A New F-Word for Google Search Results

By Chris Sherman in the Search Day Newsletter

Consumer Visual Pattern Online

Heat maps from user eye tracking studies of three websites. The areas where users looked the most are colored red; the yellow areas indicate fewer views, followed by the least-viewed blue areas. Gray areas didn't attract any fixations.

A study has added tangible evidence to the widely held view that top-ranking search results get the most attention from users, and that lower-ranking results are all but invisible to most people.

The joint study conducted by search marketing firms examined the eye movements of users viewing Google search result pages.

The study found that most viewers looked at results in an "F" shaped scan pattern, with the eye traveling vertically along the far left side of the results looking for visual cues (relevant words, brands, etc) and then scanning to the right, as if something caught the participant's attention.

The researchers called this pattern a "golden triangle" at the top of result pages. The triangle extends across the top natural search result, then angles back to the left of the page down to the bottom-most "above the fold" result, typically in the third or fourth position on the page.

This area was viewed by 100% of the 50 participants in the study.

With both organic and sponsored search results, higher ranking results were viewed more often. Here are results for organic results (percentages represent the number of study participants viewing the listing):

Organic Search Results Viewed:

Rank 1 - 100%
Rank 2 - 100%
Rank 3 - 100%
Rank 4 - 85%
Rank 5 - 60%
Rank 6 - 50%
Rank 7 - 50%
Rank 8 - 30%
Rank 9 - 30%
Rank 10 - 20%

A similar, though smaller triangle effect was also observed for the sponsored listings on the right side of Google search result pages. In aggregate, fewer people looked at the sponsored listings; the exception to this was then sponsored ads were served at the top of a search result page as well as on the right side of the page. Ads at the top of the page were viewed by 100% of study participants.

Sponsored Listings Viewed (right side):

Sponsored listing 1 - 50%
Sponsored listing 2 - 40%
Sponsored listing 3 - 30%
Sponsored listing 4 - 20%
Sponsored listing 5 - 10%
Sponsored listing 6 - 10%
Sponsored listing 7 - 10%
Sponsored listing 8 - 10%

These results are preliminary; a full analysis of the results will be available soon.

Organic Search Still Rules
The findings of this eye tracking study lend further credibility to the notion that organic search engine optimization is still critical to the overall success of a search marketing campaign. Last December, Jupiter Research released a report stating that algorithmic listings in search indexes generate an estimated six of seven commercially natured search referrals.

The eye tracking study offers a major reason why: People continue to favor organic listings over paid search listings, unless the paid search listing is at the top of the page.

And yet many search engine marketers are ignoring search engine optimization, opting instead to go the "easier" route of buying sponsored listings. The increasing body of research is very clearly saying that it's a mistake to rely solely on paid listings to drive visitors to a web site. A well-balanced search marketing campaign should incorporate both well-crafted search engine optimization efforts as well as paid listings to capture the full range of searcher behavior.

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An article in the search day newsletter, Partial Quotes:

Outsourcing Search Engine Marketing

Outsource Of Your Companies Internet Marketing Department

By Jennifer Laycock the Web Search Guide for About.com

Search engine marketing is crucial for the success of online businesses -- but should you take on search marketing in-house, or outsource this challenging task to a contractor or agency?

A panel of experts at the recent Search Engine Strategies Conference in Chicago addressed these issues to help business owners make better decisions about their future search engine marketing campaigns.

"In case anyone hasn't noticed, search engine marketing has exploded over the last few years," said Nate Elliot, online marketing and media analyst for Jupiter Research. Elliot also pointed out that as recently as 1997, search engine marketing was only a $50,000 industry - this in contrast to the $1.6 billion (or roughly 28 percent of all online ad spending) spent on search advertising in 2003.

Because of this growth, management of search engine marketing campaigns is becoming more complex. As businesses face greater competition online, advertise across a wider range of search engines, and purchase more keyword phrases, it has become increasingly difficult for companies to handle campaigns internally. In fact, a recent study by Jupiter Research showed that half of all large marketers and over 30 percent of small marketers had trouble managing their own search engine marketing campaigns.

The combination of expanding campaigns and the desire to carefully track campaign details is causing many companies to look to third-party firms to manage their search engine marketing. Jupiter Research reports that 48 percent of large marketers are currently outsourcing their SEM programs. Their studies also show that 80 percent of companies that outsourced are satisfied with the performance of their campaign (compared to just 58 percent for those that handle SEM in-house).

Jupiter Research's reports clearly indicate a trend toward outsourcing SEM but for companies yet to make the transition, how should you select a vendor? First, it's important to understand the range of services that search engine marketing companies offer. Primary services include:

Site optimization for both organic positioning and increased conversions

Management technology like trusted feed and bid management

Tracking technology like ROI analysis and conversion rates

Professional services like strategic planning

It's also important for companies to decide what services are important to them and to seek out search engine marketing firms accordingly. Chris Sherman explained that it's important to think of your strategy when making decisions about hiring an SEM firm, pointing out that your marketing goals should dictate the method of promotion - not the other way around. "Don't think we're going to do organic or we're going to do paid placement... consider what it is you are trying to accomplish and then plan a strategy and a plan of action accordingly."

Companies looking to outsource their search engine marketing campaigns also need to understand that SEM is not cheap. Prices range from $75 to more than $200 per hour while full site optimization can start at $5,000 for a small site. Larger companies seeking to outsource full scale search engine marketing campaigns for e-commerce sites can expect to pay anywhere from $20,000 on up to more than $100,000 per year.

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Advertising Agencies Need for Search Engine Skills

By J. Peggie Retail To Internet Sales Marketing Solutions

Traditional advertising agencies are beginning to embrace the need for search engine optimization (SEO) and search engine marketing (SEM).

The search engine marketing industry has developed into a billion dollar industry and clients expect their agencies to get them involved. Ad agencies are now chasing the increased revenue generated by search engines.

In the past advertising agencies tended to ignore organic SEO as it was seen as a complicated system with results that were difficult to measure as part of an overall media campaign. This changed when they realized the potential of Pay per Click (PPC). This made sense to the agencies because its results were easily measurable and the results were impressive.

Ad agencies need to track and manage advertising results for their clients and there is a constant need to measure value and ROI. Thus the lack of tools for measuring the effectiveness of an SEO campaign was seen as a major draw back. In the present day this is no longer an issue as there is a large choice of measuring options out there. However ad agencies often make use of the SEO firm's expertise in using these tools and analyzing the results.

To meet their client's demands many ad agencies have had to dive straight into SEO. Their clients have become knowledgeable of what search engines can offer them. In fact they often have a greater knowledge of it than the agencies. So the agencies have had to learn quickly or risk losing some of their client base. They often chose to outsource to the SEO experts who have the skilled staff and the ongoing commitment to dedicate their resources and energies to SEO.

We are now at the point where advertising agencies are beginning to integrate search engine strategies into their traditional advertising media mix. They are often doing this with the help of SEO experts. This enables them to retain their traditional role of campaign management while outsourcing to the SEO firm. This is often a win-win situation for both sides as they each retain their areas of expertise while expanding their combined market share.

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An article in the Search Engine Watch newsletter, Partial Quotes:

The Power of Virtual Search Engine Marketing

By Anne Kennedy

"Outsourcing has hit virtually every industry, and now it has become a vital strategy for search engine marketing firms that not long ago insisted on attending to every detail. Here's how the trend is playing out.

There is a wonderful folk tale about a wise man who observed a wood cutter spending lengthy hours chopping down trees. The wise man said "Why don't you sharpen your axe? The wood cutter replied, "How can I when I am so busy?" Told by Netramind's Ani Kortikar, the story sounds a lot like working in SEM these days. Demand for services is up and growing; hours in the day are not.

How do you expand to meet demand for your search marketing services without increasing payroll and overhead? Break tasks into vital components and outsource the ones you don't want to do to other specialists..."