Behavioral Ranking Factors: What They Are and How They Affect SEO

Even the most complex search engine algorithms will not be able to assess the quality of a website, as it is done by real people – users. Considering all sorts of search engine ranking factors (for example, PageRank from Google), it is necessary to note their significant influence on further SEO. After all, in this case the following rule applies: the more often an Internet resource is referred to, the higher its usefulness and importance. But recently, such a common concept as behavioral ranking factors (BF) has been gaining more and more popularity. By collecting and analyzing such factors, search engines will be able to determine the real usefulness of a website for users, referring to their actions and behavior.

Alex Kupchuk, an SEO specialist who is also the founder of the SEO Tools blog, will help you understand in more detail what is behavioral ranking factors and how exactly they work.

Behavioural factor (BF): understanding the concept

Behavioral factor (BF) is a popular metric that is formed on the basis of user experience (visitors to the site), thereby influencing the ranking of all pages. Such behavioral ranking factors are taken into account by search engines in the process of generating search results, referring to the queries used.

Today it is difficult to determine what weight and priorities each one has behavioral factor (BF), but at the same time you can be sure of their influence on the work of ranking algorithms. In confirmation of this, we can give an example in the form of collection, subsequent analysis in web analytics systems: for example, Google Analytics and other options.

In addition, the SEOTools blog also emphasizes that behavioral factors (BF) statistics are also collected using browsers and other equally important services.

Key metrics of behavioral factors in the SEOTools blog

In order to assess the impact of behavioral factors on promotion, all interaction options can be divided into two categories:

Looking at various behavioral factors metrics, SEO specialist Alex Kupchuk
recommends that you become more familiar with the main types.

Bounce rate

Any refusal is, first of all, an interaction when the user decides to leave the Internet resource. Moreover, the list of “refusals” includes cases when the user viewed no more than one page. It is necessary to take into account the current bounce rate, namely the number of bounces compared to the number of site visits over a certain period of time. If the bounce rate is too high, it can be assumed that there is a problem.

Return to re-search

Looking at all sorts of behavioral factor metrics, the SEOTooLS team points out that not only the refusal on the site is called an important factor. If the user does not find the necessary information for his request, he returns to the search bar again, which means the site automatically receives a negative rating. With a large number of such returns, problems with ranking begin, and therefore we can talk about the negative impact of user behavior on SEO.

Social behavioral cues

This is another equally popular metric of behavioral factors, which depends on the level of citation of a resource in various social networks and other applications:

• Instagram;
• Twitter;
• Facebook;
• TikTok and others.

Social behavioral cues are directly related to user activity in such social networks. As a result, it will be possible to increase the number of sources for future visits to the site pages. Therefore, behavioral signals are often associated with valuable and useful content (according to users).

Attendance or another influence of behavioral factors on promotion

The special influence of behavioral factors on promotion is also directly related to the resource traffic. After all, if users often visit the site from different browsers and devices, then the information on it is really useful and interesting. For this reason, search engines have a positive attitude towards such sites and raise them to the top of search results. With low traffic, they note the negative impact of behavioral factors on the promotion and development of pages.

Click-through rate (CTR)

When considering external factors, SEO Tools blog recommends taking into account click-through rate (CTR), which allows you to find out the exact ratio of the number of clicks on a site for certain keywords/phrases to the total number of page impressions in the search results for these keys. It is very easy to evaluate the click-through rate (CTR) in the search results: the higher this indicator, the more clicks on the selected request (key) can be obtained during the search.

Time on site

Time spent on site – another important indicator. After all, if the user does not like a specific resource, he will not stay on its pages for long. Increased time on site indicates that the resource is really useful, interesting, helps to solve user requests/problems. Thus, a high indicator in terms of long time on the site has a positive effect on the ranking of pages, on the further promotion of the entire Internet resource.

View depth of all or some pages

Such a factor as viewing depth takes into account not only the quality of individual pages, but the quality of the entire resource. The average page depth deserves special attention in the process of careful analysis. viewing depth, taking into account which it is possible to determine: to what extent the resource remains interesting, informative for users. As a result, everything is quite simple – the higher this indicator, the better. The depth of viewing is often affected by the site’s compliance with a certain and specified topic. The user visits the resource in order to get an answer to his question, desire. If he does not receive the necessary return and solution, viewing depth and time on site will be represented by the minimum value.

Additional search engine ranking factors: traffic sources, regular audience

If an Internet resource has a permanent audience, users who often visit the site, we can say about the high quality of all pages and content. After all, the modern user is very spoiled, which means he will return again and again only to useful, fascinating content. Therefore, a positive signal for search engines (and therefore for further promotion) can be called a lot of users who return. Moreover, the number of visits is taken into account specifically by direct transitions.

How to improve behavioral factors: recommendations from the SEO Tools team

Competent improvement of behavioral factors is aimed at improving the quality of the site for the purpose of maximum convenience of users. As a result, changes occur regarding the promotion of the resource in search networks, the time on the site increases, the viewing depth indicators increase, which means that the site is visited by a huge number of users.

When working on a website, it is worth understanding the main nuances of how to improve behavioral factors. Team SEO Tools I have prepared some useful recommendations:

Why Perform User Behavior Analysis

User behavior analysis is an opportunity to find out how convenient a particular website is for users and how popular it is in search engines. SEO Tools specialists recommend regularly checking such marketing data, which affects the future place of the Internet resource in search results.

Carrying out a thorough user behavior analysis, It is important to remember that Google pays attention to the following list of important indicators:

• CTR;
• keywords, their relevance to the information presented on the pages;
• the time a user spends in a search engine and on certain websites;
• useful information about the user, taking into account his activity on the Internet.

Using the data obtained from the above metrics, Google’s job is to improve the search results page (SERP) for each individual user.

As a result, we can say about personalized issuance, as well as about determining the rating of all resources in local search. In the process of analyzing user behavior, we can identify both the weak and strong sides of the site. Therefore, we can understand what exactly needs to be changed to improve the promotion of pages. Behavioral factors are assessed using various tools, among which Google Analytics deserves special attention.

Evaluating Behavioral Factors with Google Analytics: Working on Improving Behavioral Factors

Assessment of behavioral factors With the help of Google Analytics, it is carried out in several important directions at once.

The SEOTools blog suggests highlighting the following:

1. General overview of the entire target audience (TA). A full analysis of user sessions is performed, starting with viewing depth, time, and number of bounces.
2. Behavior map review. In this case, the assessment of behavioral factors allows you to track the entire user path that will be completed to purchase a product/order a service (target action).
3. Review of other additional information. This list includes the exact location of the user, a list of devices from which he most often logs into the site.

High-quality web analytics and user behavior helps to obtain all the necessary information regarding the actions of the target audience. As a result, you can get answers to questions regarding the quality of a specific resource, its capabilities in terms of further promotion.

How behavioral factors work: external and internal transitions to the site

When looking into how behavioral factors work, it is necessary to take into account all external and internal transitions that can be analyzed. It is these factors that have a significant impact on the subsequent ranking of pages.

As a result, everything is easy and simple:

• Users often visit a certain Internet resource, stay on the site for a long time, and view various pages.
• Search engines receive a corresponding signal that the site fully meets the user’s expectations and needs.
• Frequent external and internal transitions The links indicate the popularity of the site, which automatically rises in the ranking.

So, to understand, how behavioral factors work even inexperienced webmasters and owners of Internet resources will be able to. If the site does not meet the needs of a modern user, has a minimum number of external/internal transitions, search engines lose all interest in it. Therefore, the site’s position in search results changes noticeably for the worse.

What else is important to remember when analyzing user sessions: SEO specialist Alex Kupchuk shares

Perform user session analysis, all ranking factors are recommended not separately, but in combination. After all, search engines in their work take into account a huge number of all sorts of parameters, forming search results. For this reason, comprehensive optimization of a specific resource is indispensable. Alex Kupchuk emphasizes that it is impossible to change the site’s position by improving only one of the necessary aspects.

Considering how behavioral factors work, it is necessary to use an exclusively comprehensive approach in your work. At the same time, it is difficult to understand and determine the exact influence of ranking factors, since different search engines reliably hide this information. As a result of analyzing user sessions, SEO specialists’ assessments can differ significantly: it is generally accepted that the contribution of PF varies within 20-50%.

However, the importance of such factors can also change dramatically. This is due to regular algorithm updates by search engines, which means that we can say that the principles of search results formation have changed.

The Impact of User Behavior on SEO: Quality Web Analytics and User Behavior

Web analytics and user behavior, which must be monitored regularly, have a further impact on SEO promotion. Moreover, in the modern world, it is difficult to overestimate the power of such influence. In order to accurately assess the impact of user behavior on SEO, it is necessary to take into account the specific features of a particular search engine. For example, Google has a special built-in mechanism, with the help of which the process of operational evaluation occurs.

Having collected the necessary information, Google’s task is to make the search system as convenient as possible for each user. In the future, this affects the following:

• Personalization of results.
• The popularity of a particular brand in local search.

The SEOTools blog recommends paying attention to web analytics and user behavior during different periods of work with the site (for example, seasonal online business). When receiving the necessary information during the verification of the influence of user behavior on SEO, each search engine makes its own “conclusions” based on its mechanisms and methods of work.

What are site behavior scenarios: the SEOTooLS team will tell you

A specific scenario of behavior on a website or a user scenario is a list of carefully thought-out algorithms, a precise plan that describes the user’s interaction with a product/service. Moreover, a specific scenario can be used for each website, based on what kind of product can be purchased/service ordered.

If you work out the most common behavior scenarios for all consumers in a timely manner, you will be able to develop a unique strategy for future work with the audience.

UX and UI influence on behavior

When considering different scenarios of behavior on a website, one cannot do without first becoming familiar with several other important concepts – UX and UI influence on user behavior. UI and UX are considered important and interrelated aspects that will help determine the user experience of a particular website.

User Experience (UX)

UX and UI influence on behavior are called one of the most important. In order not to get confused in similar concepts, they should be considered in turn.

User experience (UX) demonstrates how exactly the user interacts with the interface of a particular Internet resource and allows one to evaluate the ease of use of all pages.

As a result, the team SEOTooLS draws attention to the fact that in user experience (UX) included:

• navigation throughout the site;
• functionality of the proposed menu;
• results of work with each of the proposed pages.

A good user experience (UX) is the ability to quickly get what the visitor originally came to the site for application.

UI or user interface

Many factors have a special influence on behavior (UX and UI), among which it is important to familiarize yourself with the features of the user interface. UI is usually considered to be what the user will be able to see on the site/in the application – the visual component. This list includes a successful combination of color shades, all buttons, styles, the selected font on different pages.

Thus, we can draw the following conclusion: UX is the functionality of the interface, and UI is the appearance of the site. Checking and viewing various behavior scenarios on the site, It is important to remember that both aspects work in tandem.

Order behavioral factors boosting: is it worth spending time

Behavioral factors manipulation is the process of artificially improving these indicators using various tools. The SEOTooLS team recommends being extremely careful when making a decision order this service. Most often, the number of inflated users is a relatively small percentage of the traffic already received for a specific request.

If so increase in behavioral factors will be used to obtain a large percentage of traffic, search engines may notice such manipulations. In this case, site owners face serious problems.

Types of increase: bots for increasing behavior and special applications

Giving preference to increasing behavioral factors, SEO Tools blog, recommends that you familiarize yourself with the varieties of this process.

Conventionally, there are two options for increasing:

1. Artificial – various bots are used to inflate behavior, and therefore this option is often called the “black” method.
2. Manual – this service can be ordered from a group of people who perform the necessary target actions on the site for a separate fee.

If bots are used to boost behavior will be noticed by search engines almost immediately, then the latest version of Google’s increase will be extremely difficult to determine.

Why automatic BF boosting is considered ineffective: SEO Tools blog will tell

Even if the site was not blocked in the first few months when using bots to increase behavior, this does not mean that such actions will go unnoticed. After all, algorithms are constantly changing, improving, and over time they can figure out that an automatic increase in BF was performed.

The result of such a find will unpleasantly surprise every owner:

• In the best case, the site will move down taking into account its positions in search results.
• In the worst case, the site disappears from search results altogether.

Moreover automatic BF winding is considered quite noticeable, thanks to a special list of factors. SEO Tools blog focuses on the following factors: suspicious (anomalous) activity, unnatural visits to the site, click fraud from one source, ignoring natural fluctuations/changes. To eliminate the negative impact on SEO, it is worth abandoning automatic BF increase in favor of regular and high-quality work on your own site.