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This article uses the analogy of an animal hunting for its food in comparison to a person looking up a certain thing on the internet. The animal hunting for its food follows the scent of its prey, the stronger its scent the closer the animal knows it is getting. Internet users are like this when they are searching for things on the internet. They look for signs that show that they are getting closer to what they are looking for, this is called information scent. The closer they get, the more determined they are.
Information scent is a good thing, it helps users know where to find what they need and when they are getting closer to that item. However, there is also such thing as false information scent. When a user clicks on a link that leads them to think that there is a particular item in that link, and the item is not there or is not easy to find, that is fals information scent. False information scent is not a good thing. When a user thinks that they are about to find what they are looking for, and then all of a sudden can't find it, they get frustrated. When a user gets frustrated and can't find what they want they leave the site, to search elsewhere, without a very high chance of returning.
There are ways to eliminate false information scent. First is to use links that really indicate what is inside that link and that are understandable to that particular user (know your audience). Another way to prevent false information scent is to provide cross links from one page to a page with a related item, this allows the user to find what they are looking for, even if they did click on the first link in the first place.