People have a high level of trust in search engines, especially Google, but only limited knowledge of them, as numerous studies have shown. This leads to the question: To what extent is this trust justified considering the lack of familiarity among users with how search engines work and the business models they are founded on? We assume that trust in Google, search engine preferences and knowledge of result types are interrelated. To examine this assumption, we conducted a representative online survey with n = 2012 German Internet users. We show that users with little search engine knowledge are more likely to trust and use Google than users with more knowledge. A contradiction revealed itself – users strongly trust Google, yet they are unable to adequately evaluate search results. For those users, this may be problematic since it can potentially affect knowledge acquisition. Consequently, there is a need to promote user information literacy to create a more solid foundation for user trust in search engines. The impact of our study lies in emphasising the need for creating appropriate training formats to promote information literacy.

PurposeIn commercial web search engine results rankings, four stakeholder groups are involved: search engine providers, users, content providers and search engine optimizers. Search engine optimization (SEO) is a multi-billion-dollar industry and responsible for making content visible through search engines. Despite this importance, little is known about its role in the interaction of the stakeholder groups.Design/methodology/approachWe conducted expert interviews with 15 German search engine optimizers and content providers, the latter represented by content managers and online journalists. The interviewees were asked about their perspectives on SEO and how they assess the views of users about SEO.FindingsSEO was considered necessary for content providers to ensure visibility, which is why dependencies between both stakeholder groups have evolved. Despite its importance, SEO was seen as largely unknown to users. Therefore, it is assumed that users cannot realistically assess the impact SEO has and that user opinions about SEO depend heavily on their knowledge of the topic.Originality/valueThis study investigated search engine optimization from the perspective of those involved in the optimization business: content providers, online journalists and search engine optimization professionals. The study therefore contributes to a more nuanced view on and a deeper understanding of the SEO domain.

This research focuses on what users know about search engine optimization (SEO) and how well they can identify results that have potentially been influenced by SEO. We conducted an online survey with a sample representative of the German online population (N = 2,012). We found that 43% of users assume a better ranking can be achieved without paying money to Google. This is in stark contrast to the possibility of influence through paid advertisements, which 79% of internet users are aware of. However, only 29.2% know how ads differ from organic results. The term "search engine optimization" is known to 8.9% of users but 14.5% can correctly name at least one SEO tactic. Success in labelling results that can be influenced through SEO varies by search engine result page (SERP) complexity and devices: participants achieved higher success rates on SERPs with simple structures than on the more complex SERPs. SEO results were identified better on the small screen than on the large screen. 59.2% assumed that SEO has a (very) strong impact on rankings. SEO is more often perceived as positive (75.2%) than negative (68.4%). The insights from this study have implications for search engine providers, regulators, and information literacy.

According to recent studies, search engine users have little knowledge of Google's business model. In addition, users cannot sufficiently distinguish organic results from advertisements, resulting in result selections under false assumptions. Following on from that, this study examines how users' understanding of search-based advertising influences their viewing and selection behavior on desktop computer and smartphone. To investigate this, we used a mixed methods approach (n = 100) consisting of a pre-study interview, an eyetracking experiment, and a post-study questionnaire. We show that participants with a low level of knowledge on search advertising are more likely to click on ads than subjects with a high level of knowledge. Moreover, subjects with little knowledge show less willingness to scroll down to organic results. Regarding the device, there are significant differences in viewing behavior. These can be attributed to the influence of the direct visibility of search results on both devices tested: Ads that were ranked on top received significantly more visual attention on the small screen than the top ranked ads on the large screen. The results call for a clearer labeling of advertisements and for the promotion of users' information literacy. Future studies should investigate the motivations of searchers when clicking on ads. Search engines like Google predominantly make money through search-based advertising, that is, advertisements shown in response to users' queries. These "sponsored results" are usually shown on the search engine results pages (SERPs) at the top and before the not paid for, so-called organic results. The question arises in how far users are aware of this distinction between paid-for and not paid-for results, and whether this knowledge influences their choice of results on the SERPs. Distinguishing between organic results and advertisements has probably become more difficult over the years, as the snippets on the SERPs for these two result types look very similar (cf. Lewandowski, Kerkmann, Rümmele, & Sünkler, 2018). In addition, search engines seem to further blur the lines between organic results and advertisements through changes in labeling. 1 As Ginny Marvin writing in industry newsletter Search Engine Land put it, "text ads have never looked more native." (Search Engine Land, 28.5.2019). Prior research had found that the information literacy of search engine users is rather low, for example, when it comes to formulating precise questions (Stark, Magin, & Jürgens, 2014) or solving complex tasks (Singer, Norbisrath, & Lewandowski, 2012). This low level of information literacy was also observed regarding advertisements. Users are hardly able to distinguish between ads and organic results on search

The purpose of this paper is (1) to show which topics are especially fruitful for researchers interested in user behavior in commercial search engines, (2) to help researchers decide which data to collect and to what extent. We classify potential areas for IIR research along two dimensions, namely the type of interaction data used (small-scale or large-scale), and whether search engine companies are likely to publish research on the topic chosen (likely or unlikely). This results in a framework consisting of five areas, which are further detailed. In the second part of the paper, we present some empirical studies showing how researchers could approach relevant topics where no results from the search engine providers themselves are published. We also show how researchers can improve the evidential value of their work by going from small-scale to at least medium-scale studies.

Search engines, such as Google, have a considerable impact on society. Therefore, undesirable consequences, such as retrieving incorrect search results, pose a risk to users. Although previous research has reported the adverse outcomes of web search, little is known about how search engine users evaluate those outcomes. In this study, we show which aspects of web search are perceived as risky using a sample (N = 3884) representative of the German Internet population. We found that many participants are often concerned with adverse consequences immediately appearing on the search engine result page. For example, 45.2% of respondents are concerned about retrieving incorrect information. In contrast, consequences with a delayed impact are rarely perceived as a risk. Moreover, participants' experiences with adverse consequences are directly related to their risk perception. Our results demonstrate that people perceive risks related to web search. In addition to our study, there is a need for more independent research on the possible detrimental outcomes of web search to monitor and mitigate risks. Apart from risks for individuals, search engines with a massive number of users have an extraordinary impact on society; therefore, the acceptable risks of web search should be discussed.

Searching for medical information is both a common and important activity since it influences decisions people make about their healthcare. Using search engine optimization (SEO), content producers seek to increase the visibility of their content. SEO is more likely to be practiced by commercially motivated content producers such as pharmaceutical companies than by non-commercial providers such as governmental bodies. In this study, we ask whether content quality correlates with the presence or absence of SEO measures on a web page. We conducted a user study in which N = 61 participants comprising laypeople as well as experts in health information assessment evaluated health-related web pages classified as either optimized or non-optimized. The subjects rated the expertise of non-optimized web pages as higher than the expertise of optimized pages, justifying their appraisal by the more competent and reputable appearance of non-optimized pages. In addition, comments about the website operators of the non-optimized pages were exclusively positive, while optimized pages tended to receive positive as well as negative assessments. We found no differences between the ratings of laypeople and experts. Since nonoptimized, but high-quality content may be outranked by optimized content of lower quality, trusted sources should be prioritized in rankings.

To gain a better understanding of user knowledge and perspectives of search engines, a fruitful approach are representative online surveys. In 2020, we conducted an online survey with a sample representative of the German online population aged 16 through 69 (N = 2,012). The online survey included 12 search engine-related sections. The questions cover topics such as usage behavior, self-assessed search engine literacy, trust in search engines, knowledge of ads and search engine optimization (SEO), ability to distinguish ads from organic results, assessments and opinions regarding SEO, and personalization of search results. SEO is the specific focus of the survey, as it was conducted as part of the SEO Effect project, dealing with issues such as the role of SEO from the user perspective. This data set contains complete data from the online survey. On the one hand, the data set will allow further analyses, and, on the other hand, comparisons with follow-up studies.