Pogo Sticking: Definition, Causes, & Tips to Reduce It

Have you ever done a search on a search engine and then quickly jumped from one page of results to another? If the answer is yes, you are probably doing pogo sticks. Pogo sticking can be a sign that the information on a site is not enough to meet users' needs.

Allowing pogo stick problems to persist without improving them can adversely affect your SEO performance. If you're curious to learn more about what pogo sticking is, why it happens, and how to reduce it, read this article to the end!

What Is Pogo Sticking?

Pogo sticking is a term used to describe the behavior of users who quickly move from one page to another on a search engine results page. This behavior exists because users want to find the information that satisfies their search queries.

Pogo sticking in SEO can drive a negative impact or decrease the SEO performance. For example, if a lot of people doing pogo stick to the first result site, this indirectly tells Google that the first result is not satisfying users and there is a high chance that Google will outrank that site. 

Why does Pogo Sticking Happen?

There are many possible causes that motivate users doing “pogo stick” or bounce from one page to another, including:

• Clickbait content.
• Too much irrelevant information.
• Poor user experience.
• Mismatch content with search intent.
• Poor readability.
• Page loading slowly.
• There are too many ads that cover content.

Pogo Sticking vs. Bounce Rate, What’s the Difference?

A lot of people are sometimes confused as to whether the pogo sticking and the bounce rate are the same because of their similarities. However, they are actually quite different. 

Pogo sticking is more defined as a behavior where users quickly leave the site and go to another on the SERP. Users usually stay on your site for less than 10 seconds and then go back to the SERP.

The bounce rate happens when users enter the site from SERP but do not perform any action on it like clicking a link, filling out a form, giving a reaction, or sharing. So, if a user comes to your website but just reads your content completely and doesn't do anything before leaving it's included as a bounce.

How to Reduce Pogo Sticking

Now you have learned what a Pogo Stick is, why it happens, and how it differs from a Bounce Rate. Now it is time to know how to reduce it happening on your site. Here is the list of how to reduce pogo stick behavior:

1. Understand User's Intent

The first thing you should pay attention to when creating content for a website is understanding your user's intent. People who search online have different reasons for doing so and it's worth thinking about what kind of information they're looking for whether it's informational, transactional, navigational, or commercial investigation. 

Once you know what your users are looking for, you can create content that matches their needs. You can also add more value to your content by providing supporting information, case studies, and answers to common questions.

2. Enhance User Experience

As a user, you might be frustrated by the poor user experience website. So, the first thing you can do to make your website have a great user experience is to get rid of pop-ups and ads that cover your content, this includes sign-up forms or banners. 

Next, make sure your website layout is clear, easy to navigate, and consistent. Also optimize your website for mobile devices, as most website traffic comes from mobile devices.

It's also important to make sure your website loads quickly. Users don't like waiting for a website to load. They'd rather go to another website than wait.

3. Customize Font Size

Imagine if users visit your site from the SERP and find that your font size is too small to read, they will immediately leave your site without doing anything on your site. 

This shows that finding the right font is essential for making your content easier to read. You can keep your font size not too big and not also too small, ideally, it's between 15px - 17px.

4. Use Clear Formatting and Visual Element

The next step to avoid users doing pogo stick is by using clear formatting and visual elements. Clear formatting means that your content is adapted to make it easy for your users to read and understand.

You can start by keeping to 85 characters per line, limiting a paragraph to three or four sentences, using bullet points to break up blocks of text, and using a font color that contrasts with the background.

On the other hand, you can consider using a visual element such as an illustration, photo, graphic, or infographic.

There's even a study that says people are 323% more likely to follow instructions with text and illustrations than without. A visual element can also help you attract users' attention to read your content in its entirety.

5. Use E-E-A-T Concept

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. The first element is Experience which means content about personal experience or insight related to the topic. Adding the experience element can make your content more relatable and trustworthy to users.

Expertise means that the content you write has a high level of knowledge and is trustworthy. This content can also be written in collaboration with the expert in the field. Authoritativeness is more about reputation, which usually comes from professional experience, conferences, or academic credentials. 

Trustworthiness is content that focuses on the accuracy, reliability, and integrity of the content. This means that users can trust the content without worrying about misinformation, hoaxes, or scams.

With the use of the E-E-A-T concept in your content, users will trust that your information is high-quality and credible as a source. They also will stay longer on your website because your content can make them satisfied and keep them engaged. This can help you avoid the pogo sticking issue.

6. Keep Content Up-to-date

Last but not least, keeping your content up to date is an important thing to avoid user's doing pogo sticks. For some topics that are related to trends and evolve quickly, freshness of content is crucial.

Users are more likely to engage with content that's current, relatable, and relevant to their needs. When you create content that aligns with new trends and insights, it can add more value for readers and keep them on your site longer.

Conclusion

Pogo sticking is a common condition when users just quickly visit your site and then go back to the search engine results page. This can happen for many reasons, but mostly because they are unsatisfied with what your website offers. However, you can do prevention tips on your website to avoid this issue happening. 

Pogo stick behavior can give a negative signal to Google that shows the user is not attached to your content. If it continuously happens, this can hurt your SEO efforts and, consequently, your website ranking. So, if you are struggling to face a pogo sticking issue, don't hesitate to search for expert help like cmlabs. 

SEO Services by cmlabs can help you to power up your SEO from strategy to auditing. We also offer SEO Writing Services by cmlabs to help you create engaging and quality content. Get rid of pogo stickers now! contact our marketing team today!