Google Continuous Scroll – What does it mean for your website?
For years, digital marketing and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) centralized around the fact that your website must show up on the first page of Google results to get views. According to Advanced Web Ranking’s Google Organic CTR History tool, on average, 83.70% of searches result in an organic click on page one. Only 11.69% of searches resulted in second page clicks.
However, things might be changing for mobile users because of Google’s recent announcement. On October 14th, 2021, Google announced continuous scrolling for search on mobile devices. Instead of clicking to the next result page, more results load as the user scrolls down for the equivalent of four result pages. How will this affect searching and your business’s website? Time will be the only concrete way to tell, but SEO will continue to be just as important.
Competing with more results
Apps have trained users to scroll, and this action is much easier than clicking a button to go to the second or third page. This update could make searchers more likely to see a larger number of results than before. If your website shows up as the seventh or eighth result, you may not see a significant benefit over being the 11th or 12th result now that these results aren’t hidden on the second page. Although this may increase impressions, it will also create more competition.
The #1 spot is still the most important
Think of how often you click on the first result in Google. If you’re like most searchers, you probably rely on that first result to give you the information you want. If you find your answer, there is no reason to continue searching. However, if you don’t find what you need, you may continue clicking through other results. Doing everything you can to get into the top spot in Google’s results for your keywords is important. You’ll also need to provide useful information, so searchers don’t leave your website to continue their original search.
Google Ads
Google ads show up at the top of the page on the first and second pages, which will continue to be the case for desktop users, for now. Paid ads that are currently on the first page will continue to show up at the top on mobile and shouldn’t see a drastic change. However, paid ads that are at the top of the second page will now show up sandwiched between unpaid listings. These ads may get lost easier; however, we know that second page results have always been more hidden than first page results.
With the update recently being released, it’s possible some sites will see higher impressions, but some may see a lower click through rate. This is a great time to make sure your website has important and engaging content to ensure it provides the answers your potential clients need. It’s also a great time to freshen up SEO and paid advertising to get your result in front of the right people. Pinnacle offers digital marketing solutions to take the hassle out of your hands. Contact us today for a free marketing assessment!
