Neuroscience of search: how the brain shapes customer behaviour

Presentation by Giulia Panozzo at BrightonSEO in April 2023.

'Before Google, there were humans: this session aims at uncovering the psychology behind customer behaviour and how to optimise for real people, while highlighting some of the similarities between how we think and act, and how search engines seem to rank websites.

In this talk, you will learn about the cognitive biases and heuristics that guide decision-making at every stage of the user’s journey, and how to apply this to connect with your audience and turn visitors into customers.'

Transcript

1. Neuroscience of Search slideshare.net/GiuliaPanozzo1 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo Neuroscientive
2. My Journey @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO BSc in Psychobiology MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience & Clinical Neuropsychology Research on attentional, social and motor processes …and ended up in SEO
3. Today we’ll talk about… 🧠 Capturing the attention 🧠 Cognitive Biases 🧠 Heuristics in Decision Making 🧠 Social Proof 🧠 The role of emotions @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
4. WHAT IS NEUROSCIENCE? @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
5. The study of the brain and the nervous system Cognitive neuroscience Behavioral neuroscience Neurophysiology And many more... @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
6. WHY ‘NEUROSCIENCE OF SEARCH’? @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
7. 1. To put the user back in focus Optimizing ‘for Google’ VS Optimizing for the user @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
8. 1. To put the user back in focus Optimizing ‘for Google’ VS Optimizing for the user @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
9. 2. To win the user’s attention over rankings Ranking better than our competitors ≠ more traffic or conversions Image here @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
10. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Especially when all results look similar
11. 3. To increase engagement and build brand equity Your brand Our job doesn’t end when the user lands on the site: we need to keep them there to continue the journey. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
12. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
13. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
14. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Image by Bhav Patel, @dodonerd
15. #1 - CAPTURING THE ATTENTION VISIT @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
16. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
17. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
18. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
19. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
20. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
21. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
22. Selective attention @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
23. Selective attention The process of bringing perceived stimuli further into processing @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
24. ØInternal factors (e.g. motivation) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
25. ØCognitive biases @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
26. ØExternal factors (e.g. ‘cocktail party effect’) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
27. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
28. Event Related Potentials (ERPs) Common brain activation patterns observed in relation to certain stimuli @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
29. N170 Selective to face configurations (M. Eimer, 1998) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
30. N170 …But responds even to face-like objects! @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
31. N170 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
32. N170 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
33. N170 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
34. N170 ‘Emojis evoked more negative N170 and N2 brain potentials compared to human faces both during a mere presentation and as feedback stimuli.’ (M. Weiß, P. Mussel & J. Hewig, 2020) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
35. N170 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
36. N170 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
37. q aMMN (150-250ms): auditory q vMMN (120-350ms): visual Mismatch Negativity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
38. Mismatch Negativity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
39. Mismatch Negativity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
40. q aMMN (150-250ms): auditory q vMMN (120-350ms): visual q N400: semantic Mismatch Negativity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
41. Kutas, M., & Hillyard, S. A. (1980) Mismatch Negativity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
42. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
43. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
44. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO ?!?🧐
45. #2 – COGNITIVE BIASES RESEARCH @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
46. Cognitive Biases Systematic errors @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Judgement and Decision making Processing and interpreting information
47. Serial Position Effect Bread @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Book Cinema Computer Pencil Periodical Sum Heath Imagination Drum Autonomous Considerable Mouse Eggs Anniversary
48. ØPrimacy ØRecency Serial Position Effect @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
49. It’s easier to recall items that are placed at the beginning or at the end of a list Serial Position Effect @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
50. Anchoring Effect @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
51. Compromise Effect @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
52. Numerical Biases qDistance effect à9 vs 16 easier than 13 vs 16 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
53. à15 vs 23 easier than 237 vs 245 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO qSize effect Numerical Biases
54. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Numerical Biases In both cases, judging differences becomes harder as magnitude increases
55. ‘Save 34% on your sofa’ Regular Price: £1700 @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Faster
56. ‘Save £581 on your sofa’ Regular Price: £1700 Slower @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
57. Negativity Bias @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
58. Source: seoClarity @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
59. Negativity Bias @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
60. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO 😤Slow or overwhelming flow 😠Unclear or contradicting information 🤬404 pages
61. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
62. Confirmation Bias @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
63. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Example: Travelling post-pandemic
64. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
65. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
66. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO If your brand doesn’t rank for queries of this kind, potential customers will have to rely on other websites’ info. The existing beliefs they come to the search with will determine what content they’ll trust the most (confirmation bias).
67. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
68. #3 – HEURISTICS IN DECISION MAKING RESEARCH DECISION @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
69. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
70. Our cognitive resources are limited and cannot process all of the information available to analyse all of the possible outcomes of a choice @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
71. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO ‘A heuristic is a mental shortcut that allows people to solve problems and make judgments quickly and efficiently’
72. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Availability Heuristic
73. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Scarcity Heuristic
74. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Scarcity Heuristic
75. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Risk Aversion Heuristic
76. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Risk Aversion Heuristic
77. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Risk Aversion Heuristic
78. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO £2,00 £1,90 Familiarity Heuristic
79. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO £2,00 £1,90 " # $ % & Familiarity Heuristic
80. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO £2,00 £1,90 " # $ % & ' ( ) * Familiarity Heuristic
81. Elaboration Likelihood Model High VS Low personal investment determines if persuasion is going to be off the quality or quantity of arguments @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
82. #4 – SOCIAL PROOF ORDER @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
83. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
84. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
85. Social Proof @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO The brain is ‘socially wired’
86. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Neuron mirrors and simulation theory
87. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Interaction facilitation induced by social cues Natural switch from an imitative to a complementary social action in CS activity (Sartori et al., 2012)
88. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Interaction facilitation induced by social cues Natural switch from an imitative to a complementary social action in CS activity (Sartori et al., 2012)
89. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
90. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO The Bandwagon effect Agrillo et al., 2012 à Conformity behaviour …Even in fish!
91. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
92. Role of reviews @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
93. 🗣 And of UGC @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
94. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
95. #5 – THE ROLE OF EMOTIONS ORDER VISIT RESEARCH DECISION @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
96. People make decisions emotionally and then they justify them rationally @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
97. Six Basic Emotions (Ekman, 1999) @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
98. That gut feeling… Emotional processes guide decision making @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO The Somatic Marker Hypothesis (Damasio, 1991)
99. Tripadvisor 404 page @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
100. ü Brand Authenticity ü Safety ü Trust Positive emotional experiences correlate with perceived @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
101. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
102. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
103. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO
104. SO, WHAT DO I NEED TO REMEMBER? @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
105. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Dare to stand out
106. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Ditch the silos: make every part of the journey count
107. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO People want to trust and feel safe: make that easy for them
108. @SequinsNsearch /giulia-panozzo/ Thank you! neuroscientive.com
109. APPENDIX: TEST IDEAS AND TAKEAWAYS @SequinsNsearch #BrightonSEO
110. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Test emojis in your titles and descriptions to improve CTRs Invest in SERP features that your competitors are not using yet Include something that stands out in your title or copy: bold text, capitalization, unexpected wording Top of the funnel
111. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Place important information and value props at the top and at the bottom of your copy Choose fractions or percentages (e.g ‘50% off’, ‘1/2 price’) over numbers when showing savings Test negative headlines (e.g. ‘10 holiday destinations not to miss’ VS ‘10 best holiday destinations’ ) Middle of the funnel
112. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Use messaging that conveys scarcity (but don’t fool your users) Highlight messaging on flexible payment/booking options and returns Include social proof (UGC, reviews) and leverage schema mark-up to highlight it Bottom of the funnel
113. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Make every part of the journey count: focus on providing a flawless experience to avoid negativity bias Work on conveying trustworthiness and expertise by proactively addressing your user’s concerns At every stage
114. @SequinsNsearch Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search #BrightonSEO Work on increasing the availability of your brand as a trusted source in your space (leverage external partners and digital PR) Optimize for the user, not the search engine: throughout the user journey, connect on an emotional level At every stage