For a really long time, users were able to listen to podcasts that were embedded within Google’s SERP. In spite of the fact that this is the case, it seems like the search engine giant will no longer be providing this feature. According to Google, this is being done to improve the overall quality of the SERP, as well as to send more traffic to YouTube than might have been the case otherwise.
Google is a massive company with a number of subsidiaries that fall under its umbrella. Hence, it would not want users prioritizing one of their services over another. YouTube has turned into an important source of podcasts, and Google would likely want to ensure that users get to go there to get the kind of experience that they are looking for.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that podcast episodes will still be featured on the SERP. The only change is that they will no longer be embedded, which means that users won’t be able to listen to them from within the SERP itself.
This is actually a bit of a change from Google’s recent updates. The tech juggernaut has been trying really hard to get users to stay on its SERP, but this recent update is quite distinct because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up forcing users to click away.
Still, chances are that users will find search results showing podcasts on YouTube, and that will do a lot to funnel traffic to the video streaming platform with all things having been considered and taken into account. Some are questioning whether this will actually improve the user experience, but if nothing else it will make for a slightly more optimized SERP and that could be worthwhile.
Google hasn’t updated its podcast app for 18 months now. That led many to wonder if they were going to be removed, and the recent update revealed that this was a clear course of action that Google was looking to take.
H/T: Podnews
Read next: These Hackers Are Using Google Ads to Push Malware
Google is a massive company with a number of subsidiaries that fall under its umbrella. Hence, it would not want users prioritizing one of their services over another. YouTube has turned into an important source of podcasts, and Google would likely want to ensure that users get to go there to get the kind of experience that they are looking for.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that podcast episodes will still be featured on the SERP. The only change is that they will no longer be embedded, which means that users won’t be able to listen to them from within the SERP itself.
This is actually a bit of a change from Google’s recent updates. The tech juggernaut has been trying really hard to get users to stay on its SERP, but this recent update is quite distinct because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up forcing users to click away.
Still, chances are that users will find search results showing podcasts on YouTube, and that will do a lot to funnel traffic to the video streaming platform with all things having been considered and taken into account. Some are questioning whether this will actually improve the user experience, but if nothing else it will make for a slightly more optimized SERP and that could be worthwhile.
Google hasn’t updated its podcast app for 18 months now. That led many to wonder if they were going to be removed, and the recent update revealed that this was a clear course of action that Google was looking to take.
H/T: Podnews
Read next: These Hackers Are Using Google Ads to Push Malware
