Create, Capture, Convert

SEO For Business #2: How People Use Search Engines To Find Things Online

Without the search engines, the Internet would be just a jumble of sites with no rhyme or reason. The average person uses search engines to quickly find information about a particular topic or product. Because of the vastness of the web, search engines are a convenience to the average web surfer. When a keyword term is typed into the browser, up pops a row of neatly organized websites that feature a brief description of what you can expect to find on the page.

By now, you’ve probably heard that its important to have your site appear on the first page of Google, or any other search engine, for that matter. However, Google, in particular, is the giant when it comes to providing real time site visitors. A 2009 study done by EightFoldLogic found the following traffic facts:

Number of Visitors Sending Traffic to Websites Per Major Search Engine

Google accounts for 78.43% of traffic

Yahoo! accounts for 9.73% of traffic

Bing accounts for 7.86% of traffic

The graph below shows a more recent picture of search market share as of 2011.

As you can see, this brief snapshot shows you that Google is by far the most popular search engine with people who surf online. This is why SEO firms are most often focused on helping business websites rank highly in Google search first. It only makes sense that you need to be in front of the largest crowd. According to a study done by comScore in April of 2010, Americans alone conducted 15.5 billion searches online. Obtaining higher search rankings through SEO should be a major part of any long-term business marketing strategy.

Consumers are Looking Online to Buy Stuff Offline

One of the most fascinating (and exciting) search facts for businesses is the number of people who first do their product research online, then go to a brick and mortar location to make a purchase. In 2007, a Yahoo! study found that online advertising leads to an actual offline purchase by a 6 to 1 margin. For every $1 spent online, there were $16 spent buying products offline. This means that many consumers are visiting your website to take notes and compare the merits of what your business has to offer against your competitor. They then make a determination of how to spend their dollars.

Google has done some really interesting research on this stuff themselves in an ebook called, "The Zero Moment Of Truth".

Therefore, you really need to think about what exactly each potential customer is seeing when they visit each page of your website.

Are they seeing boring, lackluster copy? Or, snappy writing that specifically targets their interests?

Are they seeing tacky graphics that belong in another decade gone by? Or, are they seeing modern graphics and photos that show your products in the best light?

These are things you need to consider, especially if you are interested in attracting local customers. Regardless of whatever other advertising you use, ignoring your website, or taking it for granted could be costing you lots of money.

You see, the majority of people living in your community are searching for local products and services via search engines. In fact, in 2007, Webvisible and Nielsen conducted a survey that found:

86% of people said they use the Internet to find a local business

80% said they research products and services online before making an offline purchase

In order to attract as many of these potential customers as possible, you must make sure that your website is highly targeted to their immediate needs and interests.