Search engines are commonly used to find information on the internet. In the world of search engines, click-through mean cash for advertisers. In the US, Jim Jansen, associate professor of information sciences and technology at Penn State and his team including Amanda Spink from Queensland University of Technology, have undertaken a study to gauge customer satisfaction with search engines.
According to Jansen, the research uncovers just how consumers search for content online and how they respond to the results, based on click-through behaviour.
“This research explores the online behaviours of users so that commercial search engine companies can utilise the data to improve click-through rates.”
The research has uncovered nine factors which can help predict future click-through rates, with five having a positive effect and four having a negative effect. Positive factors include number of records in a search and query time, while negative factors include user intent and number of organic links clicked.
The research has also found that most searchers will click through early in the day and more searchers using Internet Explorer clicked through.
In a similar measure, Google Inc is set to use it’s surveillance technology of consumer web surfing habits to figure out which ads are best suited to individual interests.
The ad targeting lets advertisers show ads to people based on the types of sites they visit. The program is expected to be rolled out later this year.
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