User Engagement Metrics and Their Growing Importance in Google’s Ranking Algorithm

User engagement metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), bounce rate, dwell time, and page interactions are increasingly important in Google's ranking algorithm as of 2025. These metrics help Google assess the quality and relevance of content from a user experience perspective, complementing traditional ranking factors like backlinks and keyword relevance.

Google's 2025 algorithm update places greater emphasis on user experience (UX) and AI-driven content ranking, integrating engagement signals more deeply. For example, RankBrain, Google's AI system, uses engagement data like CTR and bounce rate to better understand how users interact with content, influencing rankings accordingly. Although Google officially denies directly using engagement metrics, many SEO experts and former Google engineers confirm their significant role in ranking decisions.

Engagement metrics contribute to a feedback loop: higher engagement leads to better rankings, which in turn increases exposure and further engagement. This cycle incentivizes websites to focus on creating user-friendly, relevant, and authoritative content that keeps users engaged.

Additionally, the 2025 update expands Core Web Vitals to include interactivity and scrolling behaviour, further tying user engagement to ranking outcomes. Schema markup and alignment with rich search results also enhance engagement by improving content visibility and relevance in search features like answer boxes and FAQs.

In summary, user engagement metrics have grown in importance within Google's ranking algorithm by providing a more nuanced, user-centric measure of content quality and relevance, alongside traditional SEO factors. Websites aiming to rank well should prioritise optimising these engagement signals through improved UX, content authenticity, and alignment with search intent.