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Google has recently filed a patent that details many points that Google uses to rank web pages. The title of the patent is "Information retrieval based on historical data" and it reveals details of algorithms that Google uses in addition to its main ranking algorithms.

In this article, we're trying to find out what this means to your web site and what you have to do to optimize your web pages so that you get high rankings on Google. Click here to read part 1, part 2 and part 3.

Part 4: How search results and user data can affect your rankings

The patent specification indicates that Google might track how often users click on a page when it is listed in the search results pages. Google might also track the amount of time that users spend "accessing the document".

It seems that Google might be tracking click-throughs and rewarding those sites with higher click through rates (similar to what Google does with their AdWords program).

The patent specification also indicates that Google might track the behavior of web surfers through bookmarks, cache, favorites, and temporary files (possibly with the Google toolbar and the Google desktop search tool).

The patent specification indicates that Google might track the following information:

• The volume of searches over time is recorded and monitored for
  increases.
• The information regarding a web page's rankings are recorded and monitored for changes.
• The click through rates are monitored for changes in seasonality, fast increases, or other spike traffic.
• The click through rates are monitored for increase or decrease trends.
• The click through rates are monitored to find out if stale or fresh web pages are preferred for a search query.
• The click through rates for web pages for a search term is recorded.
• The traffic to a web page is recorded and monitored for changes.
• The user behavior on web pages is monitored and recorded for changes
  (for example the use of the back button etc.).
• The user behavior might also be monitored through bookmarks, cache, favorites, and temporary files.
• Bookmarks and favorites are monitored for both additions and deletions.
  The overall user behavior for documents is monitored for trends changes.
  The time a user spends on a web page might be used to indicate the quality and freshness of a web page.

What does this mean to your web site?

If Google really tracks the click-throughs to your web site, you should make sure that your web pages have attractive titles so that web surfers click on them in the search results.

Make your web pages interesting enough so that web surfers stay some time on your web site. It might also help if your web site visitors added your web site to their bookmarks.

Make sure that your web page content is optimized for Google. The ranking factors mentioned in the patent specification are only additional factors. If your web page content is not optimized, all other ranking factors won't help you much.

In upcoming newsletter issues, we'll discuss other important factors that can influence your ranking on Google and that are mentioned in the patent specification.

Yahoo to test search-based banner ads

"The company's search marketing division gets ready to display pay-per-click ads in a graphical format, joining its chief competitor Google in expanding the role of search advertising."

"Web search company Ask Jeeves Inc. [...] posted a quarterly profit that beat expectations, but its shares slipped less than 1 percent after it forecast current-quarter earnings below Wall Street's consensus targets."

"Google is seeking to patent a technology meant to help its Google News section sort stories based on their overall quality, which could augment the current methods of ranking results by date and relevance to search terms."

• Google Video adds new channels.
• Online ad revenues up 33 percent in 2004.
• How the world might look in the year 2014.
• Google's Larry Page spoke at the College of Engineering graduation.

Click fraud threatens rising online ad revenue

"The extent of click fraud varies. Estimates range from next to nothing in certain markets to 20% of all clicks. Hence, advertisers have become more tech-savvy and proactive in looking at their data, negotiating with search engines for refunds and auditing for click fraud. "

Microsoft learns to crawl

"Bill Gates knows when he's been beaten. Last year, the Microsoft chairman candidly credited Google with winning the first round of the search wars. [...] So the MSN division set out to build a new engine from scratch, one that would have to be better and more useful than anything Google and Yahoo had to offer."

Google searches for quality not quantity

"Google has plans that will dramatically improve the results of internet news searches, by ranking them according to quality rather than simply by their date and relevance to search terms."

How "search" is redefining the Web — and our lives

"Three quarters of U.S. Internet users, or about 120 million people, have used engines, searching an average of 38 times a month. As the technology has taken off, its influence has rippled through other industries."

Yahoo! News director foresees friendly coexistence with media companies

"The relationship between publishers, advertisers, and readers that at one time sustained news companies is now obsolete, according to Neil Budde, the founding editor of The Wall Street Journal Online, who was hired by Yahoo! as its news director in November."

"I now have many of the top positions on Yahoo and MSN..."

"I now have many of the top positions on Yahoo, MSN and have far improved my position on Google to the 1st, 2nd or 3rd pages for keywords relating to for my web site. I liked that I could download the IBP trial version to test drive it before I spent my money.

I was so impressed with it that I would have been stupid not to use it. I really liked the way that I could customize the reports for my clients when doing SEO work for them. This aspect alone has won me tens of thousands of dollars worth of fees when using this part of the software."
Ed Keay-Smith, www.adwordsmarketing.com

IBP 8 is now available

After a long beta test, the final IBP 8 version is now available. IBP 8 helps you to get more visitors, more customers and more sales. Marketing experts and webmasters recommend IBP. Just take a look at the free demo version.

Lower your advertising costs and make more profit

If your AdWords pay per click campaigns don't return a positive return on investment (ROI) or if you're paying too much for your PPC ads, take a look at our new Google AdWords eBook.

Find out how to lower your advertising costs while increasing your profit.

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We're looking for feedback to our software program IBP.

Tell us how IBP has helped to improve your online marketing.

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The winner of the iPod Shuffle (who accepts the prize) will be listed in this newsletter. This offer is valid until 15 May 2005.

• Brand new IBP 8 version for your web site success
• Google ranking secrets revealed - part 3
• Google ranking secrets revealed - part 2
• Google ranking secrets revealed - part 1
• Google changes its algorithm again
• How long does it take to get listed in Google?
• Cloaking: Does your web host change your pages?
• Study confirms importance of other search engines
• How to succeed with pay per click ads
• View all past issues...