Tue 29th of June, filed under SEO
Three is key for SEO
Three is the magic number for natural search queries, according to the findings of a new report.
Online advertising giant Chitika has looked at the origins of more than 41 million clicks onto its network between June 13th and June 19th 2010. It found that a full 26 per cent of natural search impressions came from users inputting three-word queries such as 'search engine optimisation' or 'pay per click'. Meanwhile, two words accounted for 19 per cent of traffic generation, followed by four words with 17 per cent and one word with 14 per cent.
Long-tail queries top PPC study
Turning to pay-per-click, Chitika's research appears to vindicate online marketing professionals who focus on long-tail queries. The study shows that PPC click-through rates were highest for five-word searches at 1.2 per cent, just ahead of four words and six words.
The online advertising network has also discussed the implications of the study. "What does this mean for SEO professionals and web publishers?" it asked. "It means that there is a very definitive sweet spot in search optimisation – ranking high for popular queries between three and five words long should see both optimal traffic and conversions."
Last year, Chitika published a well-received study into Bing PPC marketing. After analysing almost 27 million ad impressions across the major search engines, it found that Bing users recorded by far the highest click-through rate at 1.5 per cent. Yahoo notched up 1.24 per cent while Google lagged behind with just 0.97 per cent.
Posted by Richard Frost
