As many search results as you want, without having to click for them: that was the idea behind continuous scroll on Google’s results page. But Google has now shut down the system after only a few years, leaving marketers to rethink their strategy.
For years, Google’s search engine had two defining—if not iconic—features. The first was the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button. The second was the pagination at the bottom, which spelled the word “Google” with ten “o”s, once for each page.
But Google has no sacred cows. The “I’m Feeling Lucky” button died in 2010. Pagination lasted longer, until Google eventually switched to an infinite scrolling system for loading search results. First on smartphones, then on desktops.
- Continuous Scrolling on Mobile: October 2021
- Continuous scrolling op desktop: december 2022
The first victim was the somewhat stale joke among SEO professionals about the best place to hide a dead body: page two of Google.
Fast forward to now: Google has changed its mind
Few companies are as fickle as Google, because Google is now disabling continuous scroll again. Google has versus Search Engine Land explained why this choice was made.
Google said the change was intended to show search results more quickly for more searches, rather than automatically loading results that users didn’t explicitly request. Automatically loading more results didn’t lead to significantly higher satisfaction with the search engine, Google said. – Search Engine Land
On desktop, the change rolled out last week, and the results page now ends with the old-fashioned Google logo again, consisting of ten ‘o’s for ten pages. On mobile, the change will as expected to follow in the coming months.
What does turning off continuous scroll mean? An impact analysis
With every announcement from Google, it’s tempting to guess what the impact will be. But when it comes to disabling continuous scroll, there’s no need to guess. There’s data available from 2021-2022 that tells us what the impact of introducing continuous scroll was.
By looking at the impact of the introduction of continuous scroll at the time, it is easy to predict what the consequences will be of its abolition.
1. For the first three positions this will have little impact
The introduction of continuous scroll had little impact on the first three positions at the time. According to Search Engine Land received the top three results just as many clicks and impressions before the introduction of continuous scrolling as after.
Prediction: Websites currently in the top three positions will notice little of the changes.
2. Lower positions get fewer impressions
The introduction of continuous scroll had a positive effect on the number of impressions of lower positions. Positions 20-25 in particular benefited from this at the time, because they rose from a 20 percent impression share to 25 percent, according to Search Engine Land.
Presumably, searchers didn’t realize they had landed on the lower search results, causing them to scroll further and see more results than if they had used pagination.
Prediction: Pages that rank lower can expect to be shown less often, because searchers are not clicking the ‘next’ button. At the same CTR, this can cause a decrease in clicks, although the total decrease will be limited if the number of clicks from those searches is already low.
3. Fewer Google Ads impressions
When introducing continuous scrolling, Google predicted an increase in the number of impressions of Ads. A logical conclusion, since ads can be shown multiple times for the same search query. The longer users scroll, the larger the impression share will be.
At the time, Google expected no increase in CPCs, so we can (unfortunately) not state now that click costs will decrease due to this change. The introduction of continuous scrolling meant that more advertising space was created outside the top 3. It became more interesting to bid for a lower position, but that strategy will be less attractive in 2024 than it was two years ago.
Prediction: It is likely that Google Ads impressions will decrease in the coming period and that CTR will possibly increase. For advertisers who bid on conversions or CPCs, it is unlikely that click costs will change significantly. Advertisers who currently bid on target impression share and are therefore often shown at the bottom of the page can expect the largest fluctuations. Those who use this bidding strategy would be wise to monitor the reports closely.
bron: PixieMe / Shutterstock.com
Takeaways and recommendations
Every change from Google offers opportunities and pitfalls. This one too. The most important takeaways and recommendations in a row:
- Analyze how much website traffic you get from top 3 positions. Is this enough to achieve the minimum required turnover? Then there is no need to worry about this change.
- Do you receive traffic from lower positions and is that traffic an important condition for the success of the website? Then take action in the coming month by focusing on SEA and SEO.
- Monitor Google Ads campaigns to determine if you are achieving the same return.
- Are you currently bidding on a position at the bottom of the page in Google Ads? Then you probably want to pay extra attention to whether the return is achieved. Monitor the search results and preferably do an A/B test on a limited budget with a different bidding strategy.
- Run a longtail keyword test. Run a new keyword analysis and create new content for longer searches to see what it yields.
And the last tip: do a new SERP analysis for each keyword. Don’t just look at which websites are shown, but also at other elements the results page contains (such as business listings, rich snippets, images, FAQs and ‘people also search for’).
In recent years, Google has expanded the number of elements on the results page. In some cases, it is easier to get among these results than to get a place in the top three. And with fewer impressions for the lower results, a position in these places becomes even more valuable than before.
This article has been checked by the SEO panel.
Source: www.frankwatching.com
