What Is Pogo Sticking? Causes and How to Prevent It!

When searching for information online, people may jump from one page to another to find exactly what they need. This behavior often leads to pogo sticking, which can harm websites’ search results ranking. 

But, what is pogo sticking, and how does it affect your website? In this article, you will find out the answers to these questions and learn how to prevent pogo sticking from happening on your website. So, read the full explanation below!

What Is Pogo Sticking in SEO?

Pogo sticking in SEO is when a user quickly jumps from one page to another to find the information they need.  

It mostly happens when users come to a page but find the content irrelevant. Users will absolutely go back to the SERP pages, and jump to other pages that provide the information they need.

For example, a user is searching for a specific product on Google by entering the search query and clicking on a particular page. However, the page they land on is irrelevant or does not provide the information they need. In that case, the user will go back to the SERP page and click on another site that may have the information they are looking for.

Differences between Pogo Sticking and Bounce Rate

After coming into the definition of pogo sticking, users might get confused between pogo sticking and bounce rate. 

Many users who are more familiar with bounce rates might think that these two terms have the same meanings and functions. In fact, pogo sticking and bounce rate is absolutely different.

As explained before, pogo sticking is a situation where users visit a site for a short period of time before jumping to another site. Meanwhile, bounce rate is a percentage that shows how many visitors come to a website and leave without any interaction.

Suppose a visitor reads your article until the end. However, this user leaves the page without taking any action, such as clicking on a link or signing up for a newsletter. Then, this is considered a bounce rate.

What Causes Pogo Sticking?

Pogo sticking in SEO must be happening for some reason. Most users pogo stick a website due to some reasons below:

1. Misleading Due to Clickbait Content

Most websites use the most interesting titles for their content. Of course, they are attempting to attract visitors to their articles. 

Thus, sometimes, things that are written in the title are not presented well in the main content. This leads to the users’ disappointment and makes them go to another page.

2. Gated and Buried Information

Some pages present the best information that users might need, but they ask users for contact information or subscriptions to access the content, leading users to choose another page. This is a common practice of many websites and is called gated content.

Besides, users might also pogo sticking your website if the information they need is not easily found on the page. The information may be buried under unnecessary text irrelevant to the search intent, resulting in users leaving the page to find the information needed on another site.

3. Poor User Experience (UX)

User experience plays an important role in building user impressions. A good user experience will always result in higher user satisfaction and better user retention. 

However, imagine if your website is too slow, difficult to navigate, or has too many pop-ups. This will result in bad marks in the user experience, and your visitors are likely to leave the page immediately out of frustration.

4. Casual Clickers

Casual clickers refer to users who surf several websites without intending to stay for long. This behaviour causes pogo sticking in SEO, where users quickly leave one page and jump to another site.

Usually, these users are looking for quick information without much reading, comparing prices, searching for inspiration, or trying to recall a site they saw the other day. Therefore, they do not spend much time on any site, which leads to pogo sticking.

Tips to Prevent Pogo Sticking

You need to prevent pogo sticking from happening to your site, as it may harm your search results ranking. Therefore, try the following tips to help you out:

1. Improve Website’s User Experience (UX)

It is clear that user experience will significantly affect webpage performance. Hence, improving the UX of the webpage is essential to engaging users and keeping them on the page longer. 

If users get a better experience, they will spend longer time on the page and even interact with your website. Thus, they will reduce bounce rate and pogo sticking, which may be caused by poor UX.

2. Utilize Clear Formatting and Visual Elements

When finding information on a page, users will consider its readability. This is why a page needs to be served in clear formatting. The elements that make up a page should be easily understood, and the design of the page should be simple.

To make your content easier to read, you can equip your page with various information presentations, such as headings, lists, images, and bullet points. Besides, wisely choose the font style and colour for your page to make it look more appealing and readable. 

3. Provide Quality Content 

No one enjoys outdated and repeated content. To boost the quality of web content, it should be updated to suit current trends. 

It is also highly recommended that content have a clear context. To support the clarity of the context, adding a general explanation and some statistics might be the best way to make users understand the content.

4. Match Content with User Intent

User intent also needs to be considered when writing content. If a page does not meet users' intent, it has a higher chance of pogo sticking. Therefore, a page should be written to fulfil the user's needs and demands.

There are 4 types of search intent that users might have, typically indicated by the keywords they use. Make sure to align your content with the following search intent to avoid pogo sticking:

• Informational: Users looking for information. For example, the keyword ‘best camera for vlogging’ could indicate the intent to look for camera recommendations that are suitable for vlogging.
• Navigational: Users looking for a specific page. For example, ‘Facebook login’ indicates that the users are looking for the login page to their Facebook account.
• Commercial: Users are comparing products or services across different websites. For example, the keyword ‘Shopee vs. Lazada’ indicates that users are looking for a comparison between the two online shopping platforms.
• Transactional: Users want to buy something. For example, the keyword ‘buy Nikon D3400’ indicates that users are looking for a camera to buy. 

5. Employ Internal Links

If a piece of content discusses something that is probably new to users, it is highly recommended to provide related links to other content that might be helpful. This is an effective way to boost the overall quality of the web page, which enhances the user experience.

They can provide definitions, further information, data statistics, etc. This leads to more satisfaction among users since they can find everything about the topic on one page.

6. Demonstrate the E-E-A-T Concept

The last thing is that content should fulfil the E-E-A-T concept, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. 

Even though a website only aims to present general information, do not neglect the factors mentioned earlier to ensure the users get the best and most credible information.

To do that, you need to fact-check your content to ensure its accuracy. It should be well-researched and use reputable sources to back your claims. 

Yet, if you are an expert in your field, feel free to showcase your expertise and share your insights to provide value to your readers. This is a great way to establish your authority and trust, minimizing the chances pogo sticking on your website.

Conclusion

This concludes our discussion about pogo sticking and how to prevent it. Pogo sticking is an important issue that needs to be taken seriously, as it can affect your website’s ranking. You should keep an eye out for any signs of pogo sticking on your website, and if you do notice any, work on fixing them immediately. 

However, isn’t it better to prevent things before they even happen? If you would like to avoid pogo sticking, you can follow the above tips and make sure your website is always optimised for the best user experience. You are also welcome to contact a professional SEO company that can assist you in creating a high-quality and pogo stick-free website.

If you do need any assistance creating or fixing your website, consider partnering up with SEO Services by cmlabs. We have a team of highly skilled SEO experts who can help you with all your SEO needs, ensuring to deliver the best results for your website. Contact our marketing team today to get started and enjoy a smoother, pogo-free experience!