brightonSEO April 2024. Confirmation Bias - what people are REALLY searching for

Confirmation bias is the human tendency to only seek out information that supports someone's position or idea. It impacts how people search, take in information, and how we SEO. When people make informational searches they are phrasing their searches in a particular way to get the SERP they want without even being aware of the fact they're doing it. And, they're only reading content that supports their original stance. By understanding what conformation bias is and how it impacts search, SEOs can not only learn how to interpret things like keywords and search intent better, they'll be able to do their part to fight misinformation that we're seeing constantly in today's digital world.

Transcript

1. Confirmation bias – what people are REALLY searching for Sarah Presch DRAGON METRICS @sarah_presch Speakerdeck.com/sarahpresch
2. Psychology Time
3. Cognitive Biases Cognitive biases are errors in thinking, which we’re often unaware of, which impact our ability to make judgements. @sarah_presch
4. Why does it happen? As people, we’re not very good at making quick, rational decisions. Which is why we use heuristics to help us. @sarah_presch
5. Categorization Categorization in psychology is the process humans use to sort objects, experiences, and even people into groups or classes. @sarah_presch
6. @sarah_presch Social Learning Theory
7. How Search Works
8. How People Search @sarah_presch
9. How Content’s Distributed @sarah_presch
10. Misinformation Disinformation Malinformation …. WHAT?! @sarah_presch
11. This is where problems start @sarah_presch
12. Confirmation Bias Case Study
13. Confirmation Bias Confirmation bias is the human tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information which confirms our existing beliefs @sarah_presch
14. @sarah_presch
15. @sarah_presch
16. @sarah_presch
17. @sarah_presch
18. @sarah_presch
19. @sarah_presch
20. In the SERPs @sarah_presch
21. In the SERPs @sarah_presch
22. In the SERPs @sarah_presch
23. In the SERPs @sarah_presch
24. @sarah_presch
25. @sarah_presch
26. @sarah_presch
27. It’s even worse for non-English results @sarah_presch Is ADHD linked to food? Are you energized? Or, on the contrary, depressed, tired and irritated? Sugar is to blame for everything. One rule is certain, the higher the blood sugar rises after a meal…
28. It’s even worse for non-English results @sarah_presch Is ADHD linked to food? Official research did not find a link between specific ingredients and allergies or mental conditions…
29. What can we do about it?
30. Understand Limitations @sarah_presch
31. @sarah_presch
32. @sarah_presch
33. Improve Media Literacy @sarah_presch • Think about sources • Be aware of biases • Fact-check • Understand search engine algorithms • Evaluate website quality • Think about how keywords are phrased • Think critically about keywords
34. Steps We Can Take • Use qualified writers • Think before we mass produce content • Evaluate the keywords we choose • Understand there’s more to the algorithm that SEO • Educate ourselves & our team @sarah_presch
35. Let’s save the internet rather than ruin it J @sarah_presch
36. Thank you! sarah.presch@dragonmetrics.com Sarah Chaya Presch @sarah_presch @sarah_presch