Get Your Business in the Search Engine's Results

A recently release report by the Pew Internet & American Life Project has provided some insight into the 'average' internet searcher.

Available as a .pdf file this Search Engine Users report is the result of a survey of 2,200 adults during May and June of 2004.

"84% of internet users have used search engines" and "35% of searchers will use a search engine at least once a day"

This should reiterate the importance of having your business visible in the search engines results. A carefully planned paid listings program and a properly optimized web site should be a major part of your business marketing strategy. Not just a quick fix, by-the-numbers optimization but rather a full blown web site improvement program.

"68% of users say that search engines are a fair and unbiased source of information"

Simply optimizing your website doesn't take advantage of the trust these people have in the results. One look at your website will either draw these visitors further in or have them clicking the 'back' button and moving on to the next site.


Some other interesting highlights:
44% of searchers use a single search engine, 48% of searchers us two or three search engines while only 7% user more than three.

Only 38% of searchers are aware that there are paid results on the search results page and only 47% of those people felt they could tell the difference between the different results. 80% of those surveyed felt that there should be full disclosure between paid and organic listings and nearly 50% would stop using search engines if they felt that the search engine results were biased.

Finally, as expected, younger users were more confident and aware about the options available and the way that search engines worked.