Effects of Google’s “Reasonable Surfer” Patent

In a recent post by Eric Enge for Search Engine Land™ entitled SEO Implications Of Google’s “Reasonable Surfer” Patent, Eric explains that Google’s newly patented link analysis technology “basically states that all links on a page do not have to carry (or pass) the same weight. The concept is that the value a link should pass to a target page will be largely based on the probability that a user would click on it.”

Enge goes on to explain that the technology’s qualitative analysis determines such things as:

• “Links to unrelated content are highly unlikely to be clicked
• Specific types of content, such as “about us” or “privacy” pages, may be more—or less—likely to get clicked, depending on context
• Location of the link on the page (above the fold should get more weight than below the fold)
• Emphasis to make links more prominent, such as changing size or color, should add weight”

The presentation, placement and emphasis of links on your web pages are more significant now than ever before.

The effect on a website owner of Google’s continued technological improvements to its ranking and analysis systems is greater accountability.

Google wants you to think about everything you put on your web pages and ensure that it is highly relevant and valuable to the end-user. If considered elements your web pages are lacking, your total ranking score will be affected.

As Enge points out  “the concept of how a reasonable surfer would behave appears to have a lot of merit, and the search engines are investing everything they can in better ranking systems and ones that reduce the impact of spam.”

Another important consideration he expresses is that “basic usability guidelines still apply. Understanding how a user sees your site and their behavior when they interact with it has always made sense. Now consider the idea that this can [not only] influence the ranking of a given page, but also the value of the links it provides to other web pages.”

Search engine optimization is more important now than ever.

Every aspect of your website, from site architecture and content to external linking must be carefully, thoughtfully and strategically planned.

Participation in the search engines, particularly Google, is like an on-going entrance audition. The adjudicators hold a score card of evolving criteria upon which you are being constantly judged. If you want to “get in” and “stay in,” you’d better make sure you aren’t lacking in any way.

Why give them a reason to say “no.”

For more technical information about the effects of Google’s new patented technology read Google’s Reasonable Surfer: How the Value of a Link May Differ Based upon Link and Document Features and User Data.