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Matt Cutts: Google Doesn’t Use Bounce Rate

There’s been a lot of talk over the years (especially post Panda update) about whether or not Google uses bounce rate as a ranking signal. In fact, even this morning at SMX Advanced in the SEO P...
Matt Cutts: Google Doesn’t Use Bounce Rate
Written by Chris Crum
  • There’s been a lot of talk over the years (especially post Panda update) about whether or not Google uses bounce rate as a ranking signal. In fact, even this morning at SMX Advanced in the SEO Periodic Table session, the topic came up. Here are a couple of tweets from an attendee of that session:

    Bounce rates probably aren’t factored either. Doesn’t mean they aren’t important for UX @markmunroe #smx #11a
    4 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    Overall bounce rate may not be important. But Google sure knows when users immediately go back to Google from your site #smx #11a
    4 hours ago via Twitter for iPad · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    Apparently, Google’s Matt Cutts said flat out (via second-hand news) that Google does not use Bounce Rate. Danny Sullivan just tweeted:

    “Google doesn’t use bounce rate” @mattcutts told @tomschmitz yesterday, tom says #smx #11c
    2 minutes ago via web · powered by @socialditto
     Reply  · Retweet  · Favorite

    Common thinking seems to have been that bounce rate is not a ranking signal, but this could help put a stop (or at least add a major point of argument) to the debate.

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