Search Results Viewability
Response to searchengineland.com/mobile-impacted-way-search-based-10-years-eye-tracking-studies-260052
SearchEngineLand.com wrote a blog about how users view Search Engine results. The article deduced that people how people see results have changed. Mobile devices changed our viewing patterns. It is imperative that meta-information reflects the change in how we view results.
Visual Rectangle
SearchEngineLand.com noted some studies done on Google’s SERP. In 2006, users read results in a triangle pattern. They read from left to right, then diagonally downward. This gave site creators a chance to add more content in their meta descriptions. In 2016, users read results in a rectangle pattern. Longer web addresses get cut off by this pattern.
It is vital that meta-information be as short and impactful as possible to fit the rectangle. Meta titles must get to the point of an article/webpage. Meta descriptions cannot be paragraphs; they must be quick summaries. The article states that 57% of traffic views the first four organic listings. This is where having a strong SEO plan comes in. Compact yet informative meta descriptions yield a higher search engine listing.
Sponsored Links
SearchEngineLand.com posted that sponsored links get 2% more views on mobile devices. Yet, users only see the first four listings. Depending on the product, a 2% increase may not justify paying for ad space. In the same article, businesses with mapped listings get 47% more view. If this article is correct in its statistics, then a map listing is more vital to a search engine presence. It is important that websites have a location listing of their businesses. Paying for ad space is not vital.
The takeaway I got from the SearchEngineLand.com article is that good SEO is vital for a business. A proper SEO plan enacted will yield better visibility. Paying for ad space is beneficial. But an impactful SEO plan can overcome the need to pay out more money.
Reference:
Kellogg, Kristi, and Bruce Clay. “How Mobile Has Changed the Way We Search, Based on 10+ Years of Eye-Tracking Studies.” How Mobile Has Changed the Way We Search, Based on 10+ Years of Eye-Tracking Studies, Search Engine Land, 7 Oct. 2016, searchengineland.com/mobile-impacted-way-search-based-10-years-eye-tracking-studies-260052.
