RankBrain is Google's machine learning system that helps Google sort out the search results based on artificial intelligence.
A simple explanation will RankBrain measure, calculate and evaluate how users react to search results – and rank them according to it.
Example:
- You are searching for a cookie recipe in Google. Result number three looks really exciting and you click on it.
- It turns out that this landing side is exactly what you're going to get. An article containing a detailed cookie recipe and more.
- RankBrain will take note of this and give result #3 a ranking boost.
On another side:
- You do the same search and click on result no.1 in Google.
- The contents and landing page are the worst you've seen. You will find none of the things you're easy to find and click out again immediately.
- RankBrain will take note of this as a bounce. Then Google will mark this as negative and you result no.1 may drop down in ranking.
In other words, RankBrain is constantly trying to understand the user's experience of the search results. It focuses mainly on two things:
- How long someone spends on your page (Dwell time)
- How many percent of people click on your result. (CTR).
Dwell Time
Dwell time = The duration of a Google seeker on your website.
RankBrain focuses a lot on dwell time and Google itself has confirmed that dwell time is a ranking factor.
In a study by SearchMetrics it appears that the average Dwell time for top 10 search results in Google is Three minutes and ten seconds.
Nor is it a coincidence that pages with good dwell time also range best in Google. RankBrain assesses these to rank higher accurately because of this.
It also makes sense that the longer you're inside a page, the greater the chance of similar to the contents of this landing page.
And if enough people have the same perception as you, Google will rank this higher content so that it'll be easier to find for more.
CTR (Click Through Rate):
RankBrain sometimes ranks pages and results higher than they really should and should.
If a page is marked as above the average high CTR, Google uses this as a signal to rank the pages higher up.
So this is pretty logical. If no one clicks on your page, why should Google keep your page on the first result page?
Would you like tips on how to boost your CTR? Take a look at This guide made by Brian Dean!