Does direct traffic affect Google ranking?

[genuineattest]

The direct answer to your question is of course no. But, in contrast to the other answers here so far, it does affect your ranking indirectly.

Google wants to rank the most authoritative pages to answer a particular search query.

Your direct traffic level tends to correlate with - and influence - the number of links and general online presence you have developed over time, and thus your authority.

Yes, referral traffic reflects click-throughs from such links. However, a proportion will also type in your domain name directly rather than clicking on the link. This is for various reasons such as:

Making a hand-written note of a web page to look at later.
Copying the link and pasting into a new browser/browser window/tab.
Also, people will see your domain referred to in your content (eg. in a Quora bio, a social media post) and type it in directly.

Direct traffic also reflects people who remember your domain and return to it for whatever reason. This in itself reflects some level of authority that may be reflected online, and from there influence your ranking, such as through links.

The more direct traffic you attract, the more chances you have that this traffic will influence your ranking in some way by building your authority.

For example:

People linking to your site from their own website or from within other content.
People referring others to your website through say social media channels.
People visiting your site directly and connecting with you via social media channels, and/or your email list (if they're not already). Each new person you connect with is a potential opportunity for a new inbound link, whether immediately (in rare cases) or more usually some months or years down the line.
So while direct traffic to your site doesn't affect your Google ranking directly, the real answer isn't that simple.

[sadia]

wow! thanks.. you have cleared my all confusion...

Originally Posted by genuineattest

The direct answer to your question is of course no. But, in contrast to the other answers here so far, it does affect your ranking indirectly.

Google wants to rank the most authoritative pages to answer a particular search query.

Your direct traffic level tends to correlate with - and influence - the number of links and general online presence you have developed over time, and thus your authority.

Yes, referral traffic reflects click-throughs from such links. However, a proportion will also type in your domain name directly rather than clicking on the link. This is for various reasons such as:

Making a hand-written note of a web page to look at later.
Copying the link and pasting into a new browser/browser window/tab.
Also, people will see your domain referred to in your content (eg. in a Quora bio, a social media post) and type it in directly.

Direct traffic also reflects people who remember your domain and return to it for whatever reason. This in itself reflects some level of authority that may be reflected online, and from there influence your ranking, such as through links.

The more direct traffic you attract, the more chances you have that this traffic will influence your ranking in some way by building your authority.

For example:

People linking to your site from their own website or from within other content.
People referring others to your website through say social media channels.
People visiting your site directly and connecting with you via social media channels, and/or your email list (if they're not already). Each new person you connect with is a potential opportunity for a new inbound link, whether immediately (in rare cases) or more usually some months or years down the line.
So while direct traffic to your site doesn't affect your Google ranking directly, the real answer isn't that simple.