Study: Top Reason A User Would Block A Site From A Search? Too Many Ads

An online survey examining SEO assumptions by SurveyMonkey found that the No. 1 reason users would block a website from their search results was if the website contained too many ads. If given an option to remove a website from future search results, 68 percent of the respondents said they would block a website because […]

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An online survey examining SEO assumptions by SurveyMonkey found that the No. 1 reason users would block a website from their search results was if the website contained too many ads.

If given an option to remove a website from future search results, 68 percent of the respondents said they would block a website because it had too many ads, while 60 percent claimed they would block a site because of poor quality content. Respondents were more forgiving of typos and grammar mistakes, with 26 percent claiming to block a website with typos and only 23 percent blocking a website containing bad grammar.

Survey Monkey SEO Assumption

When respondents were asked what they would do if a Google search result did not contain the expected information, 34 percent of respondents said they would return to the search results page and try a different result; 25 percent said they would return to Google to enter a new search.

When users bounceThe online survey was conducted using SurveyMonkey’s Audience tool, surveying 615 respondents from a random selection of males and females age 18 to 60. The participants were located across the country with annual household incomes ranging from $25,000 to $150,000+ and varying education levels.

Other key findings from the survey demonstrated most users are not bothered by how recently an online article was published – trusting content published two years ago the same as content published ten days ago – but were less likely to trust an article with a number of typos and obvious grammar mistakes. The survey also concluded that users preferred Google search results over Bing.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.


About the author

Amy Gesenhues
Contributor
Amy Gesenhues was a senior editor for Third Door Media, covering the latest news and updates for Search Engine Land, MarTech and MarTech Today. From 2009 to 2012, she was an award-winning syndicated columnist for a number of daily newspapers from New York to Texas. With more than ten years of marketing management experience, she has contributed to a variety of traditional and online publications, including MarketingProfs, SoftwareCEO, and Sales and Marketing Management Magazine. Read more of Amy's articles.

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