Google, Yahoo, MSN Internet-Engine Study
Libertyville, Illinois – (Website Hosting Directory) – January 30, 2007 –
A study conducted involving the three leading search engines — Google, Yahoo and MSN, found that big box retailer sites were represented in only five percent of the searches.
Internet-Engine’s analyzed search results, which included visiting and categorizing over 2000 search results, found that consumers were six times more likely to be pointed toward independent or Internet-based retailers than to major bricks and mortar retailers.
The study analyzed search results for ten representative categories such as watches, baby strollers, digital cameras, iPods, plasma TVs, power drills and snow blowers and the poor showing by national retailers was consistent across all categories.
Thom Disch, Founder and CEO of Internet-Engine added, ”The data show that the big box stores are not participating in search marketing programs such as those created by Google or Yahoo./ Smaller, eCommerce-savvy companies, comparison shopping websites and product manufacturers are generating a much greater search presence.”
Debra L. Zahay, Professor of Interactive Marketing at Northern Illinois University and Acxiom Corporation added, “Quite often larger companies do not optimize their sites for specific key words, relying more on branding to bring consumers to their websites. For example, Wal-Mart consistently ranks high in terms of online retail traffic just by the power of its brand.”
As a result of the continuing growth of online sales, the passive approach to search marketing that many national retailers are taking is likely affecting their sales. Ms. Zahay continued, “Big box retailers cannot ignore search marketing forever. They need to make use of micro-sites and landing pages so the consumer looking for a watch, a snow blower or a camera can get a customized shopping experience.”
The Internet-Engine “Search Share Analysis” evaluated search activity as it is performed by the average searcher, starting with a high level/category type search (i.e., snow blowers), then refining the search for specific attributes (i.e., two-stage snow blowers) and, finally, looking at a specific brand/model (i.e., Toro 38630). The search terms were entered on the Google, Yahoo and MSN search engines and the results from the first page were analyzed. This typically included the top ten sponsored search results and the top ten naturally occurring, or “organic,” results.
Internet-Engine is a Libertyville, Ill.-based Internet marketing company that provides web development, search engine marketing, “pay-per-click” management, eCommerce and optimization services to a diverse clientele.
To learn more, please visit: www.internet-engine.net.
