Comments on: Does Traffic Affect Your Search Rankings? http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2009/01/13/traffic-search-rankings/ Search Engine Optimization Journal or the SEO Journal is an SEO Blog by SEO expert and Brick Marketing President, Nick Stamoulis. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:29:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Darryl http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2009/01/13/traffic-search-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-32890 Darryl Fri, 20 Feb 2009 17:02:44 +0000 http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/?p=2720#comment-32890 I talked with a Google rep at a SEMNE event at one point and she said traffic from an organic listing was very important in terms of SEO and something that Google tracked. For example, if your website often gets clicks from your organic listing and that traffic bounces (hits the back button) and then clicks on another organic listing, chances are your listing is going to eventually drop in rank. Google will no longer see your site as relevant as other sites below you which most likely have a lower bounce rate. I talked with a Google rep at a SEMNE event at one point and she said traffic from an organic listing was very important in terms of SEO and something that Google tracked. For example, if your website often gets clicks from your organic listing and that traffic bounces (hits the back button) and then clicks on another organic listing, chances are your listing is going to eventually drop in rank. Google will no longer see your site as relevant as other sites below you which most likely have a lower bounce rate.

]]> By: Nick Stamoulis http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2009/01/13/traffic-search-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-31522 Nick Stamoulis Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:23:50 +0000 http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/?p=2720#comment-31522 Hi Joe, thanks for weighing in. I see three things that you can do here: 1) Pay for the traffic and increase your rankings, which will lead to further organic traffic. Depending on how much you pay for the traffic, you could realize an ROI on the nonpaid traffic you get from organic listings. 2) If you're going to pay for traffic spend that money on a PPC campaign and drive targeted traffic to your site. If you get enough targeted traffic that way then you'll rise in the rankings again and see more organic traffic. 3) Go on a link building spree and target your inbound link anchor text to specifically rank for certain keywords that are high value keywords for you. Hi Joe, thanks for weighing in. I see three things that you can do here:

1) Pay for the traffic and increase your rankings, which will lead to further organic traffic. Depending on how much you pay for the traffic, you could realize an ROI on the nonpaid traffic you get from organic listings.

2) If you’re going to pay for traffic spend that money on a PPC campaign and drive targeted traffic to your site. If you get enough targeted traffic that way then you’ll rise in the rankings again and see more organic traffic.

3) Go on a link building spree and target your inbound link anchor text to specifically rank for certain keywords that are high value keywords for you.

]]> By: Joe http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/2009/01/13/traffic-search-rankings/comment-page-1/#comment-31520 Joe Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:47:49 +0000 http://www.searchengineoptimizationjournal.com/?p=2720#comment-31520 I wonder this exact thing as well, and I may have some evidence in favor of your post. This last December, I was so desperate for traffic that I paid for guaranteed hits (shameful, I know, but I was desperate, and new). Now, even though it was super low quality traffic, it was ACTUAL traffic nonetheless. My point is this: Because of all the traffic I paid for, my site got over 60,000 unique visitors. It was on the second and third pages of Google for my main keywords. When I realized how low quality the traffic was, I stopped paying for it and my traffic returned to normal levels. Unfortunately, it didn't stop at normal levels, as my site slowly slipped further and further back in Google rankings. Now, less than a month later, it's on the 8th page for those keywords. I have looked into it, and my site has not been penalized, I have not stopped building quality links, and I continue to update the site. I came to the conclusion that Google must have seen that my site got 60,000 visitors, and in the blink of an eye was down drastically. I'm tempted to start paying for the low quality traffic again to prove my theory, but I hate the thought of being in a mess where I have to pay for traffic to retain my rankings. Any thoughts on this? I wonder this exact thing as well, and I may have some evidence in favor of your post.

This last December, I was so desperate for traffic that I paid for guaranteed hits (shameful, I know, but I was desperate, and new). Now, even though it was super low quality traffic, it was ACTUAL traffic nonetheless.

My point is this: Because of all the traffic I paid for, my site got over 60,000 unique visitors. It was on the second and third pages of Google for my main keywords. When I realized how low quality the traffic was, I stopped paying for it and my traffic returned to normal levels. Unfortunately, it didn’t stop at normal levels, as my site slowly slipped further and further back in Google rankings. Now, less than a month later, it’s on the 8th page for those keywords.

I have looked into it, and my site has not been penalized, I have not stopped building quality links, and I continue to update the site. I came to the conclusion that Google must have seen that my site got 60,000 visitors, and in the blink of an eye was down drastically. I’m tempted to start paying for the low quality traffic again to prove my theory, but I hate the thought of being in a mess where I have to pay for traffic to retain my rankings.

Any thoughts on this?

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