Google doesn’t publish a direct “quality score” for organic search results, but recent revelations from the Department of Justice antitrust case have shown us how to see whether Google considers your website high quality. The answer lies in your crawl frequency data, which you can access through Google Search Console.
After five years of legal proceedings, the DOJ case forced Google to release unprecedented information about how they rank websites. While Google wasn’t broken up despite being found to have a monopoly on search, the documents revealed that user behavior signals are a major ranking factor – and there’s a way to see how Google evaluates your site’s quality based on these signals.
What Google’s Quality Evaluation Really Means
Google’s quality assessment isn’t a single score but rather a complex evaluation based on how users interact with your website. Google uses user behavior signals as a factor in determining rankings. Google observes how searchers interact with the results and your page, looking at which search result listings people click on, how long they stay on your page, and whether they quickly return to the search results.
The DOJ case revealed that these interaction signals help Google gauge if your page satisfied the user’s query. High user engagement is generally a positive ranking signal, whereas poor engagement can hurt rankings over time.
How Crawl Frequency Reveals Google’s Quality Assessment
The most reliable way to gauge Google’s opinion of your website quality is through crawl frequency data. There is a direct relationship between how often Google crawls a page and how important or high-quality Google perceives that page (or site) to be.
Here’s why this works: Google itself has stated that it allocates crawl activity based on factors like a site’s update frequency, relevance, popularity, and overall quality. Pages that users find helpful and engage with positively will be crawled more frequently to keep Google’s index fresh and accurate.
Google’s Gary Illyes has pointed out that better content leads to more crawling. He said “if the content of a site is of high quality and it’s helpful and people like it… Google tends to crawl more from that site.”
How to Find Your Crawl Stats in Google Search Console
Accessing your crawl frequency data is straightforward through Google Search Console:
Step 1: Access Google Search Console
Open Google Search Console and select the property (website) you want to check. Your site must be verified in GSC to access this data.
Step 2: Navigate to Settings
In the left-hand sidebar, scroll down and click on “Settings” at the bottom of the menu.
Step 3: Open Crawl Stats
On the Settings page, find the section labeled “Crawling.” Under this section, you’ll see an item for “Crawl stats.” Click on “Open Report.”
Step 4: Interpret Your Data
The Crawl Stats overview includes graphs for Total crawl requests (how many pages Googlebot requested each day), Total download size, and Average response time. You can see trends over the past 90 days.
A higher and fairly steady crawl rate indicates regular crawling and suggests Google values your content. You can also examine breakdowns by response code, file type, and Googlebot type for more detailed insights.
Key User Behavior Signals Google Monitors
Understanding what Google looks for in user behavior can help you improve your site’s perceived quality:
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
A higher CTR (relative to your position) suggests your title/meta description are appealing and relevant. Google has run experiments showing that the rate of clicks on a result can reflect result quality.
Bounce Rate and Pogo-Sticking
If users click your page but then bounce back to Google quickly to choose a different result, that’s a sign your page didn’t meet their needs. Google can interpret this quick return-to-SERP behavior (often called pogo-sticking) as a negative signal about your page’s quality or relevance.
Dwell Time
Warning Signs of Low Quality Assessment
Several indicators suggest Google may be evaluating your website as low quality:
Declining Crawl Rate
If Google significantly reduces how often it crawls your site, that’s a red flag. In Search Console’s Crawl Stats, a sudden drop-off in crawl requests or consistently very low crawl activity implies Google isn’t eager to frequently update your pages.
Pages Not Getting Indexed
Check your Index Coverage report in GSC. If many pages are being discovered or even crawled by Google but never indexed, it’s often due to content quality problems. Google’s Martin Splitt has explained that when Google detects a pattern of “low quality or thin content”, it may choose not to index those pages at all.
Poor User Engagement Metrics
Low-quality pages often show high bounce rates and very short dwell times in your analytics. If users consistently leave quickly or don’t interact, it implies the content isn’t meeting their needs. Over time, Google will pick up on this through user behavior signals and reduce the visibility of those pages.
How to Improve Your Quality Signals
Create Comprehensive, Useful Content
Make sure each page thoroughly answers the user’s query or need. Avoid thin or fluff content. Instead, provide depth, examples, and clear information. Pages with longer, detailed content often keep users on the page longer (leading to higher dwell time).
Optimize User Experience
Pay attention to your page layout, formatting, and design. Make content easily scannable using descriptive subheadings, short paragraphs, and bullet lists to break up walls of text. Add engaging visuals at intervals to capture attention and prevent user fatigue.
Match Search Intent
Make sure your content title, meta description, and on-page copy align with what the user expects from that query. Address the user’s question or need as quickly as possible on the page. Avoid long, off-topic introductions that delay the useful content.
Improve Technical Performance
Slow load times or awkward mobile pages drive users away. Optimizing your page speed (compressing images, using efficient code, good hosting) will reduce the number of users who abandon the page before it even loads.
What This Means for Your SEO Strategy
The revelation that crawl frequency reflects quality assessment changes how we should think about SEO. Rather than focusing solely on traditional ranking factors, prioritize creating content that genuinely satisfies user intent.
Google’s algorithms (including things like the Navboost patent and RankBrain) incorporate user interaction data. If many users consistently choose your site and seem happy with it, Google gains confidence that your page is high-quality and relevant for those queries, which can lead to higher rankings.
This means SEO isn’t just about keywords and links anymore – it’s about creating content that users find genuinely helpful and engaging.
Monitoring Your Quality Score Over Time
Regular monitoring of your crawl stats provides ongoing insight into Google’s assessment of your site quality. A healthy site will usually show a stable or rising crawl graph, reflecting Google’s continued interest in your pages.
If you notice sudden drops in crawl activity, investigate potential technical issues or content quality problems. Improving the content quality and usefulness of a site will encourage Google to crawl it more and rank it better over time.
Getting Professional Help
Understanding and improving your website’s quality signals requires ongoing attention and expertise. At TJ Digital, we help businesses optimize for both traditional SEO factors and the user behavior signals that Google increasingly relies on. Our AI-optimized approach ensures your content meets both search engine requirements and user expectations.
Ready to improve your website’s quality score? Contact us for a comprehensive analysis of your current performance and a custom strategy to boost your search visibility.