If you’re a US based Google user, you’ll now be able to see 6 times more results before clicking through for more results on desktop. While not rolled out everywhere yet, this will inevitably be heading to UK search results soon.
Google has used infinite scrolling on mobile for a while now, and this desktop version is currently just on English searches in the US. The announcement shows continuous scrolling on desktop up until the equivalent of the end of page 6.
Mobile searches have seen similar infinite or continuous scrolling methods for a while now. Google has maintained the “mobile first” method of indexing for a while, so it was just a matter of time before this got rolled out on to desktops.
How will this affect us though?
Users
For users this means easier access to search results beyond page one, which are often dismissed and sometimes made fun of for being inaccessible.
The change to be similar to social media feeds should be a welcome one with an easy transition. Most users are used to the mobile version of this too, so it shouldn’t feel odd.
SEO
For SEO and digital marketing, it means that the results from page 2 to 6 should get an increased click through rate. This is more theoretical at the moment, but we know that every extra click reduces user interest.
This will help reporting on keywords, as suddenly there will be 6 times more on page one!
Joking aside, it should help those which are further down, but how – if at all – click through rates change remains to be seen.
Paid
For paid marketing in search results, it should be business as usual in terms of average CPC, average CPA and clicks. There may be unexpected results from this though, as user interactions might change down the page, but we will probably have to wait and see.
There should be increased visibility for ads on page 2 and beyond. This will definitely be seen as a good thing, but could it skew data and optimisations?
Is It Still A Race To The Top?
The battle for the number 1 spot will remain, but this will be a major increase in real-estate for sites to get on to page 1. Terms traditionally dominated by the bigger players may see more diversity in clicks, but position 1 in organic search and paid will still be the goal.
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