Here’s Why Google’s Page Two Is Your Friend
I’m going to say something a bit controversial.
Google’s page two gets a bad rap.
I’ve heard it be described as a “search desert,” “nowheresville,” and “the best place to hide a dead body.”
During live trainings with clients, I’ve gotten the side eye numerous times by exclaiming, “But look! You’re on page two for this keyphrase! That’s a good thing!”
I get it. I do.
After all, over 25 percent of people click the first Google search result. By the time you venture into the tenth result, that drops to 2.5 percent.
In the words of Matt Southern in this Search Engine Journal post, “Beyond that, it’s well known that users rarely venture into the second page of search results.”
I mean, people will view page two results. But not as often — and the click-through rates are low.
So, why do I insist that page two is more than number two?
This article discussing content tips for 2021 (which is excellent and well worth the read) made me wonder what I’d add to the list.
My answer: playing with content positioning on page two would be my number one choice.
Here’s why…
Why should you learn to love page two content?
Many sites create what I call, “close, but not quite” content. The content may be well-written and provide value, but it doesn’t quite make that top-10 cut.
This doesn’t mean that the content is worthless or that you’ve missed the mark. It means you have an opportunity.
For instance:
- Maybe the page wasn’t written with keyphrases in mind, so adding relevant keyphrases would help. I see this a lot from big-brand sites.
- Maybe the page needs an overhaul to make it more authoritative – especially compared to what’s positioning in the top-10. This is common with older content that used to position.
- Maybe the content is great, but the Title needs some love.
Whatever the reason, there’s often something you can tweak and test.
After all, why spend the time and resources creating brand new content if you already have fantastic content that’s almost there?
Especially when “sprucing up” the content to match the searcher intent and make it better for your readers can help so much.
It’s a strategy I recommend to all my clients.
Sure, the page may not immediately pop from #20 to #2 in Google’s search results. But, when a better position is important, reworking old content is always a good idea.
And even a Google boost to #10 would be better than being stuck on page two.
(Are you a freelancer? Ask your clients to share the pages that are positioning on page two in Google. You may be able to help them leverage their already-written content and finally help it position.)
What do you think?
Have you ever dug into your page-two results? What kind of opportunities do YOU see? Leave a comment and let me know!
Hi Heather, Thanks for writing this informational post. We have a travel website. We have like a lot of pages on Google’s page 2. Often i have seen, restructuring content, rewriting it, optimizing its title or optimizing it for PAA gets its ranking decreased on google SERPs. Usually i look for PAA opportunities for pages which are ranking on 2nd no. And they gets it. 😊
I agree, if the post shows up on the second page then it’s got potential and a few updates and improvements could send it to the first page. That’s a good way to find low-hanging fruit rather than picking topics where you’re not sure how they’ll perform.
Hi Heather, you are right, sometimes it helps to improve some keywords but often it is not easy to find out what to improve and to find a strategy. But it is definitely better to start with the low hanging fruits :-)
I agree 100 percent. Content marketing is not only about publishing new content, but also optimizing old content. If we are on the second page it means that there is a chance to improve the result.
@Piotr — YES! Plus, it’s way better than getting stuck on page 100… :)
Hi Heather,
Thank you so much for bringing this topic, I was intrigued by the title that’s why I had to read it. I was thought that first page is the most important page in google, and I do agree with it as for my personal use, I seldom visit page 2. upon reading your article I’ve thought that you really are on point. I’ll probably check what content of mine is on page 2 from now on and do some tweaking.
Thank you so much Heather,
Cheers,
Baguio
You have rightly said, Instead of the 10th page, a dash to the 2nd page is 100 times more friendly before moving to the 1st page.
I needed to read this today. Thanks! I’ve got quite a few articles on page 2. Going to put some effort into them and see if can get into the top 10.
Go for it, Katie! Good luck!
I agree with that. Content marketing is also good for optimizing old content. Great ideas!