WASHINGTON — Google search results are increasingly displaying irrelevant information by focusing on only one word of multi-word queries, particularly in lower positions and on subsequent pages, according to analyses by two rank tracking firms.
This shift impacts search engine optimization (SEO) strategies and the accuracy of rank tracking, as users encounter less precise results beyond the initial listings.
SE Ranking, a rank tracking firm, analyzed 10,000 Google US desktop keywords and found that in 84 percent of identified cases, unrelated listings were about one word of the original query, often appearing at position nine or lower.
Nozzle, another rank tracking company, reported that its data indicated Google began dropping words from multi-word queries on page two around Sept. 16, 2023, with page one following suit on Sept. 20, 2023.
For example, SE Ranking observed that a search for ‘business bank line of credit’ yielded relevant financial institutions like Chase Bank, PNC Bank, and LendingTree in the top nine results; however, subsequent pages displayed unrelated listings that focused solely on the word ‘line’.
The estimated percentage of keywords with unrelated listings in SE Ranking’s sample grew significantly, from 0.09 percent on Sept. 16 to 67.2 percent by Sept. 24, 2023.
Nozzle also noted that when a search page lost terms, the keyword’s subsequent search pages within three days provided an answer to the original query approximately 85.8 percent of the time.
Roger Montti, a search engine expert, highlighted the implications of this trend for SEO professionals who rely on accurate search result data.
AccuRanker, another firm specializing in rank tracking, has also reported a similar problem, observing that results on pages two and beyond frequently address only one word of a multi-word query.
Google has not publicly commented on these specific findings regarding its search algorithm’s behavior.
Source: Search Engine Journal
