Google shows an average of only 8.5 organic results on the first page of its US mobile searches, and just 8.7 on desktop searches, according to a study from Searchmetrics [download page]. The firm argues that marketers have a big opportunity to be featured on the first page by appearing in “universal search” boxes, which feature integrations such as Video, Direct Answers and App Suggestions. These integrations are particularly influential on mobile devices, as they stand out more on the smaller screens.
To test which appear most frequently, Searchmetrics analyzed first-page results on Google.com (US) for 500,000 search queries.
Knowledge Graph Appears in 1 in 3 Searches
Knowledge Graphs are the most common integrations, per the report, appearing in the first page in 35% of desktop searches and 32% of mobile searches. These boxes, which typically are displayed in response to searches for known brands and organizations, pull from high-authority sites, and saw a double-digit increase in frequency in 2017 compared to the year earlier.
Videos More Common Than Images on Mobile
Perhaps in a nod to the growing popularity of mobile video, Google features Video (23%) more prominently in mobile search results than Images (16%).
By contrast, Images are actually slightly more likely to feature in desktop first-page results (23%) than videos (22%).
Searchmetrics notes that YouTube is the dominant force in video integrations, accounting for 92% in 2017, up from 90% in 2016.
Ad Integrations More Common on Mobile
Interestingly, ad integrations are more apt to appear in the first page of search results on mobiles than desktops. Specifically, Google Shopping ads appear in 11% of mobile search first pages, compared to just 4% on desktops. Additionally, Google Adwords feature in 12% of mobile search first pages, versus 5% on desktops.
By contrast, Direct Answers – also known as Featured Snippets – are far more prevalent in desktop than mobile results.
The full extent of the integrations can be seen in the chart above, and the full report can be downloaded here.
