The psychology of search

How do you use a search engine? Do you ask Google a questions or do you search for the answer? Consider this scenario. You are sitting at home on a cold winter’s evening and your partner asks you for the tenth time to make the room warmer. You decide to jump on your trusty laptop and conduct a web search to find out the best solution to your problem.

What do you type into Google?

• How to insulate your room?
• Cheap electric heaters?
• How to stop my partner complaining?

Put simply, faced with the exact same problem each individual human will look for a solution in a slightly different way.

Searcher Number 1: The question asker
This person will simply ask Google a question as if talking to another human being. “How can I make my room warmer?”

Searcher Number 2: The symptom searcher
This person will enter into Google the exact problem they are experiencing. “My room is too cold”

Searcher Number 3: The cause searcher
This searcher will identify the likely cause of the issue and search for material around that topic. “Heat escaping through my windows”

Searcher Number 4: The Solution finder
Rather than searching for the cause of the issue this searcher jumps straight into the solution. “Increase the temperature in my room”

Searcher Number 5: The reviewer
This person already knows the solution they are looking for and is considering the options available. “Best gas heater under $200”

Searcher Number 6: The buyer
This person has likely already researched the available options and is ready to make a purchase. “Dyson Hot and Cool AM05”

When you are thinking about your online marketing then you need to invest a good portion of time into keyword research. In the above examples there are 6 different searchers using 6 vastly different keywords to find a service. Make sure your site caters to your entire target market.