It’s All about the Eyeballs - You Mean They Don’t Read All the Results?
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Some eye tracking studies have turned up very interesting results that have particular relevance for SEOs. For instance, early in March 2005, search marketing firms Enquiro and Did-it teamed up with eye tracking firm Eyetools (mentioned above) to do an eye tracking study of people using the Google search engine. Anyone who pays for sponsored listings in search engines to advertise websites will want to know what these companies discovered from the research.
Most people who use search engines focus on a “golden triangle” when they view the results. This triangle extends across the top natural search result, then slides back to the left of the page and goes down to about the third or fourth position on the page. This is the spot at the bottom of the screen before scrolling, sometimes referred to as just “above the fold,” in parlance borrowed from newspapers. The shape of the scan pattern is actually closer to an “F” than a triangle, given the actual eye movement.
More than half of the study’s participants viewed the first five natural search results. What about the sponsored ads? Well, as you might guess from the shape of the viewed area, the ads at the top of the page were viewed by everyone who participated in the study. The sponsored listings that appeared on the right side of the Web page, however, attracted far fewer eyeballs. The first listing was viewed by only half of the participants; by the time the fifth sponsored listing was reached, however, only ten percent of the study group actually looked at it.
Granted, this was not a huge study; there were only 50 participants. Thinking about it, though -- it makes a certain amount of sense. I know it fits the way I use a search engine; all I want to do is get a good look at the top results, so I can move on and continue with whatever research made me consult the search engine in the first place. What does this information mean for SEOs?
It confirms a truism that wise SEOs have known for a long time: natural results are still the best ones for generating interest. This means that organic search engine optimization should absolutely be part of any advertising campaign that involves marketing in the search engines. According to the eye tracking study, people who use search engines still prefer organic listings over sponsored listings, except for sponsored listings that appear at the top of the page. While it might seem “easier” to capture eyeballs by buying sponsored listings in the search engines, that won’t pay off in the long run as much as doing the actual optimization for your website.
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