies in that article, it is called co-citation.

There can be a delay in getting your website cited in an existing article.

Claim: Co-Citation is a Google Ranking Factor

The earliest existence of co-citation was found in 2006 when Jim Boykin published his co-citation understanding document. He defined co-citation, where A and B documents are cited by C. He also explained how to make the citation strong and impactful.

Co-citation is helpful in adding relevance, trust, and reputation to search queries.

But is it a ranking signal? Let's find out.

Evidence: Co-Citations a Google Search Ranking Factor

In 2014, Bill Slawski and Rand Fishkin discussed on Twitter the connection and differences between co-citation and co-occurrence.

The most common citations come from academics, Wikipedia, and research papers, where most of the resources are cited. Case studies, books, and publisher resources get the maximum number of citations.

Marketers have been working hard to get content cited. SEOs use co-citations to build links, and Google has also empowered its algorithms with BERT, HummingBird, and RabkBrain.

Now, search engines understand the connection and differences between co-citation and co-occurrence. Google knows when and why webmasters cite a resource, and it is easy to identify link schemes.
 
Citation has been part of the news world since the 1900s.

Evidence: Co-Citations a Google Search Ranking Factor

Co-citation is an excellent way to gain authority when links come naturally. Google quickly identifies link manipulation practices.

In 2021, John Muller stated that buying links or link schemes is against Google's policies. Google not only acts against sites selling links but also hurts sites buying links.

Google has always been against link-building practices, yet SEOs work to do them in one way or another.

Conclusion: Co-Citation is Somehow a Google Search Ranking Factor

Co-citation is complicated when it comes to ranking better in search results. If citations are natural, they bring benefits.

However, citations from low-quality sites or link submission sites can hurt rankings.

Link citations empower academic documents and Wikipedia. Those links also have some weight-age over low-quality links.

Understand Google's indexing and ranking algorithms. It is best to avoid link manipulation.

Create link-worthy content to earn citations.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

Share it with your friends and family.

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Is Click Depth a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is click depth a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the click depth strategy for Google search ranking? Can click depth influence rankings?

Click depth tells how far a page is from the user’s reach or how many clicks a user needs to hit before visiting another page.

For a website, every page is important, but for a user, the page he is interested in is more important than others.

Is Click Depth a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

Click depth helps users to find the desired page.

But does click depth impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about click depth and its impact on search.

Click Depth:

Click depth is the depth of the page that the user wants to visit. For example, if your page is listed on page 2, then it has a low value compared to the page listed on the homepage.

The pages listed on the homepage hold the best value for the users as they are accessible easily.

But is click depth an organic ranking factor in Google? Let’s find out.

Claim: Click Depth is a Google Ranking Factor

Some SEO experts believe that click depth influences search ranking, while others believe that it is not a ranking signal.

The reason they give is that homepage links are more easily accessible than pages listed far from the homepage.

Evidence: Click Depth is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google’s John Muller said that Google gives little to no attention to how users can find a page on a website. If a user needs to make multiple clicks to visit the page, then holds less value than pages that are just one click away.

Brendan Bennett also said that Google rarely crawls pages more than 3 clicks away from the homepage.

It is best to hold your top pages under the 5-click depth.

SEOs also use this strategy to earn more backlinks for their home pages.

Pages that display on the homepage get maximum exposure, views, clicks, and social shares.
More user engagement results in better ranking.

How to Improve Click Depth?

Optimize Navigation Menu:

It not only displays top categories in the navigation menu but also optimizes it with low-level but top-ranking categories in navigation. This way, you make it easy for users to access your content. It will improve the click depth for those pages.

Optimize Internal Links:

Optimize click depth by adding internal links to important pages. Link blog posts, articles, and guides to make internal navigation easy for the users.

Optimize Breadcrumbs:

Breadcrumbs work as secondary navigation. Optimize it to build links between the deep pages and the homepage.

Conclusion: Click Depth Maybe a Google Search Ranking Factor

Click depth is somehow a ranking factor yet it is not impacting search engine ranking. It is more related to user experience than ranking signals.

Making important pages accessible to the users is a great way to ensure better ranking and user experience.

John Muller also indicated in that way.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Click-Through Rate (CTR) a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is Click-Through Rate (CTR) a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the Click-Through Rate strategy for Google search ranking? Can CTR influence rankings?

There are many beliefs and disbelief in this context. While many people believe that CTR directly influences search ranking, many others believe that Click-through rate is not a ranking signal.

Is Click-Through Rate a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

But does Click-Through Rate (CTR) impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about ClickThrough Rate and its impact on search.

Click-Through Rate (CTR):

Click-Through Rate is the way to measure the performance of your content and marketing campaigns. It is easy to calculate CTR.

CTR = clicks/impressions.

As far as good CTR is concerned, it can be anything between 1.8% to 5%.

In the organic search results, your rank position influences the CTR. Your page title, keywords, and descriptions also influence the Click-Through Rate.

Good CTR is necessary for traffic, leads, sales, and influence.

But is CTR a Google organic ranking factor? Let’s find out.

Claim: Click-Through Rate (CTR) is a Google Ranking Factor

From the beginning of SEO, marketers believed that CTR directly influenced search ranking.

The oldest document we found is from 2002, which says that CTR should be used in search ranking.

In 2014, Rand Fishkin did an experiment where he asked people to search a query and click his page from Google search. His blog post ranked number 1 and received hundreds of page views.

In 2016, Larry Kim from MOZ did another experiment where he compared thousands of keywords and query rankings in Google search to understand the influence of click-through rate. He said that Rankbrain is giving preference to pages that have higher CTR.

How to Improve Organic CTR?

Here are the multiple ways to improve Click Through rate.

• Optimize page title and description.
• Make the page user-friendly, responsive, and fast-loading.
• Avoid Keyword stuffing and cannibalization.
• Use LSI, related, and long tail keywords.

SEOs are using heading and title optimizer tools to write better meta titles and descriptions.

Evidence: Click-through rate (CTR) is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

WordStream and Perficient published articles against CTR as a ranking signal.

Experts found flaws in CTR as a ranking signal approach.

It was easy to influence CTR using paid opportunities.

These are the old experiments, and Google search has changed a lot in past years.

Google’s Gary Illyes also said that CTR is not a ranking factor.

Conclusion: Click-Through Rate (CTR) is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

The Click-Through Rate is not a ranking factor. However, it also does not mean that you should ignore content optimization. You must use SEO tools to write headlines, titles, and descriptions.

Optimized titles and headings result in more clicks and traffic.

But, if your sole purpose is to rank higher in search results, then focus on other important ranking factors.

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Is Google Adsense a Google Ranking Factor or Not?

Have you ever used Google Adsense? Is your website monetized with Adsense? Do you use Adsense to influence organic ranking? Can Google Adsense influence rankings?

These are the questions that I am answering today.

Webmasters and marketers are using Google Adsense. Let’s understand everything about Google Adsense.

Is Google Adsense a Google Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

Google Adsense:

Google Adsense is one of Google's many products. It is a platform that helps bloggers and webmasters monetize their sites with contextual ads. While publishers monetize their content with Adsense, some believe that Adsense approval also helps increase Google ranking.

If you are also one of those, then this post is a myth buster for you.

Who do you believe that Adsense can influence Google Ranking? Can Adsense impact your rankings?

The most common belief is that Google sends traffic to sites monetized with Adsense. There is a belief that Google favors its products and services in search results.

The more traffic Google sends to Adsense monetized sites, the more revenue Google generates from ad views and clicks.

But can a company like Google follow such practices?

Another group of people believe that Adsense ads can negatively impact search rankings.
Let’s find out everything.

Claim: Google Adsense is a Google Ranking Factor

Let’s go through every claim.

Adsense Improve Search Ranking:

According to this theory, Adsense monetization improves search ranking. It enhances the revenue and organic ranking. Google sends more traffic to Adsense-optimized sites to generate more revenue.

Adsense is a Google product, and Google favors its products in organic traffic.

People believe in this theory because they do not trust Google’s ranking signals. Google’s reputation is always at stake due to antitrust lawsuits filed in Europe. There are also open investigations into Google's alleged business practices.

Google is said to Be ranking its products and services over other businesses in search. The Department of Justice is also tracking Google’s behavior.

Google always said it does not follow any malicious practices.

Adsense is Bad for Ranking:

Another claim is that Google ads can decrease organic ranking.

Too many ads are never suitable for user-experience. Bad user experience led to the loss of organic ranking.

Google's focus is on improving user experience. Ads from Adsense and any other network can create issues with this.

Evidence: Google Adsense Is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google confirmed that Google Adsense does not impact search engine ranking.

Nd, it is true. My sites have been ranking well even when I am not using Adsense on many of them. Google is not against content monetization, yet it should not bother visitors.

You should not pursue Adsense, believing that it can improve your search engine ranking. Other factors, such as content quality, user experience, and branding, can help you improve your rankings.

Too many ads on your platform can negatively impact your ranking.

Conclusion: Google Adsense is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google Adsense is not a ranking factor. It is just a way to monetize your website or make money with blogging.

Adsense ads work as any other ads. Too many ads can damage user experience and lower your ranking.

Always follow the best practices when monetizing your website or optimizing your blog for Google search.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Are Breadcrumbs Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Are Breadcrumbs a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to optimize the Breadcrumbs for Google search ranking? Can Breadcrumbs influence rankings?

Breadcrumbs are part of every blog or website to make navigation easy for visitors. Breadcrumbs markup also helps search engines navigate through pages. According to Google, Breadcrumbs indicate page position in the hierarchy.

Is Bounce Rate a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

In SEO, breadcrumbs are not the pieces of bread that you leave behind to avoid getting lost; rather, they are the navigation to old pages or posts that your user can find.

But do website breadcrumbs impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about breadcrumbs and their impact on search results.

Breadcrumbs:

Breadcrumbs help users navigate to old pages. Google also considers finding page positions in the site hierarchy.

Breadcrumbs on a website work as the trail to old posts or pages. With these, a user can quickly find relevant pages that are not linked to pages.

As breadcrumbs are important for navigation, they also impact user experience, which is necessary to rank in Google search results.

But are breadcrumbs a Google organic ranking factor? Let's find out.

Claim: Breadcrumbs is a Google Ranking Factor

Google started displaying site hierarchy in 2009. With this update, Google search results started displaying the page positions on websites.

It displays the root, folders, and subfolders.

As breadcrumbs started displaying in search results, SEO experts stated claiming it as a ranking factor.

Googleblog published a post explaining that breadcrumbs can improve search snippet position for a very small number of search results.

This is where SEOs started believing that breadcrumbs impact Google's organic search ranking.

Evidence: Breadcrumbs are a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google is scanning website pages based on their position, topics and subtopics. Breadcrumbs become essential to create a hierarchical structure where you place pages on their positions.

Google developer document structured data explains that breadcrumbs markup helps Google categorize pages.

At the same time, a user can visit a page from different sources and keywords. This is because a page can rank for multiple queries.

For example, one of my top-ranking pages ranked for more than 1000 queries. It means that the user not only visited the page using the exact match keyword but also used synonyms or related queries.

You can specify multiple breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs markup makes it easy for Google to categorize the page regardless of queries.

Google's 2009 U.S. patent application also explains that the search engine giant can use breadcrumbs even when the web admin is not using them.

Breadcrumbs is there to help Google understand the website structure. This information helps to rank pages in search results.

But the Patent never saw daylight and was left abandoned.

Breadcrumbs Influence Google PageRank:

Google's PageRank technology is a link analysis system that ranks web pages or blog posts. Even though Google has retired the PageRank Toolbar, it is using PageRank technology to rank pages.

Google treat breadcrumbs as normal links, and it can pass link juice to other links.

Google is still using PageRank as a ranking signal.

Google Search Console Warning about Breadcrumbs:

Google Search Console featured a guide about breadcrumbs and published a warning that misuse of structured data can lead to manual action.

Google will only consider something like that when Breadcrumbs are part of ranking signals. Google search console also displays breadcrumbs structured data reports.

Google also sends breadcrumbs error-related emails to the web admins to help them fix the issues.

The purpose of the whole exercise is to fix breadcrumb errors and improve search results.

Conclusion: Breadcrumbs are a Google Search Ranking Factor

Breadcrumbs are impacting the search results. Google is serious about breadcrumbs and has talked about them in multiple documents, tweets, and posts.

Breadcrumbs work as normal links for Google, but they are important for displaying a clear website structure. They are also part of GSC. It is necessary to fix any breadcrumbs-related errors to avoid ranking-related issues.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Bounce Rate a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Is Bounce Rate a Google search ranking factor? Do you want to decrease the Bounce Rate for Google search ranking? Can Bounce Rate influence rankings?

Even though Google never claimed that the bounce rate could impact ranking, SEO experts believe otherwise. It could be because Google needed to share everything about the ranking factors clearly.

Web admins and SEO experts are eagerly optimizing their websites to decrease bounce rates. Some experts believe that bounce date directly impacts ranking, whereas others think it is an indirect Google ranking factor.

Is Bounce Rate a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

But does website bounce rate impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about Bounce Rate and its impact on search.

Bounce Rate:

Bounce rate is the number or percentage of website visitors that move away from the webpage without any engagement. Users can interact with the page by purchasing, sharing, commenting, and filling in the form.

In the Google Analytics report, the bounce rate is the result of single-page sessions divided by the total number of sessions.

To fix bounce rates, web admins use strategies like exit popups, social sharing widgets, etc.

Claim: Bounce Rate is a Google Ranking Factor

SEO experts and professional SEO tools have published reports that claim that bounce rate is one of the many factors that impact search engine ranking.

Rand Fishkin, Brain Dean, SEMRush, HubSpot, etc., have published articles and social media posts where they claimed bounce rate as an impactful factor.

Bounce rate impacts site-level user interaction. The believers in bounce rate came up with the solution of using skyscrapers and pillar articles. They have published lengthy articles with every piece of content that user wants to read about the topic.

The reason behind this is to give maximum information and make the user stay on the website for a long time. This strategy helped SEOs earn backlinks and traffic, but does it impact search ranking?

Let's find out.

Evidence: Bounce Rate Is a Google Search Ranking Factor

In the Google Analytics report, you see the bounce rate metric that tells the percentage of sessions that end without a secondary session.

While some users believe that it displays the user's interest in the information, Google has clearly stated that the Bounce rate has nothing to do with the search engine ranking.

Bounce rate also cannot be the ranking factor because it does not measure user satisfaction.

For example, if a user spends 2 minutes on your website and then leaves without making a secondary hit, then Analytics will still display his visit as a bounce rate.

The bounce rate is not an indicator of user satisfaction.

Google claimed that Bounce Rate is not a Ranking Factor:

In 2022, John Muller said that there are a lot of things that need to be clarified among SEOs about bounce rate. It is not a ranking factor.

In 2010, Matt Cutts also said that bounce rate is not part of ranking signals.

Why does Google not count the bounce rate as a Google search ranking factor?

Here are the reasons:

• The bounce rate only measures single sessions.
• It never provides user satisfaction data.
• It is easy to manipulate the bounce rate.
• Google Analytics is not available on every website.

Conclusion: Bounce Rate is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Bounce rate is not a Google search ranking factor. The reason is that it does not measure user satisfaction, which is Google's top priority.

Brian Dean and Rand Fishkin already explained and tested that bounce is a ranking factor, and it is easy for any SEO expert to confuse it with user satisfaction.

No evidence proves that that once is a Google ranking signal.

It is best to focus more on user satisfaction than bounce rate. In a world where short videos are taking over, the focus time is decreasing. It is best to provide an answer before telling the story.

Invest your time and money on confirmed Google ranking factors.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Author Authority a Google Ranking Factor or Not?

Is Author Authority a Google search ranking factor? Do you have author authority content? Can Author Authority influence rankings?

Author Authority and its impact on organic search ranking has always been a debatable topic. While many consider author authority to be a ranking signal, some believe that it has nothing to do with the author but with the website authority.

Is Author Authority a Google Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

 

Author Authority is about adding credibility to the information.

For example, a dentist can write better articles about tooth problems than a dermatologist.

But does it impact your Google search position? Let's find out.

Let's understand everything about Author Authority and its impact on search.

Author Authority:

Author Authority is all about credibility. Journalists want credible sources, and Google wants credible information. Credibility becomes an issue when every other person starts writing about a topic about which he has zero experience.

Even if you are trying to help others, there is a massive number of posts that have nothing to do with helpful information. Most of the time, wrong content gets published due to misinformation, ignorance, lack of experience, AI writing tools, etc.

This is the reason why even a reader wants to read the article from the author with authority.

But does the Author's authority impact Google rankings? Let's find out.

Claim: Author Authority is a Google Ranking Factor

Google wants to rank pages with E-A-T or E-E-A-T. It wants information that displays expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

LinkedIn collaborative articles are the best example of content written by subject matter experts.
Even though the experts publish content and rank higher, a lot is going on about author authority. And here is everything.

Evidence: Author Authority Is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google has never admitted that author authority is a ranking signal. Yet, after reviewing 1000+ websites in 6 months, I am clear about one thing: article authority impacts impact search ranking, even if not directly then indirectly.

Google has been supporting the rel= "author" tag till 2014. Even, if Google is not using the rel=" author" tag to determine the author, then there are other ways for Google to identify who has written the article.

Google Knowledge Graph explains that Google recognizes authors using their content.

An author's reputation is a different parameter than being an expert and authority.

Google is using the Search Quality Raters Guidelines document to determine the reputation of an author. 

Google's patent for "Author Vector" also explains that it can identify the Author based on content quality, style, and expertise.

Author schema also indicates that Google considers authorship.

Conclusion: Author Authority is May or May is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google has never officially announced the Author Authority as a ranking signal. Author authority does not impact search ranking directly, but it signals the search engine who has written the article and can indirectly affect the search position.

Note: I also love to read expert tips. Even if you are not an expert, start collaborating with industry experts when publishing new posts.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is Anchor Text a Google Ranking Factor or Not?

Is anchor text a Google search ranking factor? Do you optimize Anchor Text for Google search ranking? Can anchor text influence rankings?

Anchor text is part of every website. It is there to make the navigation easy. With anchor text optimization, visitors can land on the oldest pages. It also offers context to the content and readers.

Let’s understand everything about anchor text and its impact on search.

Is Anchor Text a Google Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

Anchor Text:

Anchor text is the text used to link other pages.

From the beginning, anchor text became a crucial part of SEO optimization.

Anchor text best practices help search engines find the relevance of links. It is essential to rank your pages in Google search.

It helps readers to find pages with more information.

SEOs believe that anchor text is a ranking factor. But is it so? Let’s find out.

Claim: Anchor Text is a Google Ranking Factor

Anchor text helps search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, etc., to determine the links published in the content using phrases, queries, and keywords.

The focus of Anchor text is to make the navigation of the pages with more information easy for users. It is necessary to create an excellent user experience, which also impacts search ranking.

Anchor text is part of on-page optimization. Use best SEO practices when linking to old posts with anchor text.

Focus on user experience.

In simple words, anchor text works in a way to influence user experience and search engine ranking.
But here is more.

What Type of Anchor Text is best?

When linking to an old post on your current page, use descriptive anchor text. Make it easy for readers and search engines to understand what the link is about.

It is the anchor text that tells Google what the linked page is about. It is the reason that you should not use generic text such as “read more,” “click here,” “more info,” etc. The more descriptive your anchor text is, the better search engines can understand it.

Focus on user experience when linking to other pages with anchor text. Words or phrases of anchor text make the user choose to visit the page or leave it. When a user clicks the anchor text, he wants to find more information about the topic.

Generic anchor text usually gets fewer clicks and less traffic. Google also does not find what the page is about.

No one likes to read a page full of “Read more” buttons.

Think about user experience when using anchor text.

Evidence: Anchor Text Is a Google Search Ranking Factor

It is proven, and well-known that anchor text is a Google ranking factor.

John Muller has also confirmed that anchor text is a ranking factor.

Yet, it is a must to follow the best anchor text linking practices to improve the result.

Follow Google’s SEO Started guidelines. It says that anchor text should make it easy to navigate and understand the page. Use appropriate anchor text that search engines and users can understand.

What are the Anchor Text Best Practices?

• Write descriptive anchor text.
• Stop using generic anchor text
• Choose easy-to-understand text for links.
• Make it visible.

John Muller advised that you must make anchor text easy to read and easy to understand. When linking to old pages, too many links are bad. Only use relevant anchor text to empower your internal linking and search ranking.

Do not use precisely matching anchor text. Make them descriptive.

Conclusion: Anchor Text is a Google Search Ranking Factor

An anchor text is an important Google ranking factor. Optimize it with a focus on creating an amazing user experience. Use descriptive anchor text to make it easy to understand. Do not use generic and too many anchor text in a single post.

Anchor text is a powerful tool. But use it wisely. Focus on what users want when linking a page using anchor tags.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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Is AMP a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?

Does your website have AMP pages? Do you use AMP optimization to influence organic ranking? Can AMP influence rankings?

These are the questions that every web admin asks before using or dropping AMP. AMP is there to improve the overall impact of a website or blog.

It improves load time and makes the website responsive and user-friendly.

Is AMP a Google Search Ranking Factor or Not?: eAskme

 

AMP, or Accelerated Mobile Pages, is an HTML technology developed by Google to optimize desktop sites for mobile devices. Because it is a Google product, it is believed that AMP impacts the search ranking.

While web admins are using AMP to improve website speed, it is also giving the impression that it can impact search ranking.

Let’s understand everything about AMP and its impact on search.

AMP:

Google launched AMP or Accelerated Mobile Pages HTML framework to make websites mobile-friendly. Webmasters are also using it because it is user-friendly or it is a Google product.

Google has clearly said that AMP does not impact search ranking. Yet there are reasons why many SEOs believe otherwise.

AMP accelerates website response time on mobile devices. It directly impacts the user experience. And user experience is what matters the most. WordPress AMP plugins are easily convert a website into AMP pages.

Claim: AMP is a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google launched AMP in 2018. Since then, SEOs believed that it is necessary for better search ranking as it comes from Google.

But is it so?

SEOs always believe that every Google product has an impact on search ranking. The reason behind this is the belief that Google favors its products over others.

However, Google has created AMP to improve website load speed in mobile devices. Google can make it a ranking factor if they want it.

Google has already debunked this myth. AMP does not impact search results, but it does not mean that technology is irrelevant.

Evidence: AMP Is not a Google Search Ranking Factor

Google’s John Muller already said that AMP is not part of the ranking system. Google’s SEO document also explains that AMP is not a ranking factor. Google treats every page the same way regardless of its AMP status.

You must know that page speed is the part of user experience that is essential for organic ranking.
But you can achieve that without using AMP technology.

Fall of AMP:

AMP technology has been replaced mainly by Core Web Vitals even without officially mentioning it. While AMP does not directly impact search ranking, Core Web Vitals are part of the ranking factors.

Google has retired the amp icon, and SEOs are happy with Core Web Vitals technology.

Rise of Core Web Vitals:

Google has made Core Web Vitals the ranking factor in 2021. AMP can help bloggers achieve better CWV scores. But Core Web Vitals are asking more than the AMP pages can do.

Some tools that help web admins achieve better Core Web Vitals scores without AMP pages.

Will AMP Rise Again?

AMP is going towards its downfall. Google News is bypassing AMP URLs. X (Formerly Twitter) has also dropped support for AMP pages. It is easy to say that AMP is going away.

This is not the first time a Google product has gone downhill.

Now the question is, should you move your AMP pages to non-amp?

It depends upon the result. If you are happy with your current ranking, then you may not consider moving to non-amp.

And, if you want, then stop using AMP on your website.

Conclusion: AMP is a Google Search Ranking Factor

AMP is not a Google search ranking factor. There is nothing new in AMP, and web admins are also removing it from their websites.

AMP is not giving any advantage, and Core Web Vitals are doing better.

Still have any question, do share via comments.

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