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Search Engine Marketing Firm iProspect Study Finds Blended Search Dominates User Preference for Selecting News, Image, and Video Results

Boston, MA (PRWEB) April 7, 2008 -- Search engine marketing firm (http://www.iprospect.com) iProspect today published the iProspect Blended Search Results Study (http://www.iprospect.com/about/researchstudy_2008_blendedsearchresults.htm). Sponsored by iProspect and conducted by JupiterResearch, the study reveals that in the case of news, image, and video results, search engine users click specialized content within general search results more than they do within vertical search results.

Within the last year Google, Yahoo!, and MSN have all begun returning "blended" results for some percentage of the searches that users conduct, where a combination of one or more specialized search result types, such as news, images, and videos, appear along with traditional Web pages on the search results page. Prior to Google's launch of what it initially called "Universal Search" in May of 2007, such specialized content was only returned as a result of a specifically targeted "vertical" search.

Amongst its key findings, the study shows:

? 36% of search engines user click "news" results within blended search results, while only 17% click a "news" result after conducting a news-specific search

? 31% of search engine users click "image" results within blended search results, while 26% click an "image" result after conducting an image-specific search

? 17% of search engine users click "video" results within blended search results, while only 10% click a "video" result after conducting a video-specific search

? While images are the most clicked type of result after a vertical-specific search, news items are the most clicked type of result within blended search results

Aversion to vertical search is nothing new as search engine users have shunned its functionality for years. So much so that the verticals' hidden-in-plain-site status earned them the moniker of "invisible tabs" by search marketers, and relegated their content to anything but a valuable digital asset. But the development of blended search has changed all that, and this newly published study quantifies the dramatic difference in users' propensity to click specialized results within blended search results compared to that in the vertical search results.

"Since users have historically ignored the vertical offerings of the major search engines, a marketer might conclude that users aren't interested in that type of content, and as a result, not invest in producing or optimizing digital assets," said Robert Murray, President, iProspect. "But that would be a mistake -- the findings of this study make that quite clear. Marketers have a great opportunity to claim more search shelf space by optimizing their news, image, and video assets."

And industry observers agree. "Last year was revolutionary in how blended search suddenly became the norm," said Danny Sullivan, editor-in-chief of the highly-regarded industry web site SearchEngineLand.com. "But despite the change, some marketers are still ignoring vertical search. That's a mistake, as these vertical areas provide entirely new and valuable ways to jump into the main search results. And as the study shows, you not only get into the main results but you stand out there, more."

The study also revealed some trends in users' behavior derived from earlier iProspect studies in 2004 (Strategem Research), and 2002 (Vote.com) in regard to the first page of search results:

? 68% of search engine users typically click results on the first page of search results, compared to 62% in 2006, and 60% in 2004,

? Only 8% of search engine users review more than the first three pages prior to clicking on a result

? 49% of search engine users who continue their search when not finding what they are looking for change and/or re-launch their search after reviewing just the first page of search results, up from 40% in 2006, and 42% in 2004

? 37% of online users associate appearance at the top of search results with a company's leadership within its industry or category, up slightly from 35% in 2006 and 33% in 2002.

Overall, the findings of the study have clear implications for marketers. Specifically, that appearance on the first page of search results continues to gain importance, both from a traffic-generating perspective as well as a branding perspective. In addition, those organizations with a diverse portfolio of digital assets are best positioned to capitalize on the benefits provided by blended search. Those who have not invested in developing and optimizing such assets should make it a priority to do so.

"Blended search allows marketers to capitalize on their digital assets without the need to affect a change in user behavior," said Murray. "It essentially brings a variety of content types to users - where they are most comfortable and open to receiving it - and allows them to choose between the various result types. On top of that, it increases a marketers' available inventory and their chances of being found amongst the clutter."

Murray summarized, "The bottom line is that companies that have optimized a variety of digital assets will have a distinct advantage. Those who lack such assets will essentially forfeit page real estate to their competitors."

About iProspect

iProspect is the Original® Search Engine Marketing Firm. The company helps many of the world's most successful brands maximize their online marketing ROI (http://www.iprospect.com/search-engine-marketing-university/marketing-roi.htm) through natural search engine optimization, paid inclusion management, pay per click advertising management, shopping feed management and numerous other related services. By dramatically increasing business results for clients, iProspect helps to create search marketing heroes every day.

Proper attribution requires that the study is clearly identified as the iProspect Blended Search Results Study (http://www.iprospect.com/about/researchstudy_2008_blendedsearchresults.htm).

With U.S. offices in Watertown, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California, as well as offices across the globe (http://global.iprospect.com/), iProspect can be contacted at 1-800-522-1152, or by visiting http://www.iprospect.com .

Questions regarding this release should be directed to iProspect Media Relations Manager, Colleen Reed, at 1-800-522-1152 x1203.

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