Searchers Click on First Results Page, Move on

Four of ten searchers tend to click on links on the first page of search results - then either revise their query or go to another search engine if they don’t find what they’re looking for, according to a new study from iProspect, conducted with Jupiter Research, MediaPost writes (via MarketingVOX). Some 62 percent of searchers said they click on a link within the first page of results, up from 60 percent in 2004 and 48 percent in 2002. A full 90 percent click on a link within the first three pages, up from 87 percent in 2004 and 81 percent in 2002.

Also, some 16 percent of respondents said they revise their query or move to another engine after reviewing the first few entries; 25 percent said after the first page; 27 percent said after the first two pages; 20 percent after three pages; and only 12 percent beyond three pages.

When re-launching an unsuccessful search, 82 percent of users use the same search engine as for the initial search, but add more keywords, reports DM News. That’s up from 68 percent in 2002.

Also, 36 percent of search engine users think that companies appearing at the top of search results are leaders in their field.