Search Engine Optimization

Surprise Surprise.

People are goofy when it comes to technology. In a recent post mentioned by Rusty of SE Roundtable, Jakob Nielsen did another blogpost on web usability with very shocking findings: “at least to me”

“I’m not talking about the challenge of formulating a good query, interpreting the results, or revising your search strategy to reap better results. Those are all very complicated research skills, and few people excel at them.”

Just this phrase alone made me choke on a coffee. Is it really? It seems hard to believe, but lets read on:

“If you thought it’s easy to get to Google, think again. In our current round of usability research, only 76% of users who expressed a desire to run a Google search were successful. In other words, 1/4 of users who wanted to use Google couldn’t do so. (Instead, they either completely failed to get to any search engine or ended up running their query on a different search engine — usually whatever type-in field happened to be at hand.)‘

Where are they getting those people? It seems tasks like these are common knowledge that a 4 years can do with their eyes closed. Webmaster World members make a very good point:

“How many car drivers know how to check their oil? How many car drivers even know that having enough oil is essential for their vehicle to work?

How many adults could tell you the ingredients of a loaf of bread, never mind tell you how to bake bread?

Re: Google search, I don’t find the 76% figure surprising, but I don’t really feel the urge to mock the 24% people either. In many aspects of life I’m definitely one of the 24% not the 76%! “

A perspective definitely opens the eyes. I personally cannot locate anything but the engine in car(in fact I don’t even know the names of other parts, pardon me), though that does not stop me from doing a nice 140 on the freeway. If there’s a bad sound – take it to the garage.

People use search engines and websites in a similar manner. They do not care as long as the job is done. If the website fails to address basic usability factors – down the drain it goes with the back button.

The study shows the significance of designing sites not only for search engines, but for everyday people. The clueless average users, who could not care less about search engine market share and how that site got to the top rankings in the first place. Once they’re there, we must treat them like babies, who have no clue what they’re doing.