Google’s ‘Interesting Finds’ SERP Feature: The Surprising Reason Mobile Organic Search Traffic Stayed Strong While Desktop Dropped

While helping a company that experienced a drop during the January 2019 core update, I encountered an interesting situation. The site dropped by about 30% overall, prompting me to investigate further. I quickly noticed that desktop traffic from Google organic searches dropped more than mobile traffic, and sometimes significantly more for certain queries.

For instance, clicks from Google for some queries dropped more than 30% on desktop, while mobile-only clicks fell by 5-10%. This pattern emerged repeatedly for this specific site. The reason behind the lesser drop in mobile traffic became apparent quickly, emphasizing the importance of reviewing SERP features for your site.

Rankings in the traditional 10-blue links revealed the site dropped several positions for numerous queries on both desktop and mobile, but the drop in desktop traffic was more pronounced. What mitigated the mobile traffic drop?

Fortunately, the site often ranked well in the “Interesting finds” module on mobile SERPs. For some queries, they ranked multiple times in this module. Instead of a single organic listing that dropped on page one (and out of the viewport), the site had three listings on page one, with two of them in the eye-catching “Interesting finds” feature.

Here is an example to illustrate multiple listings between “Interesting finds” and the 10-blue links. Although my client is not in this niche, it demonstrates the concept well. As seen below, a website ranks well in the “Interesting finds” module, which appears at the top of the SERP. The site’s traditional 10-blue link listing is further down the viewport, below a “People Also Ask” module.

In this post, I will detail the “Interesting finds” SERP feature, how it impacts mobile rankings and traffic, provide examples of this feature, discuss its tracking in Google Search Console (GSC), and offer some final tips. Let’s dive in.

Interesting finds: The untrackable giant organic mobile SERP feature

Last year, I wrote a post discussing untrackable clicks from Google’s ecosystem, outlining various SERP features not captured by GSC reporting. One of those features was “Interesting finds”. While Google now provides tracking for some features like Discover, “Interesting finds” remains a mysterious yet potent source of untrackable clicks.

For those unfamiliar, “Interesting finds” is an organic search feature in mobile SERPs displaying up to twenty listings in a large module. The first three listings are visible by default, with others accessible by clicking through to a new page. This module can rank anywhere in the top ten SERP positions, sometimes even at number one. I’ll cover more on tracking and GSC metrics like position, clicks, and impressions later in this post.

Examples of “Interesting finds” in action

1. Interesting finds ranking #1 (under Ads):

2. Interesting finds yielding two listings in the top 10:

3. Interesting finds yielding three listings in the top 10:

Hold your enthusiasm, deduping is probably coming to more SERP features

“Interesting finds” can occupy significant SERP real estate with three default listings on page one, enabling users to view up to twenty total listings. It’s definitely not a feature to ignore for site owners.

Sites can have multiple listings in this module. If you’re already ranking on page one in the traditional 10-blue links, you could have two, three, or more links on page one. This module helped maintain mobile traffic for the site I’m assisting – for now. But read on.

In January, we observed significant changes to featured snippets. The key change was Google deduping the listing in the 10-blue links when a site had a featured snippet. Previously, a site could have both the featured snippet and a core search results listing. Google combined these, keeping only the featured snippet.

The “Interesting finds” module can also result in duplicated listings, generating multiple links to the same page and site. This commonly drives substantial traffic to those sites. However, if Google dedupes other SERP features beyond featured snippets, sites might lose this benefit.

Google’s Gary Illyes indicated potential deduping of other SERP features, including “Interesting finds”. This means the same URL may not rank in both the 10-blue links and “Interesting finds” module, affecting site exposure and mobile traffic.

How “Interesting finds” is reported in GSC

Currently, “Interesting finds” falls under “untrackable clicks” in GSC. The metrics aren’t broken out for this feature but are mixed into core GSC data. Here’s what you need to know.

I previously demystified GSC metrics, and several points apply here. It’s essential to understand these nuances for accurate analysis.

First, “Interesting finds” is considered a “block” in the search results, meaning all listings within the module share the same position. Only the visible three listings gain impressions in the default SERP. Additional listings only gain impressions if a user clicks through to view all of the “Interesting finds” listings.

For query reporting, GSC accounts for the first link to your site. If a listing in the 10-blue links ranks above “Interesting finds,” the first link’s position is counted. If it ranks below, the “Interesting finds” listing’s position counts.

Using the query “spicy chili recipe” as an example, if your site ranks in both “Interesting finds” and the 10-blue links, GSC would report the position of the “Interesting finds” listing if it appears higher in the SERP.

Tracking in core SERP is clear, but “interesting finds” SERP… not so clear

Only the visible listings within an “Interesting finds” module count in the default SERP (typically three listings). If users click through to view more, additional listings (up to 17 more) gain impressions.

If your ranking is sixth in the “Interesting finds” module, it won’t gain an impression in the core SERP unless someone views the extended list by clicking “10+ more stories”. The new SERP features up to 20 listings, and your listing gains an impression once viewed there.

Using the “spicy chili recipe” example, a sixth-place rank in “Interesting finds” would not gain an impression until users view the full “Interesting finds” SERP.

It’s unclear whether the position would reflect the default module or the new full “Interesting finds” page. Given GSC’s current reporting, it likely reflects the block position in the default SERP.

Final tips and suggestions

Here are some final tips for understanding your “Interesting finds” situation. It might be safeguarding your mobile SERP visibility now:

• Review mobile versus desktop traffic changes in GSC by filtering data by device.
• Analyze queries with significant traffic changes and review the SERPs (desktop and mobile). Use incognito mode and the correct country-specific SERPs for accurate analysis.
• Identify “Interesting finds” modules and assess your site’s rankings. Check for duplicate listings between the 10-blue links and “Interesting finds”, and possible multiple listings within “Interesting finds”.
• Be aware that deduping might come to “Interesting finds” for the same URLs appearing in both the 10-blue links and the “Interesting finds” module. This probably wouldn’t affect different URLs but could impact the same URL.
• Understand the content types currently ranking within “Interesting finds” modules in your niche. Analyze the quality threshold and aim to produce outstanding content. Weaker, thinner content likely won’t rank well in the module.

Summary: Tracking the untrackable

The “Interesting finds” module is a mysterious yet significant feature in Google’s mobile search results. It’s challenging to track, but it can drive substantial search traffic to your site. Use the tips provided here to understand how “Interesting finds” impacts your site. It’s hard to overlook this feature when using Google on mobile. Strive to track and achieve more “Interesting finds” rankings. Good luck!