The Power of the Search Results Page

(c) Westend61. Image #RDF00690.

There is a pretty standard method for the way search results are displayed on most stock photography sites. You enter a term in the "Search" field and get results typically displayed in pages of 24 or so images. If what you are looking for is not on the first page, you click on "Next" and view the next page. And on it goes . . .

The problem is that this can be a hassle for users. It doesn't sound like a lot of work, but clicking and waiting is probably the biggest turn off for potential users. There is a good chance they won't get much past the first few pages of results. That may sound odd, but think of it like a Google search. How often do go past page 3 of the results?

So, the challenge facing stock photo sites is streamlining search results so more images can be seen by potential buyers. Make it so easy for them to browse your content that they will feel like they did no work at all.

A good attempt at this can be seen on Masterfile's website. The search results are presented in such a way that it is much easier to get deep into the results. The results page has a panel of control buttons; set up much like a music player with play, stop, and rewind buttons. Once the play button is clicked, the results are displayed 30 images at a time and shown for just a few seconds. Then it slides over displaying the next 30. It takes very little time to get to what traditionally would be 4 or 5 pages deep.

Masterfile's method is not without its drawbacks. It does take a minute or two to figure out how the results page controls work. And there is bound to be some downfalls to users feeling like it is going too fast or is too busy. It should be noted that Masterfile also has a link to the "Classic" version of it's site. Overall though, it is a bold step in the possible future direction of results pages on stock photo sites.