Comments on: Google Offers A Peek Into Its Internal Eye-Tracking Studies http://searchengineland.com/google-offers-peek-into-eye-tracking-studies-16479 Search Engine Land: News On Search Engines, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:39:57 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Mark Hodson http://searchengineland.com/google-offers-peek-into-eye-tracking-studies-16479/comment-page-1#comment-4721 Mark Hodson Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:54:15 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=16479#comment-4721 I'm surprised that Google's researchers jump to the following conclusion: "This pattern suggests that the order in which Google returned the results was successful; most users found what they were looking for among the first two results and they never needed to go further down the page." This smacks of bad science. Some users may click on the first or second result regardless of its relevance, either out of habit or laziness, or because they "trust" Google to come up with the right results. Studies of user behaviour, including one well-documented experiment at Cornell University where the first and second results were switched, support this. Imagine a study of 100 people asking a policeman for directions. If a high proportion of the people follow his directions, does that show they are accurate? I don't think so. I’m surprised that Google’s researchers jump to the following conclusion:

“This pattern suggests that the order in which Google returned the results was successful; most users found what they were looking for among the first two results and they never needed to go further down the page.”

This smacks of bad science.

Some users may click on the first or second result regardless of its relevance, either out of habit or laziness, or because they “trust” Google to come up with the right results.

Studies of user behaviour, including one well-documented experiment at Cornell University where the first and second results were switched, support this.

Imagine a study of 100 people asking a policeman for directions. If a high proportion of the people follow his directions, does that show they are accurate? I don’t think so.

]]> By: chiropractic http://searchengineland.com/google-offers-peek-into-eye-tracking-studies-16479/comment-page-1#comment-4716 chiropractic Sat, 07 Feb 2009 05:40:07 +0000 http://searchengineland.com/?p=16479#comment-4716 That one screenshot in the Google post w/an image in it looks like same results that were discussed on SEL in the past where an image creates a virtual stop sign. Don't know what the studies say but it looks as though an image in position #4 has little effect on numbers 1,2 and 3 but does effect 5,6 and below. That one screenshot in the Google post w/an image in it looks like same results that were discussed on SEL in the past where an image creates a virtual stop sign. Don’t know what the studies say but it looks as though an image in position #4 has little effect on numbers 1,2 and 3 but does effect 5,6 and below.

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