Google will bring back indented search results at the end of 2021. Indented search results are when Google displays additional pages from the same domain that it considers relevant to your query.They are The usual Occurs on page 1.
Many people may think that having two search results on the first page is a good thing, but let me explain why I disagree.
Keyword optimization
As an SEO strategist, I optimize specific pages to appear for keywords or queries. For indented search results, pages that you didn’t intend to show are also shown for that query.
What if the user clicks on one of the results but doesn’t see what they want? Could this be an indication that Google doesn’t know which page to show?
CTR based on position
Looking at these three studies, the average click-through rate (CTR) based on Google SERP position is:
| position | CTR range |
| 1 | 28-40% |
| 2 | 16-18% |
| 3 | 10-11% |
| Four | 7-8% |
| Five | 6% or less |
Let’s say your website’s search results are indented to the 4th place. Using the table above, the CTR would be around 14% (adding the top 4 and 5 highs).
However, if you can push that search result to #2, your CTR will be 16-18%.
Of course, if your CTR is between 28% and 40%, it’s best to increase your position to #1.
Can I get Google to remove the indented search results?
Yes, you can hide indented search results. In the example below, we optimized the top page that was ranked 5th.
But after doing that, Google started showing me an extra page indented between position 5 and position 6.
So I went back to the site and optimized the site to make sure it was clear which pages should rank for that keyword through basic SEO tactics like internal linking.
After doing this, the final result was that the page I wanted to rank for had risen to number 4, and there were no more indented search results.
What did this do to their traffic?
The page saw a 55% increase in traffic the month after moving from #5 to #4.
Rethinking the value of indented search results in SEO
Some people might think that indented search results are good for websites, but I don’t think so.
I think it’s important that the pages optimized for a particular keyword are the only pages from that domain that show up for that query.
In addition to the benefit of a higher CTR, you can’t guarantee which page a user will click on if you have two choices.
We’ve run into this same scenario with some of our clients over the past few months. I have found it to have a positive impact.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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About the author
Joy is the owner of the local search forum, LocalU, and Sterling Sky, a local SEO agency in Canada and the US. She has been working in the industry since her 2006 and is a regular speaker at marketing her conferences such as MozCon, LocalU, Pubcon, SearchLove and State of Search.you can find her twitter Or volunteer as a product expert on the Google My Business forums.
