SEL: Paid search results met with confusion and disdain

check out the Digging into Search swicki at eurekster.com

Search marketing in the new media era.

August 24, 2003

Paid search results met with confusion and disdain

For those of you relying on paid advertising for your search results without supplementing with a "free" or "organic" approach, be sure to read this article.

Three out of five searchers have no idea that search engines are paid for some of the results in their listings, according to Leslie Marable, Consumer WebWatch researcher and author of the study

While 41 percent of the search results selected by the study subjects were paid for, none of the searchers were aware of their commercial nature until told by the researchers. Once the paid-placement results were identified, most of the subjects were surprised, and some responded with what Marable described as "negative emotion."

As the FTC pushes for clearer diclosure of PPC advertising, more search users will become aware of paid listings, which could result in fewer click-thrus if indeed they do view them with a "negative emotion."

PCWorld.com - Study: Paid Listings Still Confuse Web Searchers

Andy Beal | permalink | +marktd |

...the search industry queries new media