Google Continuous Scrolling: Social Media’s Impact on Mobile Search

Google announced that continuous scrolling would launch on many mobile operating systems that use the Google search engine. In attempts to match the social media style of an infinite-scroll experience, Google believes users will be more likely to stay on its site if the search scroll is uninterrupted.

Upon the announcement, Google noted that this will not be an immediate change for all mobile users. Many question-based queries that require action-related information will see the change first. Phrases such as “what to use leftover fruit for” or “how to tie a tie, which present multiple resource options rather than a simple finite answer, will see the changes earliest.

In 2020, around 50% of worldwide traffic consisted of mobile search users. By 2025, this number is expected to increase above 70% as mobile traffic continues to grow. With less than 1% of Google users clicking beyond page-2 results, we expect this number to rise in response to this new rollout with mobile search becoming more frequent and dominant in the search engine world.  

With social media sites such as Twitter and TikTok influencing how we interact with online services, and for how long, it is important for our SEO team to identify when and why Google implements these changes, and how they can affect users, clients, and the search experience overall.

What does this mean for SEO and how does it impact our work at Agital?

For organic search, this means more traffic and impressions. When most mobile users hit the end of page 1 results, they end the search. As more page-2 search results reach larger audiences, organic traffic will improve for sites typically suffering from page 1 cutoff.  

With higher traffic and impressions, the opportunity for conversions increases. This is a win for Google, ecommerce merchants, and those looking for more information beyond standard SERP visibility. Google and other global social media platforms are clearly moving towards a mobile-friendly experience. Agital has already embraced these changes identifying where we can plan for our clients considering these ever-changing search engine behaviors.  

What should ecommerce merchants do to maximize the Google continuous scrolling feature?

To get your brand and products to appear high on the SERP, get your SEO and content optimized by experts. Here are some steps you can (and should take) to help your organic rank on search engines: