In recent years, the number of digital features such as knowledge panels, images and local packages has multiplied exponentially, so much so that it affects SEO quite decisively. Inevitably, this type of SERP behavior also affects users’ attitudes.
When search engine results page features – from sponsored product carousels to videos to rich snippets – are present on the response page to a given query, 74% of users examine them ( Nielsen Norman Group study ). This happens because the new generation SERP features have a sort of ” visual weight ” that influences the gaze, and therefore the user’s click, in a non-linear way.
These results, obtained by analyzing 471 queries involving participants in a study between 2017 and 2019, confirmed the correlation between eye tracking, usability and behavior .
The images in particular were captivating and attractive, as were the elements on the page that provided quick responses (knowledge panels), even in conditions of particular variability and complexity of the interface at a graphic level. Today, users adapt and respond proactively to this type of variation, so much so that it takes just under six seconds to click on the first selection.
A second study should also be considered, this time conducted by Yext , which found an increase (17%) in interactions with local business pages compared to the previous year (10%). In practice, this means that increasingly advanced digital users now find what they want to find much more quickly mnsud2l, and spend less time searching and more time interacting .
The evolution of the network user and the change in use of the pages compared to the past – when the gaze moved in sequence from top to bottom, from left to right – takes the name of ” pinball pattern ” and precisely identifies the eye’s ability to intercept, in an apparently random way, the points of interest on a web page – or in this case of results – which has many different elements.
According to the Nielsen report , this change is related to the inconsistency of the results pages from one query to another, which prompts the user to evaluate the page in its entirety before making his choice, calibrating it where his attention is drawn. . In terms of marketing , this means that not only the type of information Filmy4xyz and its medium, but also its positioning will influence the visibility and click of a certain element.
Compared to 2006, when it was the first result on the search page to be clicked (51% of clicks), things have changed a lot, considering that in 2019 the same item receives only 28% of clicks.
Flipper model: better results even for those who are not in the first position on Google
In current digital marketing strategies , therefore, this new trend must be taken into consideration.
Although zero-click searches obviously continue to exist, now ads and results positioned lower than the top positions also see their chances of success increased . In 2019, 59% of the users analyzed clicked on one of the first three results , and the lower positions were also more used .
Likewise, users now tend to go back to the results page and scroll down if the first selection didn’t resolve their query. On the other hand , the results that are placed after the scroll, in the so-called ” below the fold ” area, continue to be penalized , unless the result sought is a complex query : in this case, the click-through rate of these answers is on the 20%.
What does it mean? That in-depth, quality, well-elaborated, and vertical content can still attract clicks even if they are located further down the SERP, taking into account that only in 2% of cases users tend to venture into the second page .