Source: Shutterstock
What Were Indented Search Results?
Indented search results were search snippets that showed additional pages from a domain that Google found to be relevant to the search query. Any website owner or digital marketer always aims to appear on the first page of Google. With this feature, they could have multiple pages being displayed in search results, even if only one of the pages actually ranked that high.
These additional search results showed up under your website’s main search listing for a given query, where the search algorithm targeted pages with content/keywords related to the search query and displayed them underneath the main search result.
Google is always trying to show the most relevant content. Indented results allow Google to group together similar pages from a website to address a query better. Indented results are completely different from featured snippets (as they are not a product of structured data) and are not the same as site links.
What Did Indented Search Results Look Like?
Let’s take a look at the results for the search query, ‘best watches for men’:
Source: Screenshot by User
We can see that the main search result from gq.com is for the page “Best Watches for Men on Amazon” and underneath it, there is an indented snippet of a related page on gq.com (‘20 Best Gold Watches for Men in 2021”). It is slightly indented to the right, hence the name “indented search results”.
The page “Best Watches for Men on Amazon” is the one that is ranking on the first page of Google. The page, “20 Best Gold Watches for Men” does not rank for page 1, but Google has chosen to display it as an indented search result under GQ’s main search result.
When Did Google Remove Indented Search Results?
Google has been experimenting with indented search results since 2009. This feature was reintroduced and adjusted over the years. However, at the end of 2023, Google decided to remove it due to changes found in user interaction. As a result, the removal of intended search results was used to improve navigation, making it more easily accessible for users to find information.
Although, Google said that the diverse system works to showcase only two results from the same domain in the top results. This means that Google did not change how often searches may show the same domain for a query on SERP, but would not indent the result anymore.
Why Did Google Remove the Indented Search Results Feature?
The key reasons for removing the indented search results feature were to improve the user experience for Google users and adapt to their changing behaviours.
- Improve Navigation Experience: The removal of indented search results led to continuous scrolling without having to click through multiple pages to reach the information you are looking for. Users can now view more results under a single page.
- Promote Diverse Visibility and Share Equal Opportunity: Removing indented search results helped level the opportunity for diverse websites by preventing certain sets of domains from dominating the SERP with multiple grouped links. Users can now view more information from different domains, which also makes it competitive for websites to produce more valuable content and ultimately helps serve Google users better.
- Adapt Modern Search Behaviour: The increased use of mobile devices influences how people manage and prefer searching for queries. Quick and efficient information delivery is a basic need, which Google was able to achieve by removing indented search results.
How the Removal of Intended Search Results Impacted SEO Strategies
The decision to remove the intended search results feature has significantly impacted SEO practices. Here are some strategies to help make the most of the situation:
- High-Quality Content: Ensure every page has high-quality content that directly addresses the user’s query. Content that is relevant and full of information is more likely to rank well.
- Improve Internal Linking: Having a precise and consistent internal linking structure can help search engines better understand the relationship between the pages on the site. This will also contribute to enhancing the performance of the entire site.
- Optimize for Mobile and Scrolling: The rise in the number of mobile users makes mobile optimization extremely crucial. Having mobile-friendly website designs and faster loading times will contribute to a better user experience. Also, diverse search results options contribute to an enhanced mobile experience for users.
Source: Shutterstock
Conclusion
Google’s decision to remove the indented search results feature is a very strategic move intended to improve user experience and balance the visibility of search results. This gives equal opportunity to competitive domains and allows a diverse set of search results to show up for its users.
Despite these changes, it’s necessary to follow certain practices to help boost your website’s rankings. One key factor in achieving SEO success is posting high-quality content and implementing good interlinking strategies. Mobile optimization is also important to keep in mind in order to comply with Google’s standards and stay ahead of competitors. This increases the importance each page on the website holds, while improving your website’s ranking and your overall SEO strategy.
Adapt to Google's changes and enhance your SEO strategy today! Focus on high-quality content, robust internal linking, and mobile optimization to see an exponential boost in your business’s rankings.
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