The impact of Google continuous scrolling on SEO
In October 2021, Google started rolling out its continuous scrolling feature on mobile search results for English language searches in the U.S. Google claims that a searcher can scroll through approximately four pages before being presented with the “see more” button.
Although Google believes searchers want to explore results beyond page one, the average click-through rate for page 2 results is lower than 1%. It said that it’s because most searchers think clicking the “see more” button is a waste of time and/or an inconvenience. It also means that searchers miss out on great content or answer to queries that perform poorly in search result ranking.
Is SEO at risk from continuous scrolling?
Most digital marketers are concerned about the impact of continuous scrolling on their SEO strategies. Experts explain that the infinite scroll feature can “blur the lines” between the search engine’s first and second pages, changing the pages’ ranking. While SEO strategies can be a complex process of trial and error, businesses aren’t interested in taking risks.
Although the Google continuous scroll feature seems minor, SEO experts are aware of the subtle changes. Digital marketing is unpredictable, and you never know what the next trend will be.
Experts in Cleveland SEO agencies believe that Google will continue to develop continuous scrolling, which would lead to changes in SEO. These are some elements that could be affected by infinite scrolling.
- Click through rate: This indicator measures your keywords’ effectiveness in your content. Experts argue that the first page is no longer the priority with continuous scrolling, making it harder to determine if your keyword strategy is working.
- Task-oriented activities: People who visit websites to search for particular content, such as e-commerce sites, will find the infinite scroll feature frustrating. Websites that use continuous scrolling organize their content differently than traditional scrolling methods. This is because they have a linear layout. Before adding continuous scrolling, web developers need to consider the layout and content.
- Page length online: Readers often look at the scroll bar on websites to see if they have reached the end of a page. The website will only give an exact page length if it scrolls continuously. This is terrible news for those with limited time or who only read a small amount of content.
How to ensure that your website will be listed on Google
Even with Google’s continuous scrolling feature, online marketers still agree that ranking will still play a huge role in digital marketing. Here are the top tips for optimizing your content to get maximum website traffic, even with continuous scrolling.
1. Increase on-page SEO
It needs to be clear how scrolling pages will affect SEO over the long term. However, it is essential to have competitive SEO strategies. You must ensure that all your web developers and digital marketing staff are up-to-date on the latest trends and changes.
2. Keywords for latent semantic indexing keywords
Latent semantic indexing, or LSI, is a program that identifies synonyms within content and links between them. LSI is an SEO tool that helps you find words related to your primary keyword. One word of caution: Although LSI keywords are mostly synonyms for the primary keyword, they won’t always work for other terms.
3. Keep an eye on technical SEO
Google and other search engines constantly add new features and change the platform to make it more competitive for content creators. You must ensure that your website can be compared with other brands in your niche. You should monitor your website’s technical SEO status constantly to ensure it is current and functioning according to the algorithms of each search engine.
4. Publishing high-quality content
Engaging and well-written content attracts people. Although keywords and technical SEO are essential in driving traffic to your website, the real key is well-written content. Use content that has already received significant website traffic as references. Pay attention to the topic and tone of that post. Take note of important holidays and other special events so you have time to prepare holiday-specific content.
It takes planning and careful strategy to rank in search engines like Google. Continuous scrolling has made it easier to identify what type of content your website offers, such as blogs or e-commerce.
5. Internal linking
Internal Linking is linking your content to each other. It encourages visitors to read more of your content and stay on your website longer, which, of course, will do wonders with your SEO. The more internal links, a search engine will consider a blog/article as high-value content.
Key takeaway
Continuous scrolling places greater emphasis on search results quality. Therefore, ensuring that your content is optimized to fulfill a specific need is essential. Ensure your content addresses a specific search intent for your target audience to allow you to create high-quality, targeted content that engages with your target audience.
SEO experts believe that searchers will only consider page rankings the primary determinant in clicking on a website. It will be the content’s relevance that matters. Optimizing your content with keywords, meta titles, and meta descriptions enables you to attract the attention of your target audience and make your site more clickable – yes, even with continuous scrolling in play.
