Worried By Google’s Single Result SERPs? Get Over It.

Ok, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or are just not an SEO geek), you will have noticed that Google has introduced single answer search results. This means that for certain queries where there is only one answer (according to ‘The Mighty G’), Google will not display any results from external sources. To see what I am talking about, see the below example or simple Google “what is the time?”

As expected, the SEO community is in uproar. I don’t have any data to hand to back this up, but I estimate that approximately 3,462 “SEO is dead” articles were probably written overnight. The responses are as predictable as ever; “Google is killing SEO”, “they only care about the money”, “this is a slippery slope” are all among the expected answers. It happens every time Google changes organic results.

Here’s the thing that many in this industry don’t realise:

Google doesn’t care about your business. It only cares about its users.

Print that off. Stick it to your monitor. Read it every day. Because if you don’t understand this concept then one day you or your clients will suffer.

Just because Google is willing to display your business in search results, it doesn’t mean that they are your friend. They are a business just like any other and will do what it takes to maintain their dominance.

A slippery slope?

One of the most common complaints I have heard since this update is that it is a slippery slope until they remove all organic listings completely. In fairness, this isn’t completely baseless.

For years, Google has been gradually taking measures to encourage users to click on paid listings instead of organic results. In fact, they got into trouble when they were fined €2.4BN for doing exactly this. Add this to answer boxes, reducing the number of page 1 listings and increasing visibility for paid ads, to name a few and it can at first glance look bleak. If you search one of the many, many “SEO is dead” articles, you will find plenty more examples.

However, you need to take a step back and ask why they are doing this and how it affects your business.

Firstly, it’s important to know that organic listings are essential to Google’s business model. In fact, most clicks in SERPs go to organic listings. The reason for this is that organic listings are usually more reliable and relevant because they can’t be manipulated just by giving more money to Google. It’s the quality of organic search results (partly) that gives Google its fierce reputation and keeps users coming back.

This ties into the second point as to why instant answer boxes and zero result pages exist. If someone has a very specific query, they likely don’t want to browse a load of websites until they find the correct answer when Google can just show it to them. This is one of the reasons why they have been able to hold onto their dominance in so many parts of the world.

It is also worth mentioning the shift in searcher behaviour, with more people than every searching on mobile devices where organic results are often less prominent. When you ask a question on your phone, Google wants to provide the best user experience possible. Options such as map listings, instant answers and call links become more important.

If you are wanting to find a way to display the date to as many people as possible, then it is your responsibility to find a way to do this. It is not Google’s responsibility to help you unless it’s in their best interest.

However, all of this only affects certain types of search query. Whilst it’s unwise to take anything Google says at face value, it’s worth noting that they are aware and have already addressed the “slippery slope” argument, claiming they will only show this type of result for queries where Google’s result is the best. As long as users want to find websites, Google will serve them in organic results.

Does it really matter?

In short, no not really. Not unless you have created an entire business around telling people that today is Tuesday. If someone is searching for solicitor or a nice outfit to wear on Saturday night, single result SERPs aren’t going to affect this.

It could be argued that Google will replace the answers to all informational queries with their own answers, but why? What’s the point when they have millions of websites in their index that they can use instead?

The effect can be summed up by the paid results. We know that zero result pages can have paid ads because when publicity for this first broke out, some dating sites started bidding on “what is the date?”. However, no one is bidding on these terms anymore. Why? Because they won’t convert. At least they won’t have any sort of conversion rate worth investing in. If no one wants to pay to have their brand appear on a highly publicised query with no competition, then is there much opportunity for organic results? Probably not.

As long as you are consistently providing a great service, creating the best content and promoting yourselves effectively then it is in Google’s best interest to display your business. After all, that is what they built their dominance on.

I’ll finish with a link to a tweet that sums up the sentiment of this article more eloquently than I ever could.

Rant over.