Researchers from Penn State and Queensland University of Technology have dug through Dogpile search logs and used neural network technology to figure out what gets people to click through to Web sites from search engines. Among their findings:
* Query length, browser used and number of records in a search can all in predicting future click through rates, whereas time of the first query and log in time don’t
* More users click through early in the day
* More IE users click through than those using other browsers
Speaking of search advances, a New Zealand company called VortexDNA has today launched the Web Genome Project, an alternative way to search the way based on personality and preferences. It’s applying the genome mapping concept to the Web.
Google also today said it is testing a new interest-based advertising technique to its search arsenal. More on both the Google and Web Genome efforts.
