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Is there any independent research data on whether having a listing in the top five is more beneficial then just being on the first page?
Do more people click into a listing if it is just in the top 5, within eye view or are visitors likely to scroll down and even click onto subsequent pages?
In my opinion, it is sufficient to have a top 10 listing. As long as a company has one of these positions then it is up to the visitor to click on the first or tenth listing. The visitor has freedom of choice to make the desired selection.
Another reason for posing this question is that a lot of SE optimisers charge for getting a keyword on the first page, then less for the second and even cheaper for the third page - but does this really help in terms of ROI if visitors only select a site if it is in the top ten.
Yes, I understand that for certain keywords then branded sites will do better than lesser known sites but what about highly competitive keywords. What if all 10 listings are from well known companies?
This may be off topic, but I felt this somewhat applied.
>>>What if all 10 listings are from well known companies?>>>
This is a different situation. If the keyword is "airlines", without even checking I can bet that some of the big dogs will take up the main spots.
>>>>Is there any independent research data on whether having a listing in the top five is more beneficial then just being on the first page?>>>>
In my opinion, a top ten, and sometimes a top 20 is sufficient, depending on the site, the category, and how much optimization effort was put forth
I could concieve of circumstances where the top of the first page was pretty low on relevance, a surfer might look at the second page instead of checking the bottom of the first (I know I have done this occasionally). 11th place would then be worth more than you might think for a 2nd page placing.
Is there any truth in that, or are the SEs getting too good at giving good 1st page results?
Not in my opinion....
Someone said to me that there was an independent report that claimed, 70% of users were more likely to click on a listing on the first page, 20% would go through to the second page, etc
I just wanted to know if there was any truth about this.
My experience has been that #1's-#2's for niche keywords can bring more (and better) traffic than #30's-#31's on far more popular keywords. YMMV. That isn't independent research data, but often the only way to get good research data online is to do it yourself. That said, you might want to look into the Goto clickthrough reports.
The average searcher types in their query and then scans the results, clicking on the first listing that seems to provide what they want.
Poor descriptions or irrelevancy of the topmost listings to the searcher's desire will make them continue far lower down the page before making their first click, and of course, the first click may not be their last.
But, one thing that is certain is that if a site ranked above you provides what the searcher is seeking and satisfies that searcher, they won't continue to click - they go off, job complete.
The important thing therefore is to be the highest-placed, best-described, satisfying listing for your target market. Make sure no site above you is going to attract them first, or worse yet, result in the searcher's satisfaction.
Ammon Johns
Ammon Johns
