This document outlines a study conducted by Adrian Durow analyzing factors that attract attention in search listings using eye-tracking hardware with 10 participants. Three hypotheses were tested: domains attract more attention, authorship markup improves visibility but is not as powerful as expected, and keywords positioned at the start of a title draw more views than those in other positions. The results confirmed all hypotheses and noted additional elements like review language and notable phrases that also garnered attention.

1. Think Eyes.
Not Just
Keywords.
Adrian Durow,
The ConversionArium
@adriandurow

2. Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

3. Methodology
Eye tracking hardware
10 participants
3 hypotheses
6 tasks / key phrases
SEO-related and non-SEO-related tasks

4. Hypothesis One
Domains get more attention than other
elements of a standard search listing

5. Domains
dominating
gazeplots for
“content marketing
agency”

6. 76%
34%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%
% of domains viewed
“turkey holidays”
“content marketing agency”

7. How powerful is this?

8. Hypothesis Two
Search listings with authorship markup, are
more powerful in attracting attention

9. 65%
…of listings with
authorship markup were
viewed for “mobile site
or responsive design?”

10. 50%
…of listings with
authorship markup were
viewed for “which
colour car is best?”

11. Authorship listing viewings made up 59% of total
listing viewings for “mobile site or responsive design?”
Authorship listing viewings made up 14% of total
listing viewings for “which car colour is best?”

12. Hypothesis Three
Search listings with keywords at the start of the
listing title, get more attention than those with
keywords in the middle or end of the listing title.

13. 60% of search listings with searched keywords at
the start of the title were viewed for “SEO software”.
43% of search listings with searched keywords at the
start of the title were viewed for “cheap tvs”.

14. 0
1
2
3
4
5
6
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 P8 P9 P10
"cheap tvs" "SEO software"

15. Hypothesis Summary
1. Domains = accepted (SEO / digital marketing
keywords)
2. Authorship = accepted, but not as powerful as
expected
3. Keywords in start of title = accepted

16. Other Interesting Stuff
“Award winning” / “world class” got attention
Review language got attention
Numbers in titles got attention

17. Future work
Cross analyse click data
More SERP component testing
A model for optimal CTRs?

18. The Gubbins…
adrian@conversionarium.com
@adriandurow
Mohammed.Al-Husban@solent.ac.uk
@mohammedhusban