“But I still haven’t found what I’m looking for…”

This famous line from the famous U2 song is an emotional confession that paints the emotional state of searching for something on Google. Leaving all technical topics aside (This isn’t an SEO post, sorry!) search is actually a very vulnerable and emotional “confession” and admittance that there is a void and there is something missing . . .

Is Google your biggest confidant?

The second that you start searching for something on Google telling them some or all of the following: 1.) I’m incomplete, I need this solution to help me be happy.

2.) I believe that it’s out there and I’m willing to search to find the answer ( and willing to pay! )

3.) This is worth my time, I am taking time out of my busy day to search for this because it’s important to me.

4.) I have tried other solutions and shortcuts and nothing has worked for me so far, please help.

5.) I’m open to new possibilities or opportunities on how to solve my problem.

6.) Something is missing from my life, or something is wrong!

Think about it, would you search for something that you have an abundance of in your life?No! This is a confession to Google or any other search engine that you use that says … “Hey I’m LACKING this in my life…” or I’m incomplete, but I hope that if I invest my time and energy I can find the solution here.

Tell them that they are not alone

This if POWERFUL! When we search we are vulnerable, yet we feel empowered when we find others who have experienced the same pain. Somehow it comforts us to know that we are not alone, and other’s understand us.This is why it is crucial not to just look at your site visitors and view them as possible dollar signs, you need to make them feel welcomed, understood, and like they belong there. In short humanize their experience.

Here’s 2 real life examples :

The emotional level when “searching” may be higher or lower in different situations. Searching for a book: (Oh Yes I did! Hey I wanna get smart like him! ) Searching for a book on ” How to think like Da Vinci” – What I’m really saying here is “Hey I hope that this book will make me a smarter and a better thinker. Plus it was recommended by a friend and I really look up to them. I want to be more like them. Hope this helps.” Searching for a product: ( My sister really did this recently and searched through 3,000 results on Ebay to find “just the right one”) What she’s really saying is this : ” I hope that this license plate cover adds uniqueness to my new car, I want it to look girly and right now it looks so plain. I really want a pink one because that’s been my favorite color since I was little.”

Know their purpose and speak to it!

You see both of these searches had an emotion reason behind them and we were both searching with a PURPOSE to solve something that we felt was missing in our lives. Notice all the things we don’t really tell Google when we look for “pink license plate” or “How to think like Da Vinci Book”. This is where your part as a marketer comes in, and why you should really know your audience and their motives for their search and find out what they are really saying.