The Online Advertising Playbook: Proven Strategies and Tested Tactics from The Advertising Research Foundation

Search Is a Journey

Because consumers search for personally relevant information, searchers usually have a high level of interest in what they are searching for, yet they also want to find and act on the best results quickly. Consumers have evolved strategies for achieving these goals, which influence search marketing.

Searchers share one trait in common: They spend very little time with search engine results—we mentioned earlier that consumers spend only 6.4 seconds on average on an entire search results page (Enquiro et al. 2005). That being the case, how do searchers process pages?

When you sit down to perform a search, take note of why you’re searching and what you do to find satisfactory answers to your questions. Most likely, you’re motivated, hot on the trail of something, and looking to find out, get an answer, and possibly make a decision. Gord Hotchkiss told us in an interview, “Consumer intent plays an important role in search behavior. People actively look for knowledge, products, or services and are receptive to new information.” The high levels of intention and interaction, Hotchkiss pointed out, distinguish search engine advertising from offline forms and some online types where readers, viewers, or listeners passively receive advertising and later may take an action (Hotchkiss 2006).

How do motivated consumers search? Searchers use a type of trial and error that researcher Marcia Bates calls “berrypicking.” That’s very unlike searching in the preinternet days when ...