A definition
The Crisis Search
The Crisis Search is the search someone runs when something has already broken. It isn't research — it's the purchase. Nobody types "emergency tree removal 24/7 near me" at 2 AM because they're curious.
A term coined by Jason "Dutch" Brown, founder of MeetEmmy.
These are two completely different searches.
The marketing industry sells for one of them. SEO, ads, review campaigns — all of it built for the person who has time. The person who compares. The person who might call two or three companies before they decide.
The crisis search is run by someone else entirely.
This isn't a project. This is an emergency.
Your retaining wall gave way. It rained hard last night, and you don't know how much of the yard went with it. You open your phone. You search. You find a page with four companies. All qualified. All claiming 24/7. All a tap away.
The person with the collapsed wall isn't comparing. They're not reading reviews. They have a yard full of mud and they need someone to help them — now.
You are a potential solution. So is every other company on that page. The winner is whoever picks up the phone.
They weren't choosing between you and a competitor. They were moving down a list until somebody helped them.
When someone searches "emergency tree removal 24/7 near me" at 2 AM, they are not evaluating. They are buying. The intent is the purchase.
Questions
How is a crisis search different from a general search?
They are two completely different searches, run by two completely different buyers. The general search has time — it compares, it reads reviews, it might call two or three companies. The crisis search has already decided to spend money. The only open variable is who picks up.
What does a crisis search look like?
Emergency in the string. 24/7. Near me. A time of day nobody searches for fun. The words themselves are the intent — nobody types them because they're curious.
Who wins a crisis search?
The business that picks up. Every company on the results page is qualified. The person with the collapsed wall isn't choosing between you and a competitor — they're moving down a list until somebody helps them.
The crisis search is decided in fifteen seconds. Here's what's deciding it.
Prominence Theory →