Pogo-sticking
Pogo-sticking is when someone clicks a search result, comes back to the results page quickly, and picks a different one. The court's 2024 opinion in the U.S. antitrust case against Google lists whether a searcher returns to the results page, and how fast, among the click data a search engine can learn from.
Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, United States v. Google LLC, Memorandum Opinion (Judge Amit P. Mehta, August 5, 2024), finding of fact 88, checked October 29, 2026
What Pogo-sticking means for your business
We'd treat it as a reader problem first. Your analytics can't see it, because the trip back happens on Google. If people arrive and leave fast, we'd check that the title promises what the page holds, that the answer sits near the top, and that the page loads quickly on a phone.
Whether Google ranks a single page lower for it is disputed. The court listed the trip back as data a search engine can learn from, but nothing in the findings we read says what one quick return does to one page's ranking.
If you're getting visits from Google but not the calls to match, what we measure, starting with calls and bookings puts your business numbers ahead of traffic.
Last reviewed October 29, 2026. All terms
How AI answers it today
On October 29, 2026, Google's AI Overview split its answer between the SEO meaning and the toy, citing Search Engine Land, Reddit, Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster and YouTube, and said Google tracks it as a ranking sign. ChatGPT said Google hasn't confirmed it as a direct ranking factor and cited nothing.
Our run through ChatGPT and Google's AI Overview, October 29, 2026. A sample, not what every buyer sees.
Related terms in measurement
Find out where your brand stands.
Tell us what you're trying to figure out. We'll get back to you within one business day with a time to talk.