How Google Ending Continuous Scroll Could Impact ORM

In 2021, Google introduced continuous scroll on mobile devices, creating a seamless experience for users by eliminating the need to click on “Next” to move to subsequent search result pages. This was particularly helpful in enhancing user engagement by allowing users to browse more search results without interruption. However, in a recent update, Google has announced the end of continuous scroll, reverting to the traditional paginated view, which has significant implications for online reputation management (ORM).

In this article, we’ll explore how the shift away from continuous scroll could affect ORM strategies and highlight the key differences between how enhanced scrolling works in social media versus consumer search behavior.

The Role of Continuous Scroll in ORM

Online Reputation Management (ORM) relies heavily on how people perceive a brand or individual when they appear in search engine results. A crucial part of ORM is pushing down negative content or unfavorable reviews while promoting positive content. In a continuous scroll environment, this task became both easier and more challenging. On one hand, users could scroll endlessly, meaning that even content on page 4 or 5 had a chance to be seen. On the other hand, negative content buried on later pages was more easily accessible.

Benefits of Continuous Scroll for ORM:

1. More Visibility for Positive Content: By eliminating the need for users to click through multiple pages, ORM strategies could focus on getting positive results into the top 30 positions, ensuring they had a higher chance of being seen.
2. Faster Engagement: Users could engage with more results quickly, offering opportunities for positive content to be consumed even if it didn’t rank on the first page.
3. Expanded Monitoring Needs: Continuous scroll forced brands to monitor not just page 1 but also further down the results to ensure no negative content could impact user perception.

Challenges of Continuous Scroll for ORM:

1. Exposure of Negative Results: Continuous scrolling made it easier for users to encounter negative content that ORM efforts might have successfully pushed down to later pages in a paginated view.
2. Higher Competition for Visibility: With users being able to scroll through more results effortlessly, content creators had to optimize not just for page 1 but for pages 2-5 as well, making ORM efforts more intensive.

Impact of Google Ending Continuous Scroll on ORM

With the end of continuous scroll, Google has returned to the classic page-based navigation for search results. This change significantly impacts ORM in several ways:

1. Prioritization of Page 1 Content

The return of paginated search means that the first page is once again king. ORM efforts will have to focus more aggressively on achieving a page 1 ranking, as users are less likely to click through to pages 2 and beyond. Brands must now work harder to ensure that positive content, reviews, and media coverage make it to that coveted first page.

2. Reduction of Exposure to Negative Results

In a paginated search environment, users are less likely to browse past page 1, which means negative content pushed to page 2 or later is far less likely to be seen. This can benefit ORM efforts, as successfully suppressing negative content to later pages will once again provide a more significant buffer for protecting a brand’s image.

3. Less Focus on Content Beyond Page 1

Whereas continuous scroll required a wider net for ORM monitoring (pages 2-5 were still highly visible), the return of page-based navigation allows ORM professionals to concentrate their efforts on page 1 content, reducing the need to continually monitor and push down negative content beyond that threshold.

Enhanced Scrolling: Social Media vs. Consumer Search

While Google has chosen to end continuous scroll, social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok have long relied on infinite scrolling to keep users engaged. This fundamental difference in how users interact with content on social media versus search engines offers insights into why continuous scroll may not have worked well for consumer search.

Social Media Scrolling:

• Addictive Engagement: Social media platforms employ continuous scroll to create an addictive user experience, encouraging users to keep swiping, liking, and engaging with content without pausing.
• Content Discoverability: Continuous scroll on social media allows users to discover a wide range of content beyond what they were initially looking for, increasing engagement across different types of posts, ads, and recommendations.
• Limited Attention Span: On social media, users’ attention spans are generally shorter, making continuous scroll effective for driving quick, visual interactions with bite-sized content.

Consumer Search Scrolling:

• Intent-Driven: When users turn to search engines like Google, their behavior is more goal-oriented. They are seeking answers to specific queries, and the continuous scroll format doesn’t necessarily enhance the user experience in the same way it does on social media.
• Information Overload: In the context of search, endless scrolling can overwhelm users with too many choices, especially when they are looking for authoritative answers. Paginated search allows users to focus on the top results without feeling inundated.
• Diminished Attention Beyond Page 1: Unlike social media, where continuous scroll encourages users to keep exploring, search engine users often find what they need on the first page. The return to pagination reinforces the importance of ranking within the top results, as users are less likely to move beyond page 1.

Conclusion: Navigating ORM in a Paginated World

The return of paginated search results on Google could significantly benefit ORM efforts by reducing the visibility of negative content pushed to later pages. However, it also increases the pressure to ensure that positive content ranks on page 1. As ORM professionals adapt to this change, they will need to refine their strategies to focus more on achieving and maintaining top-tier rankings while enjoying the reduced risk of negative exposure beyond the first page.

In contrast, while social media platforms continue to thrive on infinite scrolling, the goal-driven nature of consumer search makes paginated results a more effective format for delivering relevant information. By understanding these differences, brands can tailor their content strategies to suit the unique behaviors of search users versus social media audiences, optimizing their ORM efforts across both landscapes.

Google’s decision to end continuous scroll highlights the evolving dynamics of user interaction with search engines. For ORM, this represents an opportunity to double down on securing positive visibility in the most crucial real estate on the web: page 1.