Engagement Rank is the
new ranking factor for Google which measures the level and quality of user
engagement before ranking any resource. The
concept of engagement rank was first highlighted by Bruce Clay in 2012. It
measures various factors present on a webpage like author of the resource, author rank, number of
comments, number of social shares, author rank of users who posted a comment in
the resource etc. We will dive deep into
the metrics that make up the engagement rank and discuss the possibilities as
to how we can leverage it to increase organic
traffic to any site.
new ranking factor for Google which measures the level and quality of user
engagement before ranking any resource. The
concept of engagement rank was first highlighted by Bruce Clay in 2012. It
measures various factors present on a webpage like author of the resource, author rank, number of
comments, number of social shares, author rank of users who posted a comment in
the resource etc. We will dive deep into
the metrics that make up the engagement rank and discuss the possibilities as
to how we can leverage it to increase organic
traffic to any site.
Have a look at the simplest definition of Engagement Rank:
“The metric that calculates the level of user engagement that any resource present on the web receives is known as Engagement Rank.”
The above definition makes it clear that user activity on any site is of vital importance for Google. Henceforth, the very first objective that any webmaster must have in order to make a site popular is to serve the user well. Every other metric will fall into place if the user is satisfied and loves your site.
Various Components of
Engagement Rank
Engagement Rank
The various components of user engagement rank are described below:
1- Authorship
Authorship helps to
associate content to a particular author. This helps Google to identify a real entity behind the created resource. The
first step to start counting engagement is to reveal the person behind the
resource. Google does it well with the help of the rel=author tag. (To learn more about how to implement authorship, visit this resource and to find out how authorship impacts ranking, read this tutorial.)
associate content to a particular author. This helps Google to identify a real entity behind the created resource. The
first step to start counting engagement is to reveal the person behind the
resource. Google does it well with the help of the rel=author tag. (To learn more about how to implement authorship, visit this resource and to find out how authorship impacts ranking, read this tutorial.)
Suggested Reading:
2- Social Shares
The number and quality
of social shares that the resource is able to generate is a direct measure of
the engagement rank. Sites like Google
Plus, Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Twitter etc play a vital role in making
this possible. Social world is a virtual world consisting of real world identities that behave in a manner similar as they
would have behaved in a real world. A person
sharing any resource in a social world and commenting on it is counted as a
vote for the shared resource. Google has special
algorithms in place which are impressive in calculating the amount of
engagement any resource receives in social media sites.
of social shares that the resource is able to generate is a direct measure of
the engagement rank. Sites like Google
Plus, Facebook, StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, Twitter etc play a vital role in making
this possible. Social world is a virtual world consisting of real world identities that behave in a manner similar as they
would have behaved in a real world. A person
sharing any resource in a social world and commenting on it is counted as a
vote for the shared resource. Google has special
algorithms in place which are impressive in calculating the amount of
engagement any resource receives in social media sites.
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3- Comments
A popular resource is
a talked about resource. Its more of a human nature to post a positive comment
on the page that we like the most. Google
counts it as a factor for judging the overall popularity of the page. The end
result being, a popular resource is the one
that receives a lot of comments.
a talked about resource. Its more of a human nature to post a positive comment
on the page that we like the most. Google
counts it as a factor for judging the overall popularity of the page. The end
result being, a popular resource is the one
that receives a lot of comments.
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4- Comment Quality
The quality of the
comment posted on a resource matters the most. By comment quality, I mean to
say the authority of the person posting the
comment, the diversity of profiles who are posting the comments, the
positiveness, the semantic relevancy of the profiles, the overall depth, the follow back on the posted comments, the replies etc all count to increase the
overall comment quality.
comment posted on a resource matters the most. By comment quality, I mean to
say the authority of the person posting the
comment, the diversity of profiles who are posting the comments, the
positiveness, the semantic relevancy of the profiles, the overall depth, the follow back on the posted comments, the replies etc all count to increase the
overall comment quality.
5- Author Rank
A clear metric in
making any resource stand apart in the crowd, is the author rank, also known by
the name agent rank. Author rank is a metric that
calculates the overall reputation and trust factor associated with any author
who creates the resource.
making any resource stand apart in the crowd, is the author rank, also known by
the name agent rank. Author rank is a metric that
calculates the overall reputation and trust factor associated with any author
who creates the resource.
Author rank bears a
direct relation to the overall engagement the resource will receive. A person
with a high agent rank will generally receive more
comments as compared to the person having a lower rank.
direct relation to the overall engagement the resource will receive. A person
with a high agent rank will generally receive more
comments as compared to the person having a lower rank.
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6- Diversity in Social
Shares
Shares
Google does not counts
only the number of social shares. In stead, it counts the diversity in social
shares. By diversity, I mean the variety of
profiles used in the overall social shares the content receives. If the same
person is sharing the resource again and again
then that won’t get counted as a stronger metric as compared to different
people sharing the same resource along with
their own personalized comments.
only the number of social shares. In stead, it counts the diversity in social
shares. By diversity, I mean the variety of
profiles used in the overall social shares the content receives. If the same
person is sharing the resource again and again
then that won’t get counted as a stronger metric as compared to different
people sharing the same resource along with
their own personalized comments.
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7- Profile Rank of
Social Profiles Involved in Sharing
Social Profiles Involved in Sharing
Not only the diversity
but the overall popularity of the profiles involved in the social sharing gets
counted. If the content is liked and shared by
an industry expert then that content is set to be given a high priority by
Google as compared to the resource that is
shared by many people but having low social profiles scores.
but the overall popularity of the profiles involved in the social sharing gets
counted. If the content is liked and shared by
an industry expert then that content is set to be given a high priority by
Google as compared to the resource that is
shared by many people but having low social profiles scores.
8- Quality of Domains
Pointing to the Resource
Pointing to the Resource
Backlinks too gets counted
in the measurement of the engagement rank. A popular resource is the
most linked to content and therefore the
number and quality of backlinks matters here. The number of referring domains
and the domain authority of the respective
referring domains is a great metric to judging the overall importance of any
content.
in the measurement of the engagement rank. A popular resource is the
most linked to content and therefore the
number and quality of backlinks matters here. The number of referring domains
and the domain authority of the respective
referring domains is a great metric to judging the overall importance of any
content.
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9- Bounce Rate
Google takes into
account metrics such as bounce rate while reviewing the overall engagement
rank. Generally, any content that is read and liked
by users has a lower bounce rate as compared to the one with a high bounce rate
where people immediately leave the
site from the landing page itself.
account metrics such as bounce rate while reviewing the overall engagement
rank. Generally, any content that is read and liked
by users has a lower bounce rate as compared to the one with a high bounce rate
where people immediately leave the
site from the landing page itself.
Suggested Reading:
10- Direct Traffic
A loved-to resource
need not be dependant on search engines for receiving traffic. People visit
a site often directly if they love the content
or services they provide. Google keeps a track of this through its Analytics
platform or Chrome browser and uses it as one of
the metrics for the calculation of engagement rank.
need not be dependant on search engines for receiving traffic. People visit
a site often directly if they love the content
or services they provide. Google keeps a track of this through its Analytics
platform or Chrome browser and uses it as one of
the metrics for the calculation of engagement rank.
11- Referral Traffic
Traffic can come by
way of referral sites as well. The more users visit a site, the better the
chances of engagement and higher is the overall
rate.
way of referral sites as well. The more users visit a site, the better the
chances of engagement and higher is the overall
rate.
12- Time on Site
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| (image credit: kaushik.net) |
Similar to the bounce
rate, the time on site is also a metric that helps to unleash the visitor
retention potential of any website. The higher
the time spent by the visitor on the site, the higher is the engagement metric.
rate, the time on site is also a metric that helps to unleash the visitor
retention potential of any website. The higher
the time spent by the visitor on the site, the higher is the engagement metric.
13- Semantic Relevancy
Many people are still
confused as to how semantic relevancy is associated with the engagement rank.
Well, let me provide an example to make things
more clear. Suppose, you are having a webpage related to Chinese food and the page
receives shares and comments by people
expert in making Italian food then the semantic relevancy for the page would be
less. The reverse will happen if the resource
gets shared and commented by expert Chinese recipe makers. Hope that strikes gold for you!
confused as to how semantic relevancy is associated with the engagement rank.
Well, let me provide an example to make things
more clear. Suppose, you are having a webpage related to Chinese food and the page
receives shares and comments by people
expert in making Italian food then the semantic relevancy for the page would be
less. The reverse will happen if the resource
gets shared and commented by expert Chinese recipe makers. Hope that strikes gold for you!
Also See:
3 Seo Fundamentals Every Webmaster Should Follow
Seo Secrets
Seo Tutorial
Importance of Content for Seo in Post Panda World
What is Good Content?
