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Eyetools Study Report:


Does the Google Checkout icon attract more visual attention to right hand rail advertisements?


Client defined goals:

1. Examine viewing patterns of Google Search users when conducting product searches. Determine if the Google Checkout button increases or decreases user viewing at and around the icon position in the right rail.
2. If possible, determine if the recent change in sponsored advertisement background color from light blue to light yellow has increased user viewing of the sponsored links.

Number of subjects participating: 100


Project design overview:

One hundred internet users were asked to do 12 predetermined product searches using Google’s search engine. Participants were shown result listings in which a Google Checkout button was not present in the right hand column, or was shown at AdWords position 1, 3, or 5. Participants were allowed to spend as much time casually browsing for any given product as they wanted. First and return views to these result pages were analyzed offline.


Summary of findings:

• Placing a Google Checkout button in the right rail of the search results did not produce statistically significant increases in ad viewing. This was true for first search result presentations and return visits to the results page.
• Data suggest that placing a Google Checkout icon at AdWords position 3 may result in a small increase in viewing on return visits to the search results page. However, a much larger sample size would be needed to confirm that this effect is real.
• Google Checkout icon placement did not affect the number of fixations per ad, or viewing time. The button itself was never clicked by our participants.
• Qualitative analysis did not reveal a marked increase in viewing of top sponsored ads due to the recent change in background color from blue to yellow. However, users may be willing to interact with items above the organic listings during product searches more than in studies conducted 2 or more years ago.
• Data from this study indicates a strong correlation between where people look and where they click – specifically, decreases in viewing correlated with an exponential fall off in clicks. This highlights the importance of ensuring that primary messaging and calls-to-action are seen by high percentages of people. See Addendum A.