7/31/2007 02:19:00 PM
We know consumers looking for health information turn to search engines -- but how do they decide what to click? Advertisers continue to try to understand how online users search and find health information. Jupiter Research's new US Health Consumer Study 2007 takes us one step closer to understanding how consumers search for health information. The study's overarching theme: relevance drives clicks. Four times as many consumers who used a search engine for health info clicked on a result because it was relevant, compared to others who click because the link was to a trusted source. And fully 65% of searchers clicked because the text was most relevant to their query. In addition, the study found that people seeking health information show no bias against sponsored results (versus natural results).
Based on this research, Jupiter recommends that advertisers leverage search engine optimization and paid search with a focus on content relevance. Advertisers should continue to optimize content for search engines.
