Search results: Either you’re the cream of the crop or you don’t exist

 – posted June 10th, 2006 by Brian Donohue     One comment

One of the most powerful effects of user-tests is that when you actually watch people use websites, the patterns you notice, even if widely acknowledged in the industry, suddenly become much more meaningful and real.

Last week I observed some user-tests we conducted for a client in France. At the start of each test we asked the participants to locate our client’s web site. Just about everyone used Google, and most used a similar combination of words.

The interesting part was watching how ruthless the participants were in ignoring almost all search results. They were consistent in the following behavior:

  • Read the sponsored links at the top of the page. If they look good, use them.
  • Read just 2-3 of the organic results beneath those.
  • Focus on the titles of the results; scan the summaries.
  • Ignore everything else, including the paid results in the right column.

Example of Google search results page showing paid links at the top and right.

One participant described his approach: “With Google, you always click the top result. That’s why you use Google.”

The lesson is loud and clear:

  • If you pay for search results, either pay premium and get the ones at the top, or don’t bother at all.
  • If you’re not in the top 3 results of organic searches, consider paid search results until you can improve your ranking.
  • Make sure the title and description of your home page (or your paid result) are absolutely perfect. It will take you 20 minutes to get it right, and it’s what ensures whether your hard-earned search results are of any value.

Categories Search Engine Optimisation

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