As do-it-yourselfers, my husband and I know our knowledge barrier quite well — we hit it often. Whether we’ve just realized that the utility knife won’t cut through cement back-board or are in need of a vendor who sells butcher-block counters in huge sizes, we are constantly (and often, frantically) turning to the web to figure out what to do next. All this searching has roused my hypothesis about search behavior, which I’ll detail below.
A Case Study from a “Find-it-Yourself”er
Case in point: kitchen knobs.
It started with our struggle to choose a backsplash: punchy and colorful, or elegant and understated? We both liked the timelessness of simple subway tile, but worried about lack of color and visual interest. While exploring Making It Lovely (great blog, BTW!), I came across her beautiful kitchen – classic white backsplash with cute, unexpected vintage knobs that provided color and texture. And we fell in love.
Cute vintage knobs from the kitchen redesign from makingitlovely.com
When we fall in love, we fall DEEP in love. We wanted those knobs – and in this big box world, most everything we see on other DIY’ers blogs can be found within miles for a reasonable price. But after days of searching, we were at a loss. We tried every phrase we could thing of: “green knobs” “antique knobs” “vintage knobs” and “colored knobs” – and every possible combination of the terms.
We thought we were set when Brant found a cute set on eBay – only to realize that the guy only had 14 to sell. But the specific shape we wanted (see above) were few and far between, with no common labeling to set them apart or make searching easy.
We were about to give up and settle for plain-Jane “mushroom” knobs when I had a lucky break. Flipping through page after page of eBay results, I came across a knob in the shape we wanted – and on its page, the magic phrase: PUMPKIN KNOB!
Pumpkin Knob? Ok, I can see that.
Finally, with new nomenclature in hand, I’m empowered to scour the internet for all knobs of this type to determine if, in fact, there’s a knob out there that might serve in place of our first love.
Google Shopping Results - 451 options!
My Suspicion
This story was the long way of framing up a phenomenon I’ve observed within our search habits which, I believe, sets the framework for a larger hypothesis. I contend that searching in an unfamiliar space is a 2-part process that includes:
- Tracking down the right term. Through trial and error, a user searches and browses around until finally uncovering the common language/industry lingo/specific target search phrase that narrows your results appropriately.
- Applying that search term. Once you’ve found the right phrase, your results become more qualified. At that point, you stop scanning each destination for language to help you refine, and you begin considering each result as a potentially viable option
What it Means for Marketers
If true, my hypothesis has a few implications for those in marketing or SEO roles.
- Not all search traffic is created equal. Some searchers are qualified and ready to consider your offering. Others are looking for the industry understanding that they need to find what they’re actually looking for. Don’t count each bounce as a loss – some were never really prospective buyers.
- Say it with me: Niche terms create returns. It (kinda) rhymes. Some marketers consider long tail search terms a nightmare, and for good reason. The long tail is a slippery slope to infinity (and beyond, as Buzz Lightyear might say!) But the truth is, users searching for niche terms know exactly what they want. Their willingness to convert is higher. And their cumulative value is immeasurable. So the return is there, but return is only one part of ROI. It’d be more trouble than it was worth to decide all of a sudden launch an attempt to chase specific terms and phrases without a bigger plan. To truly capture the return that long tail phrases can offer, teams should start by creating systems that support the effort efficiently. They might be costly up front, but an easy way to chase the long tail can have big returns on the back side. See the Landing Page Handbook from MarketingSherpa for great landing page guidance.
- Don’t overlook the importance of industry lingo. I know, I know. As a user experience practitioner, I’m guilty of often preaching the opposite. Overly internal or industry-specific language that might throw a layman off track, right? Its true. Don’t organize a linear hierarchy around your proprietary labeling system without context (Seriously – E Series, X Series, and L Series? C’mon!). But on the flip side, go back to your user base. Some of your users probably know what they’re looking for. They might be approaching the end of a long research cycle. Perhaps they’ve got lots of industry experience. Or maybe an expert advisor told them EXACTLY what they should buy. Regardless, its important that you provide the navigation paths, tags, labeling, and specs that this type of user needs without alienating a less familiar audience. A delicate balance, indeed – but one that can be accomplished. (See this carefully architected product selection adviser from Manfrotto. What do you think?)
Let’s test it!
Is my hypothesis true? Comment below and let me know whether you follow a similar pattern when you’re searching.
We still haven’t found the perfect knobs – but I’ll let you know as soon as we do!
See also
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