Motivation is absolutely key, but it can be so difficult to anticipate. Even users with high motivation often use the same keyword syntax in search queries as "browsing," uncommitted searchers. This inevitably leads users of every degree of motivation to the same landing page. In an absence of defined motivation, it becomes extremely difficult to optimize the page for motivation. Either an assumed level of motivation is assigned, or the designer must, in a most calculated and creative manner, develop a process to address any magnitude of motivation.

Motivation is absolutely key (sound familiar?), but it can be so difficult to measure. Sure, it may be easy and appropriate to correlate user motivation by analyzing the forms filled out, products sold and their prices, or appointments scheduled, but is that being overly presumptuous? Is it truly enough to correlate the length of the form to percentages of completed conversions? Or the specific fields captured to info? Items sold to price? Value of the newsletter to the sign ups? While I believe that these aren't enough to accurately measure motivation, I do believe that it represents a solid start, especially considering that measuring motivation will most necessarily be accomplished through correlation. With testing however, the correlations utilized to measure motivation can grow stronger and stronger. Yes, the correlations can improve in accuracy.

One of the most important characteristics with which to understand motivation is that it is in a constant state of flux. Increases and decreases are strongly influenced by the entire field of ad copy or meta description, before a searcher ever even clicks on an ad, and certainly before they land on your website. A searcher's eye path scans the viewable portion of page in matter of maybe a second and a half before settling on a specific eye-catching element of content. Within another two seconds the searcher has superficially assessed the entire page and has, at least in part, shifted in motivation.

If the general ad copy messaging from the SERP (Search Engine Results Page) fails to meet expectation, despite the relevance of your ad, the searcher is left isolated without a strong connection. If the searcher, disappointed by irrelevant results, abandons the page in favor of an additional search, the motivational magnitude is reduced; much like an aftershock's lower magnitude. Through uncontrollable circumstances of no fault of your own, user motivation is negatively affected. If the searcher decides to continue in attempting to harvest relevance from off of the initial SERP, motivation still drops due to disappointment. This should make you think more about how targeted your keywords and ads really need to be. General keywords and ad groups translate into general ads that do not capitalize on the motivational momentum driving the search engines.

Next, we'll address motivation in landing page optimization. Motivation #2