As we all know Google keeps changing its search method to help users find what they need faster and easier. However, not all changes go according to plan. When this happens, Google sometimes decides to go back to the old method or make more adjustments based on what users are thinking and the data they’ve collected.
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Google Dropping Continuous Scroll In SERP
A recent example of this is Google’s decision to stop using the continuous scroll feature in search results from June 25. The feature lets users scroll down to the next page without clicking, but it doesn’t work as well as Google hoped. So, they decided to remove it and possibly make other changes to improve the search experience.
Why In the News?
Google is making a change to how you see search results. They are stopping the continuous scroll feature, where more results load as you keep scrolling past the first page. Instead, you will now see the classic page numbers at the bottom of the search results.
Google introduced continuous scrolling for search results on mobile in October 2021 and brought it to desktop users by December 2022. This facility is available for the first time in the U.S. It was introduced in 2000, to make searching easier by eliminating the need to repeatedly click the next page. You can keep scrolling through the results without any interruption.
Although it was a useful feature, it only lasted about a year and a half on the desktop before Google decided to remove it. It turns out, not all new features stick around forever.
Google plans to remove continuous scroll from mobile search results in the next month. This means both desktop and mobile users will go back to the familiar way of navigating through search results using the pagination bar.
Google is Dropping Continuous Scroll
Starting in late June, Google will stop using continuous scroll for desktop search results and will remove it from mobile search results soon after. This change was announced by a Google spokesperson via Search Engine Land.
Continuous scrolling allows users to keep scrolling down to see more results without clicking to the next page.
Google says the reason for going back to the old method, where users click to see the next page, is to display search results faster. They also found that automatically loading more results didn’t make users any happier.
Overall Google is making changes to pagination to improve search speed and user experience.
Difference Between Continuous Scrolling & Pagination
Continuous Scrolling
With continuous scrolling, you simply keep scrolling down the page, and new search results are automatically loaded as you move forward. You don’t need to click anything; Just keep moving down to see more results.
Pagination
With pagination, you must click the Next button (or the More Results button on mobile) to go to the next page of search results. Each click takes you to a new page with more results.
Potential Effects of this Google Update
A recent Google update might cause websites that rank on page 2 or beyond to get less traffic. This is because users now have to manually click Next Page to see more results, instead of Google automatically showing them as they scroll.
We don’t know exactly how much traffic will drop because of this change. In theory, users might accidentally find results on page 2 and beyond that they wouldn’t normally search for.
However, without hard data, it’s tough to say how valuable this accidental traffic is. Users may keep skipping results that don’t match what they’re looking for, even if those results are automatically shown. So, the impact on a site’s traffic might be small if most of the traffic from continuous scrolling was accidental.
While this update might reduce traffic for lower-ranked pages, the overall impact depends on how users interact with search results.
For Businesses and Brands
All this means that your website might see fewer visitors as Google filters out casual users. However, the visitors you do get could be more valuable because they’ve actively searched for your content beyond the first page of results.
It’s important to have a strong search strategy that focuses on high-quality content. This kind of content attracts the right audience, leading to more conversions. Engaged visitors are better than casual ones who just stumble upon your site by accident.
It will also be interesting to see how Google’s paid ads are affected by these changes. With the need for ongoing interactions to gather more information, paid impressions might also be impacted. We’ll have to wait and see how this plays out over time.
References :
Schwartz, B. (2024b, June 27). Google dropping continuous scroll in search results. Search Engine Land. https://searchengineland.com/google-dropping-continuous-scroll-in-search-results-443529
