Unlimited search result scrolling also coming to desktop

The well-known second page of Google search results that receive less traffic will start to be rearranged. This functionality is already known on mobile search results, but is now going to be rolled out to desktop results as well. With a rollout of the latest Google Helpful Content update, this update has come for US and UK results. And will also be rolled out to the Netherlands with time. Let's take a look at how this fits together, and what this may start to change.

The unlimited scrolling of search results - The user experience

The user experience of the traditional way of requesting more search results, i.e. navigating to the second page of Google, has always been a considerable step for users to overcome. That's also where the famous joke stems from;

Where's the best place to hide a dead body? Google's second page.

With unlimited scrolling of search results, this step is made a whole lot easier for users, and is therefore from a design and UX point of view a welcome addition to search results. After all, it is a natural thing to keep scrolling when you need or want to see more information, you can see this on websites like Facebook, Instagram and other social media as well. As long as people scroll, they stay on a particular page longer.

However, the results are not completely unlimited, as they stop after the sixth page of search results. And so will start giving suggestions for other search terms after this. Because having still not found the right information after six pages will be unlikely.

Second page is more accessible to the average user

With the traditional layout as we currently have it in the Netherlands, the search results on a second page are actually hidden from a large percentage of users. Only a small percentage goes to the second page of Google for their search. You will also notice this if you are on the second page for a certain search term, and another search term that appears in the first five results. The difference is huge.

Simply scrolling through to the second page will be an asset in this and enable opportunities for search results that now rank even lower. In the best case scenario, users may click on your result, have a pleasant user experience, and work up your search result position as a result. So you can see increases in clicks, increases in impressions and at best, increases in your ranking.

Separation will be marked with ads and "People also search for"

The separation between the first and second pages will be characterized with the element of "People also search for", with some suggestions thus for other search terms that may be more applicable to the query. Furthermore, it is also possible that Google will still make some changes in this and may also start showing ads in between. But this cannot be said for sure yet, the Netherlands and Belgium will have to be patient before this will be extended to the worldwide search results. Keep an eye on our latest blog posts. We will update you when this has changed.

What do you think about this interesting development within Google Search Results and its use in it? Let us know via Social Media! We look forward to hearing your thoughts.