Shocker: "Searchers stop at page three"

As if you needed another reason to optimize the content of your Web site for search engines...

A new survey uncovered this shocking news: Most people get no farther than the first three pages of search results before clicking a link -- or giving up and switching to a different search engine. Actually, almost two-thirds (62%) clicked on a result on the FIRST page. 90% clicked a link in the first three pages.

Interestingly, the survey indicated that many people still don't understand how search engines really work. One-third mistakenly assumed that the links on the first page were the best quality -- that's why they showed up so high.

Danny Sullivan, editor in chief of Search Engine Watch, said you need "good pages, text rich content, and good links pointing to you."

Psst: Don't forget to "optimize" your content for human readers, too.