User behavior in Google search results reveals a lot about a site’s ability to deliver quickly and efficiently. A specific behavior pattern known as pogo sticking is particularly important for both search engines and website owners to understand.
Knowing about this phenomenon is important in order to optimize the user experience and strengthen your SEO efforts.
What is pogo sticking?
Pogo sticking occurs when a user clicks on a link in search results but quickly returns to the search results page (SERP) to select a different result. This behavior signals to search engines that the first page did not provide the user with the answer or information they wanted, which can be interpreted as low quality or irrelevance.
Pogo sticking differs from bounce rate, as bounce simply means the user leaves the page without further interaction, while pogo sticking involves active return to the search results.
Why is pogo sticking important for SEO?
Search engines like Google use behavioral data to assess the quality and relevance of pages. Frequent pogo sticking from a page is seen as a negative signal and can negatively impact the page’s ranking in search results.
Pogo sticking vs. Bounce Rate
| Factor | Pogo sticking | Bounce Rate |
|---|---|---|
| User Behavior | Quickly clicks back to SERP and chooses another page | Leaves the page without visiting other pages |
| SEO significance | May indicate low relevance or poor UX | Not necessarily negative – may be because the user found the answer quickly |
| Google’s view | Can be interpreted negatively | Not always an indicator of poor quality |
Causes of pogo sticking
When a user quickly clicks back to search results after visiting your page, it can be due to a number of different reasons. The reasons range widely from technical issues and user experience to the relevance and structure of the content itself.
Here are some of the most common factors that can lead to pogo sticking:
- Poor user experience (UX)
- Slow page loading
- Pop-ups or intrusive ads
- Poor mobile optimization
- Irrelevant content
- Clickbait titles and meta descriptions
- Missing or superficial information
- Technical jargon without explanation
- Poor content structure
- Text blocks without headings
- Lack of clear CTA
- Distracting elements like autoplay videos
- Wrong search intents
- Long article when the user wants a quick definition
- Sales page rather than product review
How to reduce pogo sticking?
Reducing pogo sticking is fundamentally about meeting user expectations and delivering value from the moment they land on your URL from search results. It requires proactive efforts to identify and remove these barriers.
By addressing these root causes, you not only improve the user journey, but also send stronger quality signals to search engines.
- Improve page speed
- Google PageSpeed Insights
- Compress images and scripts
- Implement caching
- Create relevant and engaging content
- Adapt content to user search intent
- Use bullet points and visual elements
- Provide clear answers early in the text
- Optimize titles and meta descriptions
- Describe the page content precisely
- Engaging without being misleading
- Add USPs
- Create a great mobile experience
- Responsive design
- Avoid annoying pop-ups
- Test mobile friendliness
- Make navigation intuitive
- Logical page structure
- Internal links to relevant content
- Clear CTAs
Pogo sticking and Googles RankBrain
Google uses the AI algorithm RankBrain to analyze user behavior. High levels of pogo sticking can lead to the page being perceived as less relevant or of low quality, and thus risking being downgraded in search results.
From pogo sticking to better SEO
Pogo sticking due to poor user experience or irrelevant content can negatively impact your website’s SEO. By optimizing your content, website speed, and overall user experience, you can effectively reduce pogo sticking and boost your organic rankings.
Is your website having problems with high bounce rates or pogo sticking? Contact Clickin for an analysis and optimization of your SEO strategy.
