Everytime we conduct a search on Google, the best results appear in the first pages and this is where many people remain. But, this digital marketing scenario may change very soon.
Google launched an update that allows users to scroll mobile SERP continuously, eliminating the structure of the current result pages.
What will this mean for marketers and which aspects of this update need to be taken into consideration in new marketing strategies? Keep on reading to find out!
What is Google’s update about?
Niru Anand, Google’s Search Product Manager, announced that search results pages will be redesigned on mobile devices to make the navigation easier.
It means that when someone makes a search, the results will load automatically on the screen instead of making the user click to the next page.
The feature launched in mid-October is only available on mobile devices in the United States. But, according to Anand, other countries will have the chance to try it in 2022.
The reason why Google decided to change the SERP experience is based on the perception that most people tend to search for what they are looking for within four pages. With the continuous scrolling, they can receive more results easily.
How will this change the Google experience?
Through the scrolling SERP, it’s possible to see many results with just one touch. Currently, many users check the first page only and choose the content that seems to be more related to the search. Within this new update users will have the opportunity to find inspiring and interesting posts first and, then, click on their selection.
That’s why improving the meta-description and the SEO Title will be essential when this change is implemented. If both are very attractive, the click rate will have chances to be higher.
Images are just as important, too. As you can see in the sample below developed by Google, effective images call attention during the scroll, an experience similar to thumbnails on YouTube.
Source: Google
What will change for content marketing strategies?
According to John Mueller, Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google, although the user sees an infinite scroll, SERP will still show groups of ten results. When a user touches the screen to view more results, ten more results will be loaded.
So, in terms of SEO, the number of impressions will be higher because in the current Google search some people just remain in the first page results. But, in the scrolling experience, other pages will be viewed and that will increase the impressions in Google Search Console.
On the other hand, Mueller says, the click rate will probably stay the same. It doesn’t make sense for Google to make it easier for users to reach the SERP’s page two considering that the best results of topics that people are looking for appear in the first page.
How will ads change?
As you could see, the process will change for SEO and the same goes for Ads, specifically to those that are displayed at the top and bottom of the page.
With this scrolling update, text ads will be redistributed between the top and the bottom of the pages as the bottom will have fewer views.
Additionally, other changes will be implemented in the future such as multiple displays for each single query. For now, Shopping and Local ads will remain the same.
As Google creates updates and makes changes, brands and businesses will have to adapt.. For more on SEO, take a look at the best practices we have created.
