Why Google Doesn't Like SEO Metrics - At Least Some... - Search Engine Roundtable

We see Googlers over the years downplay, nullify and even mock some SEO metrics. They've done this with third-party tools and their own tools - heck, that is why they did away with the toolbar PageRank metric. But why do Googlers dislike these SEO metrics?

John Mueller of Google explained on Twitter that his issue with them is that many SEOs treat these SEO metrics as the ultimate SEO goal. So when you hit a certain DA number or you reduce your toxic links by Y, or your keyword density hits Z-percent, your SEO goals have been met and you are done.

John said "The part I struggle with (with our tools too) is the desire to treat them as a goal of their own, or as a checklist." He said he has "nothing against third party metrics like these - and I'm sure they're made by smart, honest, & well-meaning folks." But he added "Simplifying them to a checklist ("fix toxic links") is misdirected work, selling them as such (which imo you don't do) is unfair towards everyone involved."

He said every time he sees a metric thread, he cringes a bit. "Everytime I see a "how to improve $METRIC" thread, I cringe a bit: so much wasted energy. Do I post to tell them that the metric is irrelevant to Google? (I don't) Creating metrics is hard, money matters, and it's not your fault they're used like this, but it's lost time..."

Here is the context of this:

I do sympathise with @JohnMu's repeatedly being asked about 3rd party metrics, as if they are Google's metrics.

But there's sometimes a...

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