Visibility on the First 3 Pages of Search Resuts

Search Engine Marketing Firm iProspect Survey Confirms Importance of

Visibility on the First Three Pages of Search Results

WATERTOWN, Mass. (PRWEB) April 20, 2004 — http://www.iprospect.com [iProspect®, the Original® Search Engine Marketing Firm] ( http://www.iprospect.com), today announced more results from its recent Search Engine User Attitudes Survey that indicate:

* 22.6 percent of search engine users end their search after viewing the first few results returned an additional 18.6 percent stop after reading the entire first page of results (41.2% cumulative)
* 25.8 percent more abandon their search after the first two pages
* 14.7 percent (81.7% cumulative) wait until they view three pages before

SEARCH ABANDONMENT BY OCCUPATION

Looking specifically by occupation, the iProspect Search Engine User Attitudes Survey results also show:

* 52.2 percent of homemakers, more than any other profession identified in the survey, choose to stop looking at the search results returned for their query after the first page of returned results
* Only 40 percent of responding educators stop reviewing results after the first page
* 38.2 percent of MIT/IS professionals abandon at that point
* Just 27.2 percent of students go no further than page one

“These findings suggest that for sites that market to homemakers, such as:

* Tupperware
* Betty Crocker
* Homemaker.com

failing to appear on the first page of returned results means missing out on over 50 percent of potential customers,” reports http://www.iprospect.com [Fredrick Marckini, CEO of search engine marketing firm iProspect]. UNEMPLOYED SEARCHERS QUIT REVIEWING EARLIER

The survey also reveals that unemployed search engine users stop looking at search results after the first page more than full-time or part-time employees.
* Just over 44 percent of unemployed respondents admit they do not go past the first page of search results before re-launching their search on the same search engine or moving on to a different one
* For part-time employees this figures is only 41.1 percent
* Just 38.4 percent of full-time employees are not willing to move on to the next page of search results returned for their query ”This finding suggests that marketers at companies like:

* Monster.com
* Kelly Services
* Robert Half
* Administaff
* Manpower.com

need to be even more vigilant about working to ensure their search engine marketing efforts cause their site to be listed on the first page of search results than online marketers in other industries,” commented Mr. Marckini. OLDER SEARCH ENGINE USERS ABANDON SEARCH RESULTS MORE OFTEN THAN YOUNGER USERS

Additionally, the survey results reveal that the older the search engine user, the more likely he/she is to stop reviewing after the first page of returned results of their search:
* Of users who are 60 years of age and over, 49.4 percent say that they move on to a new search after viewing just the first page of search results
* 44.3 percent of 45 to 49 year olds abandon after the first page
* 38.2 percent of 30 to 44 year olds stop after page one
* Just 32.2 percent of 18 to 29 year olds say they cease viewing results after reading just the first page. “So those companies marketing information about retirement planning, or pharmaceutical sites providing information about drugs associated with older individuals have a heightened need to appear within the first page of returned search results” added Marckini.

MEN DIG DEEPER THAN WOMEN IN SEARCH ENGINE RESULTS

Finally, the iProspect survey also discovered that male Web users tend to dig deeper into the search results than female Web users. When asked at what point they moved on to a new search:

* 44 percent of females do not read past the first page of returned results
* 37.3 percent of males say that they move to their next search after reviewing page one “Organizations whose products or services target women, such as:

* Avon.com
* Pottery Barn
* Linens ‘n Things

must make it a priority that their websites achieve first-page visibility in the search engines on the keywords their target audience queries,” Marckini said.

“These findings demonstrate that many companies whose target markets fall within these demographics need to make top rankings, and being found on the first page of search results, top priorities. Many companies have already contracted with professional search engine marketing firms to manage the complexities of search engine marketing initiatives -- especially in those industries and vertical markets where online competition is the most fierce and where utilizing an outside firm is a virtual necessity to be found on the first page of search results” he concluded.

ABOUT THE SURVEY

The iProspect Search Engine User Attitudes Survey was developed through a partnership between http://www.iprospect.com [iProspect], WebSurveyor, Strategem Research, and Survey Sampling International (SSI). Completed in March 2004, there were 1,649 survey respondents. Data was collected using WebSurveyor’s online tool, and analyzed by both iProspect’s research department and Strategem Research. Proper attribution requires that the survey is clearly identified as “The iProspect Search Engine User Attitudes Survey.” Copies of the survey results can be obtained by contacting Deborah Hickey at dhickey@iprospect.com.

ABOUT IPROSPECT

http://www.iprospect.com [iProspect® is The Original® Search Engine Marketing Firm]. The company helps many of the world’s most successful brands maximize their online marketing ROI through http://www.iprospect.com [natural search engine optimization, paid inclusion management, pay per click management, Web analytics and website conversion enhancement(sm)]. iProspect has published three books on search engine positioning, including Achieving Top-10 Rankings in Internet Search Engines, and most recently, Search Engine Positioning. Distinguished as a 2003 Inc. 500 and Deloitte & Touche Fast 500 fastest growing company in America, iProspect is located in Watertown, Massachusetts and can be reached at 1 800-522-1152, or by visiting http://www.iprospect.com.

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