Two SERP Positions Instead of One - how can I do this?

[potentialgeek]

I suspect it's been discussed here before (someone please post the link if it has), but I found nothing on a search for "two google search results links," and don't recall seeing the topic discussed here lately.

I used to be #2 in SERPs for an industry-leading two-word phrase. About a week ago, the top dog started getting two results pages (second one indented).

That, of course, leads some searchers to click on both those results links, and some of them end up not visiting my site. It's a bit like being pushed down from #2 to #3. (Maybe it's more like 2.5!)

How do you get two results instead of one? I used to get them but don't know how or why. I don't know if my competition did it by SEO skill or just got lucky.

Also, why does Google bother to show two results for some sites instead of one for everyone?

Lately Google has been showing two results links for many sites when your Preferences are set to 100, but only one link if your Preferences are 10 results per search.

I've been pushed to "#3" on both the 10 and 100 setting (and 20). I'd like to get two links to my site for all Preferences.

Do you know how? What is Google looking for to determine a site deserves two search results links instead of one? Has its criteria changed ever or recently?

p/g

P.S. Does anyone know which Preferences setting is most popular (10? 20?)?

[tedster]

All it takes is a second url that would also rank anywhere on the same page. For example, ranking in the top 10 for a user with the default setting, and up to the top 100 for other settings. If a second url from the same domain would naturally rank on the same results page as another url, then they will cluster together with the second one indented.

This clustering action promotes the second url to the position right under the first, so a site with a #1 and a #10 actually gets a #1 and a #2. Or a site with a #5 and a #8 actually gets a #5 and a #6. You can study this effect by changing your Preferences to different numbers of results per page. Play around, and you will see this more about how clustering works.