Are other people seeing this? I just searched on <company-type> <location> and the first page only showed 4 organic results!
LEFT SIDE 3 ads 1 organic 7 local places results 3 organic (all below the fold)
RIGHT SIDE Map 8 ads
So above the fold is 1 organic link only (to a directory) out of 16 links. Google is not really a search engine any more is it.
goodroi
3:36 pm on Jun 30, 2013 (gmt 0)
Google has always tested and will continue to test different experiments with their search results. They closely monitor CTR in these experiments. If you search for local search terms, you should expect to see local results since searchers click on the local listings.
nomis5
4:58 pm on Jun 30, 2013 (gmt 0)
So above the fold is 1 organic link only (to a directory) out of 16 links. Google is not really a search engine any more is it.
It varies, I have just seen one page where there are no organics above the fold. And at the same time I see some SERPS where there were previously only one but now there are three.
It does vary but overall in my opinion, yes, organics results are disappearing fast from G in their search, for profit.
turbocharged
5:50 pm on Jun 30, 2013 (gmt 0)
Google has been taking gradual steps towards delivering only paid ads on the first page of the serps, when it has enough Adwords users to do so, for quite some time. Seeing just four organics on a search query would not surprise me nor should it surprise anyone else at this stage. As more of Google's users defect to other search engines/sources, as they are doing, I'm sure that Google will be pressured to increase the amount of real estate given to paid ads in an effort to satisfy their shareholder's appetite for profits.
dvduval
5:57 pm on Jun 30, 2013 (gmt 0)
If you are looking for good organic results, there are better search engines than google like DuckDuckGo and Ixquick. No joke.
