Why do people click on the search results when and where they do? Why aren’t paid search campaigns as successful as they used to be? Are people even looking at your display ads?

Eye tracking is understanding how users look at your website or search results – there are many software programs available. Important for any business, eye tracking studies have a lot to do with what the page looks like – keeping it usable, engaging and easy to take in visually. Still, it has a lot more to do with users’ eye patterns on the screen.

When it comes to search results, we know that top organic rankings are the best. Why? Well, look at the charts below. One shows click positions, while the other shows cursor movement.

Click_positionsCursor_Movement_Positions

 

While these charts show few paid ads (on the right column of the page), searchers’ eyes do not go there. Seems like every metric I found that compared organic to paid search results and the term “banner blindness” have mixed results throughout the Web, yet one thing is constant: People look at their screens from the top in the center and scan down.

With eye tracking software, you can establish:

  • Where are users looking?
  • Where aren’t they looking?
  • How do they separate information on the screen?
  • What is the progression in how visitors look at the page?

How can you use eye tracking to improve your website?

  1. Larger, consistent calls to action will draw visitors’ attention. You want them to take action right?
  2. Relevant headlines to the page contents are important. Tell them what the page is about, and deliver.
  3. Keeping content organized from the top down. Writing 101, isn’t it?
  4. Content needs to be scannable – think bulleted lists and bold key points. Do you read Web pages word-for-word? Neither do your visitors.
  5. Focus on organic rankings with strong page titles & meta descriptions. Those are what are shown in the search results.

Does this relate to how you scan or read the Web? What changes do you see in your website’s future?

A little tip: Your Google Analytics will show a little information on where visitors are clicking on your website. Not a clear eye tracking study for your website, but you can see where users are clicking which gives you more data to use and consider as you modify placement of calls to action.