How long do users stay on a particular search?

Do users drill thru results till they find it? Or do they bail?

[mediaspinner]

Hi, my question has been bounced around in other forums and been moved (I'm kinda new to WW)... but this seems like an ideal forum.

I'm curious if anyone has done any research on how long a user stays on a search before trying different keywords, or bailing and giving up. I mean, if I search google for "nonprofit grant funding" and don't find what I need within 3 pages of results, I usually stop and go somewhere else, like lycos (this is just an example).

If there were a way to figure this out, then it would help SEO considerably, or to determine if alternate promotion methods were in order.

[sparrow]

I think you bail to soon, I only use Google for searches. I have found that if I change my words around, even changing the order of the original words, I'll pull new listings. Also be reading some of the serps returned I can pick up new words to search on.

For me it's all a matter as to how much I really want to know about something, the more I am deteremined the longer I'll stay.

[mediaspinner]

Well, I agree I am somewhat impatient... and to be honest, I do swap keyword searches a few times, or use some sorta operators... but I do have a limit.

I guess I'm trying to figure out... do I spend 50-100 hours a year tweaking metas, titles, and content in order to sassify spiders/crawlers, or or do I spend $3-6k on marketing within my niche (direct mail, magazine ads, links from relevant sites, etc.)

If my particular John Q. Public bails after 3 pages of results... then SEO seems kinda moot, from a primary marketing perspective.