In a recent post we covered different factors that might help shape a user’s search behavior. We’d like to return to this topic today to discuss different patterns of search behavior along with recommendations for accommodating them.
1. Alternating between searching and browsing
Typically, a user will initiate a search by picking a result that most closely relates the topic in mind, regardless of whether it is a precise match to the keywords used. From that result’s website the user may follow links to reach their information goal. If they find it’s not quite what they meant, but still valuable, they’ll then switch to browsing before ultimately returning to the results and researching for the target information.
Recommendations:
· Heavily cross-link webpages so that searchers who reach pages that are closely related they can click through to the best content for their purposes.
· Make navigation as easy as possible with breadcrumb trails and associative links on related subject content.
· Never dead end a webpage. Always include links to more resources and information on your site.
2. Minimizing the set of results
Some experienced searchers will measure search success based solely on the number of results returned. If it is too large of a number they may try a more specific search for more easily digestible results. People are especially likely to do this while searching within their domain expertise.
Recommendations:
· Allow users to filter search results by categories
· Include the total number of results for the query as well as each category
· Use “and” more often than “or” in your keyword selection to target narrow results
3. Surveying Quickly
Often searchers operate with urgency, so they will scan results quickly. If nothing jumps out at them they may proceed through the results pages, then go back to a previous result or refine their search terms.
Recommendations:
· Result titles should be comprehensive and understandable in as few words as possible
Stay tuned for my next post where I’ll give the next three searcher behavior patterns.
Archive for the ‘Ethical Search Engine Optimization’ Category
Lessons In Search Engine Marketing: 6 Searcher Behavioral Patterns, Part II
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012Lessons In Search Engine Marketing: Factors Affecting Searcher Behavior
Friday, January 27th, 2012Many marketers take for granted the search transaction. Many believe it’s simply a matter of a user typing in a search, the search engine spitting out results, and the searcher reviewing them and ultimately deciding on the best one. But this doesn’t take into account the subtle nuances of human behavior. Human beings are irrational, unpredictable and multifaceted beings with different beliefs, backgrounds, and values.
Proficient search engine marketing requires a further examination of searcher behavior. In this post, we will cover a few of the factors that affect searcher behavior.
1. Domain expertise
Domain expertise refers to a searcher’s familiarity with the subject their searching. When seeking specific information, a layman will be less certain how to begin, use less precise language, and have more trouble evaluating the results. Compare this to a subject matter expert who would know the exact verbiage to produce the desired results.
2. Search experience
This relates to a user’s search capabilities and knowledge. Knowing how to use Boolean operators, exact strings, and filtering controls gives you a much bigger tool set to help you search effectively. This factor seems to be secondary to domain expertise, however. Many people with little search experience but a lot of domain knowledge can do better than a technophile searching within an unfamiliar subject.
3. Cognitive Style
This can be thought of as a spectrum between Global thinking and Analytical thinking. Global thinkers will initially seek a breadth of knowledge across related topics, while analytical thinkers will dive into a single topic to find highly specific information. Now keep in mind, this is a spectrum, and these are just extremes. Most searchers will fall somewhere between these two.
4. Goal Type
Goal types can be broadly lumped into three categories:
· Navigational: are efforts to reach a particular web location, for instance an employer’s timesheet.
· Informational: seeking out documents or information related to a specific topic.
· Transactional: are meant to accomplish something online, such as paying a bill.
5. Mode of seeking
Essentially the mode of seeking boils down to someone’s understanding of what they are trying to find. This level of understanding can range from knowing exactly what the user needs and where to find it, to exploratory searching, where they are only loosely able to describe what they seek.
6. Situational idiosyncrasies
Finally, the user is affected by situational idiosyncrasies that are mostly impossible to record. These can include mood, atmosphere, stress level, and any number of other factors.
While many of these factors are difficult or impossible to record, they should help you think about your user’s and the experience they have when searching online. You can shape these factors into different personas to help you better target your web design and search campaigns to better serve the spectrum of your searcher market.
Is Your Website Mobile Optimized?
Friday, December 16th, 2011It’s no surprise that a large majority of Internet users these days are using mobile devices, such as smartphones and personal tablets. Because mobile browsing operates on limited hardware when compared with its related desktop counterparts, a mobile website must be designed with much simpler features in mind. For this purpose, you should optimize your mobile site in a similar yet separate way from the desktop version. You’ll still be including keywords, headlines and other standard text techniques, but you’re building a site strictly for mobile devices.
Exclude Flash from your mobile web design. Some high-end phone models may be equipped to handle Flash while browsing the Internet, but many will not. If a user navigates to your site and gets the annoying “Sorry, you need to have Adobe Flash to view this content,” he or she quickly becomes disinterested and continues on with the search. When search engine bots crawl your website for relevance on mobile SERPs, Flash deters any notoriety your site may have had. You shouldn’t forfeit the information before users have a chance to even use it.
Build a simple code with 100% validated XHTML 1.0 code. Your mobile website needs to be bold yet painfully easy to operate. Aside from tablets, mobile browsing usually offers limited visual space for users when compared with desktop computers. Valid XHTML code will be highly visible to mobile search engines, giving you the results you deserve every time. Likewise, a complicated CSS will clutter and confuse your human readers.
Submit your mobile website to Google or Yahoo! for instant spidering and indexing. That’s right, the top search engines have made your life a bit easier. After a recent Google report indicated that 1 in every 7 web users were using a mobile device, search engine giants have focused their attention on duplicating that same magic in desktop search engine algorithms for mobile users.
