{"id":117376,"date":"2019-08-27T16:33:37","date_gmt":"2019-08-27T08:33:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/seo-hacker.com\/?p=17376"},"modified":"2021-05-11T05:48:58","modified_gmt":"2021-05-11T05:48:58","slug":"site-traffic-ranking-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/seo-hacker.com\/site-traffic-ranking-factor\/","title":{"rendered":"Myth Busted: Site Traffic a Ranking Factor?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Cover<\/a><\/p>\n

Site traffic being a ranking factor is what most SEO beginners and some intermediate SEOs believe to be true. I can\u2019t blame them since I even believed it when I was just starting in SEO. But what\u2019s the truth? Does site traffic not affect our site\u2019s rankings as Google says? Or is there something deeper at play? Let\u2019s find out.<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

Google\u2019s Statement<\/h2>\n

In a <\/span>recent post<\/a> by Barry Schwartz, Google revealed in a Twitter thread that site traffic <\/span>isn\u2019t <\/strong>a ranking factor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Google<\/p>\n

So site traffic isn\u2019t a ranking factor as per Google. But here\u2019s the thing: there\u2019s a lot of data-driven studies in our industry that says otherwise.<\/span><\/p>\n

Data-driven Studies<\/h2>\n

Studies from leading and reputable sources in the SEO industry point to one thing. There\u2019s a certain correlation with having high direct traffic (most notable) to how high a site\u2019s Google rankings are. <\/span>There are also studies that show<\/span> other types of traffic, most notably referral traffic, and it\u2019s <\/span>correlation<\/span> with higher Google rankings. Here\u2019s a snippet from the SEMrush study:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"SEMRUSH<\/p>\n

Do note that these studies about ranking factors were published at different times and some of them are not recent anymore. However, the data they showed still plays a role in determining how we should treat traffic value and its correlation with our site\u2019s rankings. Nonetheless, here are some useful studies that can help you understand Google\u2019s ranking factors:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. SEMRush\u2019s Ranking Factors 2.0<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Backlinko\u2019s Google\u2019s 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List (2019)<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. CognitiveSEO\u2019s research on how traffic affects SEO<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    SEO Hacker\u2019s Data<\/h2>\n

    Here\u2019s the thing, I always take whatever Google says with a grain of salt. Some of them may be true, some of them may be more than meets the eye. So, I cross-referenced the correlation with having high-traffic with rankings using some of my more successful blog posts and here\u2019s what I got:<\/span><\/p>\n

    The data for one of SEO Hacker\u2019s best-performing articles, <\/span>What are Meta Tags and why are they important?<\/a> :<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"SEO<\/p>\n

    And here\u2019s the number of keywords it ranks for (using Ahrefs):<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"SEO<\/p>\n

    A simple article about meta tags that <\/span>has<\/span> around 3<\/span><\/p>\n

    4k traffic for a year ranks for 1.3K keywords in a variety of countries. This specific article is ranking for 65 different keywords on the first page of Google SERPs. Here\u2019s another high-performing article:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"SEO<\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s the keyword data:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"SEO<\/p>\n

    This is a less-performing article than the first example but here\u2019s the difference: With fewer backlinks, less referring domains, less traffic, this article ranks for more keywords than the first one while ranking for <\/span>75 <\/strong>keywords in the first page of Google SERPs. If you\u2019re curious, this is an article I published when <\/span>Google+ was shutting down<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    What I think about Site Traffic as a Ranking Factor<\/h2>\n

    So, why did I show you those two examples? It\u2019s simple. I firmly believe that whatever your site\u2019s traffic number is, it will always be just a <\/span>consequential effect <\/strong>of your SEO efforts. Us SEOs and webmasters can\u2019t <\/span>directly <\/strong>affect the majority of our site\u2019s traffic but our indirect actions can increase it over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    The two examples above just <\/span>goes<\/span> to show that even if a page in your site garners a lot of traffic, it doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s going to be your <\/span>best <\/strong>page in terms of rankings for different sets of keywords. What matters most is you, having the right content that satisfies the user\u2019s intent<\/a>. The difference between the two articles I used as examples is that the first one served as a more general overview of meta tags and why they were important for SEO. Meanwhile, the second example tackled the deeper implications of Google+\u2019 shut down. So, for whoever searches for Google+\u2019 shut down, the content I wrote can satisfy the user\u2019s search for information about the particular event more than the first one.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Key Takeaway<\/h2>\n

    SEO is a game of experimentation and finding what works best and what doesn\u2019t. Don\u2019t always focus on factors that could otherwise distract you from the real problem\/solution. My advice is for you to take a step back, analyze the pain points of, not just your page, but also the <\/span>users<\/strong>. Think about what they want to see if you were in their shoes and start to write about that. Traffic is an important benchmark on knowing if what you did works, but it\u2019s not the endpoint of your SEO efforts. Increasing visibility also means that traffic is soon to come, so set your priorities straight and never stop experimenting. Any questions? Comment them down below!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Site traffic being a ranking factor is what most SEO beginners and some intermediate SEOs believe to be true. I can\u2019t blame them since I even believed it when I was just starting in SEO. But what\u2019s the truth? Does site traffic not affect our site\u2019s rankings as Google says? Or is there something deeper […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"wl_entities_gutenberg":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[100005],"tags":[100232,103482,100251,100545,102059,102609,103464,100757,103488],"wl_entity_type":[102583],"class_list":["post-117376","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-google-and-other-search-engine-news","tag-google","tag-google-advice","tag-google-news","tag-ranking-factors","tag-seo-tips","tag-seo-tips-and-advice","tag-seo-tips-and-tricks","tag-traffic","tag-website-traffic","wl_entity_type-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nIs Site Traffic a Ranking Factor?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A common belief in the SEO industry is that traffic is a ranking factor. Is it true? What should you do with your site to take advantage of this? 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