Website Usability: How Visitors Use The Search Engine Results Pages SERPS

A SERP or Search Engine Results Page is the webpage that shows all the results from a search entered into the engine. If you type in “social network marketing experts” into Google the top 10 websites listed are and the page they are located is a SERP for Social Network Marketing Experts on Google. I have many keywords that are #1 in the results, mainly for localized keywords since I like to meet my clients in person prior to doing business with them. I only work for legitimate businesses and I have to completely understand a business and their marketplace to work my magic.

Visitors Usage of SERPS and What You Can Do About It

Looking through the last 2 years of Usability testing studies I have done, the numbers were quite shocking when it came down to the SERPS. In 89% of all searches the tester did not travel past the first SERP, a little over 9% went to the second SERP, and the number of users that hit the third SERP was so few that it was less than 1%. Since a SERP on Google has 2 or possibly 3 ads at the top and 10 results, it is almost a difference of life and death to be above the fold, the fold being the point where a user has to scroll down to see more of the page. Yahoo is even worse because it has a ton of ads as well as sponsored listings at the top, and I dare say they hide paid placement in the natural searches based upon their Site Submit. This leaves very little in the way of room above the fold in Yahoo.

I have some stats that show about half the users didn’t click on any listings below the fold. I am sorry to say that I wasn’t able to separate out the experienced user from the less experienced user while collecting and processing these facts. I heartily believe that a more experienced user, especially one using Google, will traverse past the fold to find the best match to there query.

Generally a Google SERP only shows 4 or 5 listings above the fold, on high profile keywords, some of the sites show 2 listings, usually the home page and the keyword specific page under it. Another note is on the right side their are usually 6 or 7 ads as well for a visitor to choose from. These facts reinforce the statement that your Title and description are the key to getting clicked on!