Pogo-sticking in SEO is when a user jumps back and forth between the search engine results pages (SERPs) and the top-ranking websites.
It happens when a user clicks on your website in the SERPs and leaves almost immediately. They then click on another ranking result.
This kind of action indicates that the page and content didn’t properly answer their search intent.
The term pogo-sticking was initially coined by Google. It has evolved into a user-experience metric that many website owners track.
Lots of pogo-sticking indicates an issue on your website.
That’s why it’s important to stay on top of it!
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What Will I Learn?
The difference between pogo-sticking and bounce rate is related to the original source of the traffic and the user behaviour.
Pogo-sticking occurs when someone clicks specifically from Google to your website, then leaves and immediately clicks on another website.
Bounce rate is when a user clicks from anywhere (social, search, direct, referral) and leaves your website without looking at any other pages.
To put it simply…
Pogo-sticking is specifically from organic search traffic.
The user has to click from the SERPs to your website, then back to the SERPs and click on another website.
Think of it like a 1-2, 1-2 sequence.
Bounce rate is simply when a user visits your website from anywhere and then leaves after looking at only one page.
Many factors cause pogo-sticking, including:
Pogo-sticking can be a big issue for some sites.
If you don’t take the right actions to reduce pogo-sticking, it can lead to significant losses in rankings and traffic.
Follow these 6 tips to prevent pogo-sticking:
Your website should load in under 2.5 seconds.
We live in a world where people’s attention spans are getting shorter.
Slow-loading websites typically have high pogo-sticking rates.
Optimise your images and take advantage of browser caching.
Use a content delivery network (CDN) to ensure your site loads quickly everywhere in the world.
You can also use numerous plugins and tools to remove unused CSS, HTML and JavaScript.
All of this will lead to a fast-loading website.
Check out our increase website speed tutorial to learn more.
If you didn’t know…
The world has gone mobile. Digital marketing statistics show that 63% of all Google searches are done on a mobile device.
If your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, people won’t stick around.
Ensure your website looks good on all mobile devices and provides a great user experience.
Create clear, engaging and informative content.
High-quality content is comprehensive and provides tons of value to the user. That includes ensuring the content is easy to read, skim and has a good structure.
Remember:
Creating great content isn’t only about writing.
Make sure you include relevant:
…and call-out boxes to make your content more engaging.
Here’s the truth:
Every user that visits your website from Google is there for one thing…
To find the information to their query or question. Search intent is simply the primary answer to the user’s search.
That means you should look to answer the user’s primary search intent in the first 1-2 sections on your page.
This will let the user know they are in the right place and prevent them from pogo-sticking back to the SERPs.
Good User Experience = Reduced Pogo-Sticking.
Design your site with your target audience in mind.
Your website should have a clean design and intuitive navigation that makes your content more accessible.
Avoid intrusive ads and pop-ups which disrupt the flow of your site.
The easier you make it for visitors to navigate your website, the better the user experience.
Strategically place internal links to guide visitors to other relevant pages within your site.
This improves SEO and increases the chances of users exploring your site further. Don’t underestimate the importance of internal linking.
It can play a pivotal role in preventing pogo-sticking.
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