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Search engine optimization (SEO) includes many theories about user behavior and its relationship to search results. Pogo sticking is one of the more popular theories matching these two. This quick guide covers the basics.
What is Pogo Sticking?
Pogo sticking is a user behavior where a searcher clicks on a search result, bounces back to the search engine result page (SERP), and clicks on another result. This indicates the previous result did not satisfy the user’s search query.
Example
- A user searches for “best coffee shops in New York” and clicks on the first result.
- They see the page loaded with banner ads, and isn’t worth the frustration.
- The user returns to the SERP and clicks on another search result instead.
This creates a pogo-like behavior of jumping between results. From an analytics standpoint, we can’t tell what went on in the user’s head, but high bounce rate metrics usually indicate that a page does not fulfill searcher intent.
Does Pogo Sticking Matter?
Pogo sticking might not be a ranking factor for Google search results. However, understanding the concepts of pogosticking and search satisfaction can support your SEO understanding and strategies.
Search engines aim to provide the best search results for their users, so if users repeatedly leave pages quickly without any engagement, that signals a quality issue.
Observing your bounce rates and engagement metrics can give you a better understanding of where those issues exist and what to do about them. Improving your content, user experience, and technical SEO should help you perform better in search results.
How to Prevent Pogo Sticking
Let’s look at a few approaches to increasing your engagement and serving your users’ goals with better, more fulfilling content.
Understand and Match User Intent
- Keyword Research: Conduct keyword research to understand what search terms bring users to your pages. Consider how they use those words and what they want.
- Update Content: Regularly review and update content to ensure it remains relevant and meets users’ needs.
- Satisfy Search Intent: While it’s nice to rank for certain keywords, they don’t mean much to you and your goals if you don’t satisfy the user’s search intent. Examine how people find your site with Search Console and customize your content accordingly.
Improve User Experience
- Page Load Speed: Slow-loading pages can deter users. Ensure your website loads quickly across all devices.
- Intuitive Navigation: Have a clear and intuitive site structure that makes it easy for users to find what they’re looking for.
- Mobile Optimization: With a significant chunk of users browsing on mobile devices, ensuring your site is mobile-friendly is crucial.
Encourage Further Engagement
- Internal Linking: Guide users to other relevant content on your site to keep them engaged and reduce the chances of bouncing back.
- Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Prompt users to take action, be it reading another article or signing up for a newsletter.
Monitoring and Adjusting
Like all aspects of SEO, addressing Pogo Sticking is an ongoing process. Monitor your site’s analytics regularly to identify high bounce rate pages and potential issues causing Pogo Sticking. Adjust content and design elements as needed.
Bottom Line
Pogo sticking is a signal to search engines about the relevance and quality of your content. By understanding what causes it taking proactive steps to prevent it, you can enhance user experience, boost your page rankings, and drive more organic traffic to your website. ?
