iProspect: Don't Forget Organic Search

A new study from iProspect and Jupiter Research reinforces the importance of placing high in organic search results. Among other things, the study found that 90 percent of searchers do not look past the third page of results, and 62 percent of searchers don’t go past one page. Four years ago, 48 percent of searchers stopped after one page, and 81 percent stopped after three pages.

“Consumers are spending millions of dollars online, and they’re using search to do it. If you’re not taking an aggressive approach to organic search, consumers are going to find your competitors,” Rob Murray, iProspect’s president, told ClickZ News.

More users are refining their searches with longer queries on the same search engine rather than switching search engines, Murray said, making it more important for search marketers to target longer queries in their SEO efforts. The study found that 82 percent of users do this, where only 68 percent did so in 2002.

Top organic search placements can also create brand lift, since 36 percent of the 2500 respondents said they believe the companies with top organic results are the top brands in their field.