What Makes Them Click: Searcher's Intent & Motivation

Do they know your product's name? Can they spell it? Maybe the key phrase is different - do they search for "laptops" but you sell "notebook computers"? Find out what searchers are looking for when they search particular kinds of keywords, how they review results, and what makes them "click".

Behavior

Searchers and frequent Web site visitors are in varying stages of the purchasing process. Consider your own buying behavior - while on some occasions you already know what you want and are searching for best price, in other instances you're in the early stages and learning about a product or service before deciding what you want. The same is true of searchers.

However, there are many more Web sites out there than just focused on for-profit sales. Many sites exist to provide information and resources for various purposes, and are interested in traffic for sponsorship and outreach. For example, non-profits need to study their patron and donor behaviors before they can market effectively through search engines.

Intent

Andrei Broder, Yahoo! Research Fellow and VP of Emerging Search Technology, segments searchers into three categories:

1. Navigational Searchers. These searchers are looking for a particular Web site, perhaps because they don't know the Web address or recently heard about the company. For example, a search for "Lack's Furniture" offers results for Lack's Outdoor Furniture, specializing in beach & poolside furniture, and Lacks home furnishings.
2. Informational Searchers. These folks want to learn about new stuff, or more about a subject or industry and enter keywords and phrases like names, locations, and subjects. They may be doing research or be early in the sales process. For example, someone searching for content management software might just want a definition, or they may be interested in learning more about the various options available before narrowing down their search.
3. Transactional Searchers. Finally, these searchers want to take action! Buy, sign up, make a donation, etc. These searches are specific and include product names, brands, etc. The most important thing to do to get the right results to your searchers here is to make your search engine snippet relevant to the query.

Click

It's not rocket science. After a search yields its results, the searcher scans, and not surprisingly, either clicks or does another, more relevant search. Here are the facts behind the search:

* Almost all users look at the first two or three organic search results.
* 88% scroll down only when the top three are not relevant.
* 30% of a searcher's time is spent looking at your title.
* 44% of a searcher's time is spent reviewing the snippet.
* 21% of a searcher's time is spent on the URL, higher if the URL contains their keywords.
* 4 out of 5 searchers ignore the sponsored links.

Scary sounding, isn't it? Particularly because many believe they can't control these elements... a common misconception. With a good Web design company and content management system, a non-technical person can easily maximize their search engine potential. For example, the snippets usually come from the first line of text that has the query words. Therefore, if you adjust your text appropriately on the Web site, you can maximize the appeal of your snippet.

Convert

Is the traffic you're driving to your Web site providing qualified leads? This doesn't have to be a guessing game. Take a look at your Web site statistics to review the critical path searchers are taking to get to the goal... the purchase, the contact form, the newsletter sign-up. Whatever your goals are for your Web site & search marketing activities, it's important to work with a company that understands the total picture, and offers the services you need to support your Web initiatives.

Heather Jewell is the Manager of Planning and Administration of NuRelm. NuRelm is a Web software and services firm that focuses on helping non-technical professionals utilize on the Web to build business. For more information, please visit www.NuRelm.com.

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