Over the years Google has added sections in search result pages beyond traditional organic listings. Current examples include:
- Featured snippets (i.e., answer boxes),
- “Top stories” (newsworthy content),
- “Interesting finds.”
The latter two show up mostly on mobile devices. Below are screen captures of all three.
These additional sections were once opportunities, as they provided more exposure in search results.
But no more. Google now applies its “deduplication” algorithm wherein a URL appears only once on the first page of search results. If it shows in an additional section, the URL will not appear in the top 10 organic results.
If it ranks 11, however, the URL’s organic position is not affected.
Impact on Publishers
Generally, deduplication is not good for publishers because they lose potential positions. But I’ve seen no recent click-through data of the additional sections versus traditional organic listings.
The lack of data is understandable because Google’s search result pages are no longer predictable. Every result page is different with varying sections and rankings, all based on the searcher and device.
What we do know is all the additional sections appear for informational searches.
- Featured snippets provide quick answers without needing to click. A 2017 study confirmed this, finding that only 8% of searchers clicked the featured snippet, whereas 19% clicked the top organic result (below the featured box). Thus a page that ranks at the top position and is then...
Read Full Story: https://www.practicalecommerce.com/seo-impact-of-google%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98deduplicate%E2%80%99-algorithm
Your content is great. However, if any of the content contained herein violates any rights of yours, including those of copyright, please contact us immediately by e-mail at media[@]kissrpr.com.
