The results of a study from Wesleyan University could have important ramifications for search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners, according to MediaPost’s Gord Hotchkiss.
The Wesleyan study appears to show that people make decisions in two primary ways when surfing the web. One group is known as the "satisficers" (from "satisfy" and "suffice"). These are more likely to be able to make decisions based on less information than others, and spend less time processing inputs in order to make such decisions.
On the other hand, "maximizers" are much more indecisive, and were prone to "[spend] more time overall looking at nothing, that is, they looked at the blank cells in the grid while (apparently) trying to make a decision. The researchers were not sure why the indecisive individuals spent more time looking at blank spaces, but theorized that doing so allowed them to ruminate or reframe their choices before making a decision," the Wesleyan study said.
Experts say that exact demographic information about a site’s clientele can help focus its design in such a way as to maximize search engine optimization (SEO).
