A new study conducted commissioned by iProspect and conducted by Jupiter Research found that 62 percent of search engine users click an item on the first page of search results, and 90 percent of users click on an item within the first three pages of search results they receive in response to a query. Back in 2002, those numbers were 48 and 81 percent, respectively.
If users didn’t find what they wanted, 82 percent of users try their search again with more keywords or different search terms, rather than switching search engines. Back in 2002, this figure was only 68 percent.
The study also found that roughly one third of users linked companies appearing in the first page of search results with top brands: meaning, those users are more likely to think the top search results indicate leading brands or products in a category.
Robert Murray, iProspect’s President, said, “This study clearly shows the increased importance of being found in the top search results. […] As search engines efficacy has improved and search has become ubiquitous, users have also become more adept at searching, and their expectations have risen. They know what they want, and they want to find it immediately, and the majority want to find it on page one. And that majority is growing.”
The study surveyed 2,369 people in a panel online U.S. consumers.
