The Search Marketing Advisor Newsletter Article: June 2004, Volume 3, Issue 2
The Natural SEO vs. Paid Search Relevancy Debate
by Heather Molina, Algorithmic Search Analyst, iProspect
With the use of search engines becoming more essential to everyday life, and with Internet users becoming more sophisticated, how you reach your target audience has never been more critical to your online marketing success.
A recent survey conducted by iProspect looked at Internet users’ search preferences while considering their overall demographics.
Results from the survey showed that the majority of Internet users found natural search results more relevant than paid search advertisements to a sample query performed on their favorite search engine. However, the overall split between the two types of results was 60.5 percent to 39.5 percent, indicating that a significant portion of users do find paid search ads more relevant to their query. Clearly, if your company chooses only one type of online marketing campaign, a large section of search engine users will fail to find your website.
Looking at demographic-based results from the survey, iProspect found that knowing the characteristics of your target audience can play a significant role in your company’s online marketing success. The characteristics found to be most relevant include:
Gender (Male versus Female)
Employment Status (Full-time versus Part-time versus Unemployed)
Education Level (College Graduate versus Non-College Graduate)
Frequency of Internet Use (The number of times a day they log on)
Internet Experience (Years they have spent using the Internet)
Across all of these demographic categories, iProspect found a 65/35 percent to 60/40 percent split in favor of natural search results.
Looking at how result relevancy was split between the genders, both men and women found natural search results as the best answer for their query. However, it is important to note that a higher percentage of women than men find value in paid search advertisements. This means that for sites where the intended focus is for women, targeting some paid search ads in online marketing strategies would be wise.
Employment and educational status findings suggested that more partially employed or unemployed users and non-college graduate users found paid search ads more relevant, over fully employed users and college graduate users. However, the majority of users in both categories found natural search results to be more relevant than paid search ads. The larger portion indicates that for a site which targets the unemployed or non-college graduate, there is a higher value in placing paid search advertisements.
Looking at overall Internet experience and use, iProspect found that the longer a person has been using the Internet and the more often they log on, the higher the instance of the user preferring natural search results over paid search results. A strong correlation between education level and the experience of the Internet user suggests that the higher the education level and the longer and more frequent the Internet use, the more sophisticated the Internet user.
The bottom line is that it is vital to incorporate natural SEO and paid search advertising, as well as factor the characteristics of your target audience, into your online marketing campaign to gain optimal results. iProspect strongly recommends both natural SEO and paid search programs to all our clients, as experience has taught us that doing so will lead to a better return on investment.
To view, download or print the complete results of iProspect’s Search Engine User Attitudes Survey, simply click here.
