In a Google office hour hangout session, a query was raised in front of John Mueller. The query states: Do Prominent Lead Gen Forms Impact SEO? Google’s John Mueller satisfied the query by revealing that main lead generation forms may induce a site to rank below along with other factors.
John Mueller’s reply to the query that proposes whenever a request was above the web page’s primary content, it would prompt an adverse ranking determinant. John Mueller painted two situations that suggest what can seriously harm your ranking and vice-versa.
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The Algorithm Of Google Page Layout
Google introduced an algorithm in the year 2012 that summed up an adverse ranking determinant to situations. It highlights unnecessary advertisements at the head of the web page, causing inconvenience to visitors to scan the main content.
The announcement from 2012 reported:
“…sites that don’t have much content “above-the-fold” can be affected by this change.
If you click on a website and the part of the website you see first either doesn’t have a lot of visible content above the fold or dedicates a large fraction of the site’s initial screen real estate to ads… Such sites may not rank as highly as we advance.”
In 2020, John Mueller noted on the Page Layout Algorithm affirming:
“It’s generally not a matter of how many ads, but more that users can find the content they’re looking for (what was “promised,” in search) when they visit a page.”
On a relative record, a manual for regulating the capacity of search quality raters who examine search results from brand new algorithms, Google Search Quality Raters Guidelines asserted:
“We expect Ads and SC to be visible. However, some Ads, SC, or interstitial pages (i.e., pages displayed before or after the content you expect) make it difficult to use the MC. Pages with Ads, SC, or other features that distract from or interrupt the use of the MC should be given a Low rating.”
See also: Google Page Experience Update Rolled Out – Why it Matters
Prominent Lead Gen Forms On The Tip Of A Webpage
A query has been raised by someone stressing over the top of a web page, highlighting a top lead generation form.
He also showed a sample case that points out the struggle faced by the viewer of the website. To access the primary content, a viewer has to move down, crossing the lead generation form.
The query of the person states:
“I think you’ve spoken about this before recently… that… the main content should be …above the fold.
Would this lead generation form impact SEO in any way because …at the top here there’s …a lead gen form where people can compare telephone system prices.
Would that impact SEO?”
This is a circumstance where the main content is beneath the fold, implying that one needs to scroll down.
Here the word fold is a reference to newspapers. The newspapers are in a fashion where the headlines and the content above the fold remain viewable.
Do Prominent Lead Generation Forms lead to Adverse Rankings?
Google John Mueller gave a consolidated answer that includes yes, no, and even maybe. The response highlights the situations that lead generation forms into a negative ranking determinant.
John Muller response to the query:
“I don’t know… my guess is probably not noticeably.
What effect might come into play is that our algorithms do look for things like ads above the fold that …push the main content below the fold. And it’s possible that we would think a lead gen form like that would be kind of link an ad.
But I don’t think …it would always be the case.
It kind of also depends on what that page is trying to rank for.
If it’s essentially a page that’s trying to rank for like… “get car insurance” and the form is about …” sign up for car insurance” ..then that’s kind of the intent of the page.
But if the intent of the page is like, “find out more about why oranges grow” and then you have car insurance form on top then that seems more like an ad.”
The Intention of the Web Page Highly Manipulates the Algorithm of the Page Layout
Google’s John Mueller clarifies that in cases where a lead generation form can result in an adverse ranking determinant is because of the purpose of the web page. The reply was praiseworthy because it promises Google a new skill that identifies in which scenarios a lead generation form could be beneficial.
See also: Original Page Titles Still Used by Google for Search Ranking