What Is Pogo Sticking?
Pogo sticking refers to the phenomenon when a user clicks on a search result and goes back to click on another result.
This type of user behaviour shows that the users could not find what they were looking for regarding a certain search query.
It happens because of the failure of a webpage to produce relevant content making users change their minds.
Why is it important for webmasters?
It is important for webmasters since it serves as a signal for them to know that their website cannot provide the users with the content they want.
However, if this problem does not occur often, there can be other reasons behind it but if it occurs quite often, it can be a warning sign.
You must look into this issue and try to improve user experience and engagement.
Website owners must produce high-quality content which is relevant to a topic they cover and must provide useful information.
Difference between bounce rate and pogo-sticking
Bounce rate and pogo-sticking are both similar to each other and are used to measure a user's interaction with a website.
Bounce rate measures the percentage of users who come to a website and leave without performing any action. One can calculate it by dividing single-page visits by the total number of visitors.
Pogo-sticking is the type of user behaviour that shows how many users click on a page and quickly leave to search for another one.
Both are similar in a way because they show a lack of interest and engagement by the users.
In short, bounce rate measures the number of single-page visits, while pogo-sticking measures the frequency with which users quickly leave a page to continue their search.
Causes of pogo-sticking
A user may perform pogo-sticking due to the following causes:
Poor content quality
Sites that do not have proper formatting and structure can make users leave the site after they click on it.
Moreover, grammatical errors and incorrect spelling may also make users question the credibility of the site's content and it can impact rankings as well.
Slow loading time
The page loading speed can become a cause of pogo-sticking because a slow loading age can frustrate users and make them leave the page.
High competition
In the case of highly competitive keywords, the users may not find the content that truly answers their query regarding that competitive keyword making them move on to the next result.
Irrelevant title tags and meta descriptions
Title tags and meta description can be a crucial factor in shaping user behaviour and for this, they must be relevant. Any title tags and meta descriptions irrelevant to the query can cause pogo-sticking.
Too much advertising
Too many ads can impact user experience and they tend to leave the page quickly usually because it slows down the loading time.
Misaligned content
If the content of a website is irrelevant to the search intent or does not provide useful information, it can cause pogo-sticking.
Videos and animations
If a web page has a lot of videos or animations that can cause trouble reading or browsing the content, it can negatively impact user experience.
Is it a ranking factor?
A lot of SEO professionals believe that pogo-sticking is important in terms of Google's ranking algorithm.
However, according to Google's personnel, the search engine does not consider ogo-sticking as a ranking factor.
It is made clear by John Mueller while answering a question on Google Search Central. He said:
“We try not to use signals like that when it comes to search. So that’s something where there are lots of reasons why users might go back and forth, look at different things in the search results, or stay just briefly on a page and move back again. I think that’s really hard to refine and say “well, we could turn this into a ranking factor. So I would not worry about things like that.
Despite this statement from Google, one cannot disregard the phenomenon where pogo-sticking impacts the website's reputation. It is because pogo-sticking is a signal that visitors are not satisfied with what a website owner provides.
Should we worry about it?
Pogo-sticking is not always what it seems to be because there can be other reasons too.
One reason can be that users may look for several options while searching for something so they quickly browse through a lot of pages.
Another reason can be that the users accidentally click on a result and realise that they want to click on another page.
These incidents can occur occasionally which is not something a website owner should worry about.
However, if they occur too often, it indicates that your site needs some adjustments to rectify the errors to enhance user experience.
How to reduce pogo-sticking?
Here are some strategies to reduce pogo-sticking:
Improve content quality
To make pogo-sticking not happen to your website, you must first focus on the content quality. It includes giving useful information, proper formatting, relevant multimedia elements, and an appropriate structure.
Align title tags and meta descriptions with content
Focusing on optimising title tags and meta descriptions can help you prevent pogo-sticking. Both of them must describe the content of the page and should properly reflect what it provides to the users.
Optimize website speed
Optimising page speed can be an effective way to make users stay on a page longer. It involves optimizing images, reducing server response time, and minimizing HTTPS requests.
Use appropriate advertising
Ads must be used in a moderate amount and in a manner that may not interrupt the user's interaction with the page. Advertising must be targeted and able to attract users rather than making them leave the page.
Improve design
The website's navigation menu must be easy for users to go navigate through the website's pages. Also, choose appropriate colours and fonts to appeal to users and make the information easy to read.
Use internal links
Internal linking and its structure must be carefully created so that the users are encouraged to stay on the page longer.
Monitor analytics
You can monitor analytics to know about time on page and the overall performance of the pages of your website. This can give you insights into what areas to work on and whether you need to work on pogo-sticking or not.
Remove spammy pop-ups
Some pop-ups can create bad user experience which is not necessarily the fault of the website owners because it can be a tactic used by spammers.
Be vigilant and aware of any such activity on your website's pages and remove such spammy pop-ups to give the users the best.
Conclusion
According to Google, pogo-sticking is not a ranking factor for its algorithms but it can impact a website's reputation.
Poor user experience may indicate low-quality content and can result in a high percentage of users being discouraged from visiting the website.
Providing high-quality and valuable content that enhances user experience can significantly reduce pogo-sticking.