undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    What is your Brand Authority?
    Moz

    What is your Brand Authority?

    Check yours now
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • SEO Q&A

      Insights & discussions from an SEO community of 500,000+.

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. Intermediate & Advanced SEO
  4. Do CTR manipulation services actually work to improve rankings?

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Do CTR manipulation services actually work to improve rankings?

Intermediate & Advanced SEO
5
13
4.0k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • AdamThompson
    AdamThompson last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 2:15 PM

    I've seen a variety of services on the fringe of the SEO world that send a flow of (fake) traffic to your website via Google, to drive up your SERP CTR and site engagement. Seems gray hat, but I'm curious as to whether it actually works.

    The latest data I've seen from trustworthy sources (example and example 2) seems mixed on whether CTR has a direct impact on search rankings. Google claims it doesn't. I think it's possible it directly impacts rankings, or its possible Google is using some other metric to reward high engagement pages and CTR correlates with that.

    Any insight on whether CTR manipulation services actually work?

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
    • seanginnaw
      seanginnaw @AdamThompson last edited by Sep 26, 2016, 10:55 AM Sep 26, 2016, 10:55 AM

      No problem, hope it helps!

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • EGOL
        EGOL @AdamThompson last edited by Sep 26, 2016, 10:48 AM Sep 26, 2016, 10:48 AM

        I can't figure out if they are really that ignorant of the rules or if they are just lying.

        Probably both!  And, they say anything that makes the best story to gain a client, hold a client or make themselves look innocent when things go wrong.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
        • AdamThompson
          AdamThompson @EGOL last edited by Sep 26, 2016, 10:44 AM Sep 26, 2016, 10:44 AM

          Also Googlers a) have to fight pretty much only with algorithms and b) have to minimize collateral damage. That gives black hatters an advantage, and makes it impossible for Google to completely win. What annoys me is the fact that almost every single SEO company claims to be 100% white hat and Google-approved, while many are buying links, doing link networks, etc. I can't figure out if they are really that ignorant of the rules or if they are just lying.

          EGOL 1 Reply Last reply Sep 26, 2016, 10:48 AM Reply Quote 0
          • EGOL
            EGOL @AdamThompson last edited by Sep 26, 2016, 10:36 AM Sep 26, 2016, 10:36 AM

            **We have competitors who are using very shady SEO tactics and winning with them. **

            I think that it is more Google being slow to identify problems and conservative about what they penalize.  When SEOs go into the manuipulative zone they are taking their chances that Google will not find them or penalize them.   SEOs who do this often do not fully inform the client that risks are being taken and that they could be slapped with a penalty that will permanently ban them from google, or in the case of Penguin, have their site demoted in the SERPs for nearly two years.

            AdamThompson 1 Reply Last reply Sep 26, 2016, 10:44 AM Reply Quote 0
            • AdamThompson
              AdamThompson @seanginnaw last edited by Sep 26, 2016, 10:26 AM Sep 26, 2016, 10:26 AM

              Good info, thanks!

              seanginnaw 1 Reply Last reply Sep 26, 2016, 10:55 AM Reply Quote 0
              • seanginnaw
                seanginnaw last edited by Sep 23, 2016, 12:47 PM Sep 23, 2016, 12:47 PM

                I've definitely heard of this working with people using crowd-sourcing websites (such as Crowdflower) to pay next to nothing for thousands of people to Google a keyword and click on a specified listing.

                Whilst the effects of CTR manipulation are pretty instant and it definitely works, it's often short lived and Google is quick to pick this up as an anomaly, rather than data of statistical significance.

                In short, it works and it works pretty quickly but if you can't sustain the CTR metrics, you're going to fall back down the rankings.

                AdamThompson 1 Reply Last reply Sep 26, 2016, 10:26 AM Reply Quote 1
                • AdamThompson
                  AdamThompson @EGOL last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 10:12 PM Sep 22, 2016, 10:12 PM

                  I think you over-estimate how smart Googlers are and how dumb shady SEOs are. 🙂 I've seen blatant tricks that have been working for years. I don't use such tricks because they are very risky, but I don't think we should dismiss them as useless - I think it's worth understanding which work and which don't, especially if our competitors are using them. We have competitors who are using very shady SEO tactics and winning with them. Understanding what they are doing and what is working helps us determine which white hat tactics to deploy against them. That's why I'm asking for data on CTR manipulation.

                  EGOL 1 Reply Last reply Sep 26, 2016, 10:36 AM Reply Quote 0
                  • EGOL
                    EGOL last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 9:28 PM Sep 22, 2016, 9:28 PM

                    Google is really smart about manipulation. They have teams of PhD engineers looking out for it and racks of servers watching for it.  These guys are so into it that they don't go home at night.  And, the guys who offer these clicking services are not very smart.  If they were smart they would be making big bucks in cushy jobs like Google Engineer and riding hoverboards around their offices.   The intersection between really smart people and really dumb people isn't a good place to get involved.

                    AdamThompson 1 Reply Last reply Sep 22, 2016, 10:12 PM Reply Quote 0
                    • AdamThompson
                      AdamThompson @PatrickDelehanty last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 4:31 PM Sep 22, 2016, 4:31 PM

                      Yeh, I think this is a good topic to be aware of, even if we wouldn't use it. That way we can respond correctly if our competitors use it, figure out white-hat ways to combat it, have a better understanding of Google's algorithms, etc. All else failing, it wouldn't be expensive to test them out.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                      • AdamThompson
                        AdamThompson @becole last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 4:28 PM Sep 22, 2016, 4:28 PM

                        I generally agree with you that Google is getting better at detecting tricks, but Google is far from perfect and there are a lot of tricks that still work. I'm looking for specific results/data specifically on the CTR manipulation services...

                        Have you done any tests with CTR manipulation services work?

                        This is not a tactic white hat SEOs would use, but it's still good for us to know whether it works, so we can respond correctly if our competitors use it, to figure out white hat ways to combat it, to answer client questions, to have a better understanding of Google's algorithms, etc.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • becole
                          becole last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 3:31 PM Sep 22, 2016, 3:31 PM

                          Generally speaking, these types of schemes don't work, as Google is quite aware of people trying to do this. With the latest Google algorithm updates in the past few years, we've seen it become tougher and tougher for black hat SEO or gray hat SEO to be successful by trying to manipulate clicks, etc. and faking traffic.

                          We are aware of other techniques that have been manipulating Google suggest, though, and while that doesn't specifically influence rankings, it can lead to people searching for keywords that they wouldn't normally search for.

                          AdamThompson 1 Reply Last reply Sep 22, 2016, 4:28 PM Reply Quote 1
                          • PatrickDelehanty
                            PatrickDelehanty last edited by Sep 22, 2016, 2:27 PM Sep 22, 2016, 2:27 PM

                            Hi there

                            No idea if it works or doesn't, but I'd be interested in hearing about it from a curiosity standpoint. My thought is if someone has thought to make a service / try it, Google is five steps ahead in preventing it from working in their algorithm. But yeah, would love to hear thoughts if someone has used it as well!

                            Thanks for starting what could be a really interesting discussion dude!
                            P

                            AdamThompson 1 Reply Last reply Sep 22, 2016, 4:31 PM Reply Quote 2
                            • 1 / 1
                            1 out of 13
                            • First post
                              1/13
                              Last post

                            Got a burning SEO question?

                            Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                            Start my free trial


                            Browse Questions

                            Explore more categories

                            • Moz Tools

                              Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                            • SEO Tactics

                              Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                            • Community

                              Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                            • Digital Marketing

                              Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                            • Research & Trends

                              Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                            • Support

                              Connect on product support and feature requests.

                            • See all categories

                            Related Questions

                            • eddys_kap

                              Why is our noindex tag not working?

                              Hi, I have the following page where we've implemented a no index tag. But when we run this page in screaming frog or this tool here to verify the noidex is present and functioning, it shows that it's not. But if you view the source of the page, the code is present in the head tag. And unfortunately we've seen instances where Google is indexing pages we've noindexed. Any thoughts on the example above or why this is happening in Google? Eddy

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Jan 24, 2018, 1:51 AM | eddys_kap
                              0
                            • Spotler

                              Brand name not ranking in Google

                              Hi Moz'ers, Could you help me with something I cannot seem to figure out by myself. In June 2017 my company started a rebranding campaign. We've changed our brand name and launched a new website: https://spotler.com. Everything is going fine, but if you Google our brand name "Spotler" our website doesn't show up. How can it be? Our domain authority is 38. It would be wonderful if you could help me. Let me know if you need more information. Best, Simone

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Nov 13, 2017, 8:19 AM | Spotler
                              0
                            • Brett-S

                              Ranking 1st for a keyword - but when 's' is added to the end we are ranking on the second page

                              Hi everyone - hope you are well. I can't get my head around why we are ranking 1st for a specific keyword, but then when 's' is added to the end of the keyword - we are ranking on the second page. What could be the cause of this? I thought that Google would class both of the keywords the same, in this case, let's say the keyword was 'button'. We would be ranking 1st for 'button', but 'buttons' we are ranking on the second page. Any ideas? - I appreciate every comment.

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Jul 26, 2016, 1:31 PM | Brett-S
                              0
                            • BeytzNet

                              Do Page Views Matter? (ranking factor?)

                              Hi, I actually asked it a year and a half ago (with a slight variation) but didn't get any real response and things do change over time. On my eCommerce website I have the main category pages with client side filtering and sorting. As a result, the number of page views is lower than can be expected. Do you think having more page views is still a ranking factor? and if so is it more important than user experience? Thanks

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Feb 2, 2015, 7:52 PM | BeytzNet
                              1
                            • edward-may

                              Ranking on google but not Bing?

                              Any reason why I could be ranking for Google but not Bing?  

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Feb 23, 2015, 11:56 AM | edward-may
                              0
                            • Bill_at_Common_Form

                              Does DMCA protection actually improve search rankings (assuming no one's stolen my content)

                              Hello Moz Community, I had a conversation with someone who claimed that implementing a DMCA protection badge, such as those offered at http://www.dmca.com/ for $10/mo, will improve a site's Google rankings.  Is this true? I know that if my content is stolen it can hurt my rankings (or the stolen content can replace mine), but I'm asking if merely implementing the badge will help my rankings. Thanks! Bill

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Dec 13, 2014, 10:41 AM | Bill_at_Common_Form
                              0
                            • netviper

                              Does Link Detox Boost Work?

                              That is a question I am sure many of your have been asking since they launched the product several weeks ago. Cemper claims they helped get a penalty removed in 3 days by using this product.  Sounds great doesn't it?  Maybe even sounds too good to be true.  Well, here is my experience with it. We have been working to get a site's rankings back up for several months now.  While it has no penalty, it clearly got hit by the algo change.  So we have been very busy creating new content and attempting to remove as much "keyword rich" links as possible. This really hasn't been working very well at all, so when I heard about link detox boost I thought this was the answer to our prayers.  The basic idea is link detox boost forces google to crawl your bad links so it know you no longer have links from those sites or have disavowed them. So we ran it and it was NOT cheap.  Roughly $300.  Now, 3 weeks after running it, the report only shows it has actually crawled 25% of our links, but they assure us it is a reporting issue and the full process has ran its course. The results.  No change at all.  Some of our rankings are worse, some are better, but nothing worth mentioning. Many products from Link Research Tools are very good, but i'm afraid this isn't one of them. Anyone else use this product?  What were your results?

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | May 28, 2014, 2:29 PM | netviper
                              2
                            • CommercePundit

                              Can I Improve Organic Ranking by Restrict Website Access to Specific IP Address or Geo Location?

                              I am targeting my website in US so need to get high organic ranking in US web search. One of my competitor is restricting website access to specific IP address or Geo location. I have checked multiple categories to know more. What's going on with this restriction and why they make it happen? One of SEO forum is also restricting website access to specific location. I can understand that, it may help them to stop thread spamming with unnecessary Sign Up or Q & A. But, why Lamps Plus have set this? Is there any specific reason? Can I improve my organic ranking? Restriction may help me to save and maintain user statistic in terms of bounce rate, average page views per visit, etc...

                              Intermediate & Advanced SEO | Oct 9, 2011, 11:22 AM | CommercePundit
                              1

                            Get started with Moz Pro!

                            Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                            Start my free trial
                            Products
                            • Moz Pro
                            • Moz Local
                            • Moz API
                            • Moz Data
                            • STAT
                            • Product Updates
                            Moz Solutions
                            • SMB Solutions
                            • Agency Solutions
                            • Enterprise Solutions
                            Free SEO Tools
                            • Domain Authority Checker
                            • Link Explorer
                            • Keyword Explorer
                            • Competitive Research
                            • Brand Authority Checker
                            • MozBar Extension
                            • MozCast
                            Resources
                            • Blog
                            • SEO Learning Center
                            • Help Hub
                            • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                            • How-to Guides
                            • Moz Academy
                            • API Docs
                            About Moz
                            • About
                            • Team
                            • Careers
                            • Contact
                            Why Moz
                            • Case Studies
                            • Testimonials
                            Get Involved
                            • Become an Affiliate
                            • MozCon
                            • Webinars
                            • Practical Marketer Series
                            • MozPod
                            Connect with us

                            Contact the Help team

                            Join our newsletter
                            Moz logo
                            © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                            • Accessibility
                            • Terms of Use
                            • Privacy

                            Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.