Males and Females:
Four Different Search Patterns

In the past, search marketers have tended to make overall assumptions about effective tactics with search engines. These assumptions can determine strategies for placement, the text that appears in the listing, and the use of organic vs sponsored listings. In observing the members of the study group, it became clear that there are four distinct types of searchers, and a different marketing approach must be taken with each.

Quick Scanners and Premature Clickers

In the focus group, these were all younger males. They tend to do a quick scan of the top 3 or 4 listings and make a choice from there. If it’s a commercial search, they will often scan sponsored links as well. They don’t read titles or descriptions carefully, and tend to click on results quickly. In the observed search interactions, the average time before clicking on a link was 8.5 seconds. If nothing relevant appears above the fold, they assume it won’t get any more relevant by scrolling down, so they launch another search.

2-Step Scanners

Again, in the study group, these were all males, but had a higher average age (42) than the Quick Scan and Clickers. This group generally does a quick scan of the top results to see if anything “jumps out”, but if they don’t see anything, they will do a more deliberate scan up and down all the organic results. During this second scan, they will read titles and descriptions more thoroughly. They generally go right for the organic results, but may scan sponsored results after a quick look at the organic listings.

Deliberate Researchers

This was the largest component of the focus group, with 41.6% of the participants matching this profile. It was 60% female, 40% male. The Deliberate Researcher reads through all the organic titles and descriptions on the results page before making a choice. They tend to be thorough in their assessment and consider their options carefully before making their choice. If there is a profile that is likely to go to the second page of results, they would be found in this group or the 1,2,3 Searchers. They also tend to skip over sponsored listings and go right to the organic ones.

1,2,3 Searchers

Like Deliberate Researchers, this group does read titles and descriptions carefully. The difference is that rather than reading all the results and then making a choice, this searcher goes through the listings sequentially, starting with number one. If they find a listing that seems to be what they’re looking for, they’ll click through to it. Like the Deliberate Researcher, they usually skip sponsored listings and go right to the organic ones. In the study, this group was predominantly female.

Men vs. Women

We noted a marked variance in the search patterns of men and women generally. On the average, men make decisions quicker, spend less time on sites, are more likely to have pre-established “favored” vendor sites that they use in the search process and show less resistance to sponsored listings. Women tended to be more deliberate in reading search results, spend more time with their searches and spend more time on sites before making decisions.

Although we’re speaking of genders as an aggregate group here, the main reason for the variance is the relatively high incidence of Scan and Clickers and 2 Step Scanners in the male participants in the group. No women participating in the session matched either of these profiles.

When looking for reasons why women as a group appear to search differently than men, we believe the reason is analogous to distinct shopping patterns in both genders. For the sake of clarity, think about shoppers entering a mall. Some go directly to a store, buy an item and leave. When applying this behavior to a search engine, these would be similar to the Scan and Clickers or the 2 Step Scanners. Others shop several stores, compare prices and deliberate over the buying decision. These individuals enjoy the shopping experience. Again, drawing parallels to the search profiles, this group would be similar to the Deliberate Researchers or the 1,2,3 Searchers. I think most agree that the first group is generally predominantly male, while the second group is predominantly female. Understanding the different searching (and shopping) patterns in a target customer group is essential to formulating an effective strategy.