Streaming forward in this top 10 search tip extravaganza, here’s #6! I’ll keep this short: I’ve provided these search tips during some recent presentations and they were well-received by the participants. I thought it would be beneficial to post them here. I hope they’re able to help you in your search efforts.
Top 10 Search Tips – Tip #6 – Four Seconds. This tip builds on the previous tips. If you’re reading from top-down the way it’s presented on the blog site, bear with me.
Four Seconds - Use it Wisely
Research has determined, through eye-tracking analysis, that the typical web searcher spends four seconds or less reading the top three to four search results on a search results page. They spend even less time on results further down the page. This means that in order to catch a reader’s attention, search result copy must be highly compelling. Since search results can be paid ad copy or a website description, a lot of care needs to go into what’s being said. I find myself spending a LOT more time working to perfect copy than twiddling with the newest web tool or extension. It’s just that important to get results.
Between tweaking split ads and landing page copy, not to mention seeing what the competition is saying, I find there’s always something that can be improved. I also like to see search results for the same industry from different areas of the country: from metropolises like New York, LA or Chicago to smaller cities like Boise, Little Rock or Ventura. By always trolling and testing, that four seconds can reap a lot of rewards.
Upward!