{"id":8235,"date":"2026-01-27T15:41:02","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T14:41:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/searchstudies.org\/?page_id=8235"},"modified":"2026-03-11T15:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T14:00:44","slug":"sem-and-knowledge-gain","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/searchstudies.org\/de\/research\/sem-and-knowledge-gain\/","title":{"rendered":"SEM and Knowledge Gain"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
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How Search Engine Marketing Influences User Knowledge Gain<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n

Development and Empirical Testing of an Information Search Behavior Model<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\t\t<\/i> Full Thesis (not published yet)\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\n\t\tView Key Findings\t<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
<\/p>\n

The Quality Paradox<\/h3>\n

People rely on search engines to curate information, usually clicking the top results. Content providers use Search Engine Marketing (SEM)<\/strong> to secure these spots.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>

\n\t\t<\/i>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n

\nRepresentational Quality:<\/b> SEM ensures professionally designed and concise content.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n\t\t<\/i>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n

\nIntrinsic Quality:<\/b> Commercial motives can impact intrinsic quality, such as objectivity.<\/p>\n

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<\/div><\/div>
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Central Question<\/h3>

\u201cTo what extent do SEM-driven pages differ in quality, and how does this impact user knowledge gain?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
<\/p>\n

The Research Model<\/h2>\n

\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

01. Survey<\/h3>

Quota sample of 2,403 German Internet users conducting specific search tasks to analyze their knowledge gain.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

02. Evaluation<\/h3>

Experts assessed results based on intrinsic and representational quality.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

03. Modeling<\/h3>

Structural equation modeling tested the relationships between SEM and user knowledge gain.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

<\/p>\n

Core Results<\/h2>\n

\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

Organic is Best<\/h3>

High intrinsic quality in organic results leads to better knowledge gain.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

Ad Limitations<\/h3>

Paid ads are associated with lower-quality content for learning purposes.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n <\/i>\n <\/figure>\n

Literacy Matters<\/h3>

High search engine literacy helps users identify better content.<\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

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\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>
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Publikationen<\/h3>

Schulthei\u00df, S. (2023). How search engine marketing influences user knowledge gain: Development and empirical testing of an information search behavior model. ACM SIGIR Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval (CHIIR \u201923), March 19\u201323, 2023, Austin, TX, USA. https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3576840.3578297<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n

Project Details<\/h3>

Author
\nSebastian Schulthei\u00df <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

Supervisors
\nVivien Petras <\/a>,
\nDirk Lewandowski <\/i><\/a>,
\nIan Ruthven <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n

In cooperation with
\nHumboldt-Universit\u00e4t zu Berlin <\/i>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Duration
\n<\/span>2022\u20132025
\n<\/p>\n

Grade
\nSumma cum laude<\/p>\n

Affiliated with project
\nSEO-Effekt <\/i><\/a><\/p>\n\n <\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>

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