Search engine technology company Google has redesigned the search results page on Desktop, by introducing continuous scrolling to enable users to find relevant information quickly without going through the hassle of navigating across pages.
With this new feature, users will be able to see up to six pages of results when they get to the bottom of a search results page, which is marked by a loading indicator, and the next set of results will automatically load with relevant information.
Following the launch of the “continuous scrolling” feature, Google said via a post, “Starting today, we’re bringing continuous scrolling to desktop in English in the U.S. so you can continue to see more search results easily. When you reach the bottom of a search results page, you’ll now be able to see up to six pages of results”.
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Meanwhile, this is not the first time Google is introducing this feature as it had earlier introduced it on mobile devices in October 2021.
This new feature will no doubt improve users’ experience, as while they can find what they are looking for in the first few results, they might want some additional information which will enable them to seamlessly see more information without necessarily clicking the next page.
Also, this new feature will provide more visibility to sites that do not rank high enough to be on the first page. It is not far-fetched to say that most people hardly click the second or third page on the search results, with the continuous scrolling feature, these sites will often pop up.
Google’s continuous scrolling comes after there were complaints from several users about its poor search results page. Some disclosed that for some searches, the whole page is usually filled with ads instead of providing relevant information.
Several others disclosed that their results keep getting refined to suit the popular 80% of queries while noting that once users get off the first or second page, the results get even worse with pages entirely unrelated to the query.
In a bid to enhance its search page results, Google has been carrying out several revamp on the platform. In September 2022, it introduced a feature called “Discussions and forums” that incorporates search results from discussion forums such as Reddit, Quora, and Edmunds.com in response to “searches that might benefit from diverse personal experiences.
Also, in the same month, it unveiled a more visual search experience to allow users to naturally explore information, after it discovered that almost 40% of young people often search TikTok or Instagram to find a place for lunch instead of Google or Google Maps
Google today announced it’s revamping the traditional Google Search experience to allow users to more naturally explore information. To accomplish this, the company is introducing a number of new features, including tools to drill down into topics and other changes that will make using search a more visual experience, highlighting maps snippets, imagery and even video in new ways.
The update follows Google’s disclosure earlier this year of internal research which indicated younger people had begun turning to other services, like TikTok and Instagram, instead of Google to kick off their web searches. The changes it’s introducing now show it’s taken some inspiration from how younger people use the web — preferring easily accessible and visual content, as well as more guidance as they begin to make queries.
With its new visual search experience, when users search for a place, they are presented with photos, a small map showing its location, directions, weather, and even short videos.