Why Rankings Beyond the First Page Shouldn’t Be Ignored
Search engine optimization (SEO) is often seen as a race to the top of the first page of Google search results. With Google holding a commanding 90-91% market share, the first page, known as the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), is a highly coveted spot. But what happens if you don’t make it to the first page? Is it game over for your online visibility?
In this podcast episode, we’ll dive into the significance of first-page rankings and the evolving dynamics of search behavior.
Bernard San Juan, Managing Partner of Truelogic, highlights the scale of Google’s influence, “Google facilitates about 3.1 trillion searches a year. If you break that number down, that’s incredible, right? That sort of translates to about 8.5 billion searches per day and about 5.9 million searches per minute. That is hundreds of thousands of searches per second,” he said.
This staggering volume underscores the importance of understanding how Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) have evolved and what it means for businesses vying for attention online.
“The other interesting data I’ve always liked was how 15% of Google search queries are novel. And what that means is that 15 out of 100 times Google sees a search that they’ve never seen before. And that’s pretty interesting,” he added.
Evolution of the Search Engine Results Pages
From its inception in 1998 to becoming a legitimate enterprise by 2004, Google’s SERPs have undergone significant changes. Bernard San Juan notes that back in 2004, “all of the click-through was 100% organic, meaning everybody that went to Google almost always went to another website.”
Fast forward to 2024, and the click-through rate for organic results has dropped to 52%, with organic click-through being as low as 39%. This decline can be attributed to the introduction and evolution of sponsored content and various SERP features like local results, rich snippets, and blended results.
The integration of Google Ads has dramatically shifted user behavior. Since 2006, Google has experimented with different formats for sponsored content, making them more integrated and less distinguishable from organic results.
San Juan recalls the early days of ads, “They used to have the salmon box and the green box and the pink box and the yellow box and then the green ad text and the yellow ad text and now the black ad text.”
These changes have led to a significant increase in ad clicks, especially on mobile devices. Today, ad click-through rates can range from 20% to 30% globally, with some regions like the EU seeing rates as high as 40%.
A major shift in search behavior is the rise of non-click searches. San Juan points to a SparkToro study from 2022, which found that, over 64% of searches on Google did not result in a click-through. That means for every 100 users of a Google search, 6 out of 10 of them stay on Google.
This phenomenon is driven by Google’s ability to provide direct answers through features like the answer box, featured snippets, and the knowledge panel, reducing the need for users to click through to other websites.
The First Page Advantage
Despite these changes, the first page of Google still holds considerable power. Historical data shows a strong preference for first-page results:
In 2009, 97% of all users clicked on organic results, with the first page holding a 74% click share.
By 2014, the first-page click share had increased to 88%, and a Backlinko study suggested that 99% of all searches end on the first page.
However, as San Juan advises, this data should be taken with caution due to the small sample sizes used in these studies compared to the vast number of daily searches on Google.
Final Thoughts: The Importance of First-Page Rankings
The evolving SERPs raise an ethical question: Should Google continue to use website content to populate its search results if a majority of searches don’t result in a click-through? San Juan explains, “For the most part, site owners didn’t care that Google used our meta content because they referred a majority of the traffic to websites. But when the majority of searches remain captive to Google’s search results page, is it still fair for them to use your content?”
While the landscape of search behavior has changed dramatically, the importance of being on the first page of Google cannot be overstated. The volume of searches means that even under the most skeptical assumptions, businesses can still gain significant visibility and traffic from first-page rankings.
“Even under the most skeptical assumptions, the fact that search volumes have tripled since 2012 says that you are likely to get a similar, if not larger volume of clicks by being on the first page of search today. The more important question for you is, are you going to be there first or is your competition gonna get there ahead of you?,” he concludes.
While the competitiveness of first-page search results remains high, understanding the evolution of SERPs and user behavior can help businesses strategize effectively. As search volumes continue to grow, maintaining a strong presence on the first page for your business is more critical than ever.
The first page of Google is waiting for you! Contact us today to learn how our search engine optimization services and strategies can help you secure a top spot in search results and drive more traffic to your website.
Do not forget to subscribe to the Truelogic DX Podcast on Spotify, Google, and Apple Podcasts to get the latest digital marketing updates.