What's the best strategy for marketers who use search engines to reach potential customers? The results of a new study suggest that paid listings alone are not very successful; search engine users concentrate much more on the “organic” listings provided during their search.
That's one of the conclusions that can be drawn from the Eye Tracking Study, drafted by Enquiro, Did-It, and Eyetools. This article from Search Engine Report discusses the main findings of the for-purchase study, which analyzes how users scan their search results, and how most of their attention is directed at a “golden triangle” on the page. Most paid listings lie outside that triangle.
According to Search Engine Report, “Some of the insights touch on issues such as why we ignore advertising, the role of brand in search, online patience and the effects of gender, and numerous others.”
The results are strong enough, says Search Engine Report, that marketers may have to develop a new approach to reaching search users.