Yes, It's Official: Search Engines Most Popular Path To Web Sites
More consumers went to Web sites to make purchases in Q4 2011 than in the fourth quarter of 2010 -- but many could not complete their task. Some 34% claimed they could not
find the product they were searching for, while 32% said the product wasn't available. Other significant barriers were unclear pricing and comparisons at 18%, and a lack of product information, at
7%.
The iPerceptions Retail and E-Commerce Industry Report for Q4 2011 reveals that overall satisfaction for Web site visitors rose from 70 in Q4 2010 to 71 in Q4 2011. The share of visitors who came for support declined compared to one year ago, from 11% in Q4 2010 to 7% in Q4 2011. Shopping for the product remained the most popular purpose of a visit. And the share of visitors who arrived via a search engine rose significantly, from 24% in Q4 2010 to 34% this quarter.
The report, based on feedback from 129,563 visitors to 97 retail and e-commerce sites worldwide, suggests that search engines have become the most popular path to sites -- at 34% in Q4 2011, up from 24% in the year-ago quarter. The data represents aggregated information obtained from iPerceptions’ webValidator and 4Q Suite surveys.
Another study released from iPerceptions analyzes automotive retail Web sites. Here, too, the report notes that search engines have become the most popular path. Search engines replaced the consumers' need to type in the URL as the most popular way to discover automotive retail sites. This trend began in Q3, but continued into Q4 2011, with 36.6% of visitors using this path. The report suggests that these results highlight the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Big-ticket items also felt the pain. Consumer satisfaction for automotive Web sites declined in Q4 2011 in overall satisfaction and task completion -- two metrics that typically go hand in hand. Satisfaction slipped from 68.6 in Q3 to 68.3. Likewise, task completion fell from 68.6% to 68.0%.
Recent Search Marketing Daily Articles
-
Google Fiber Lives In Smaller Markets May 21, 3:43 p.m.
My Internet speed sucks. I'm frustrated with paying Verizon Fios more than $120 for phone, basic ...
-
Yahoo Abandons Its Conservative Style, Appealing To A Younger Audience May 20, 11:17 a.m.
Search marketers can expect changes at Yahoo that influence the look and placement of paid-search ads ...
-
Search Data Creates Dominance May 17, 3:25 p.m.
Google mines data for future product ideas through connected screens and applications by tapping into everything ...
-
Why Search Marketers Should Follow Google From Search To Results Engine May 16, 2:59 p.m.
Content at the Google i/o conference fills the heads of developers with ideas about innovative and ...
-
How Google's Sensor Networks Affect Advertisers May 15, 12:58 p.m.
Google plans to deploy a series of sensors at the Google I/O developer conference that begins ...
-
Bing It On, Yahoo May 14, 3:02 p.m.
Oh, please. The reports that Yahoo wants to wiggle out of the 10-year deal with Bing ...
-
How Search Becomes The Building Blocks For Online Services May 13, 1:46 p.m.
When engineers build a product, they often begin with a reference design or kit, which contains ...
-
7 Steps To Better Video SEO May 10, 1:10 p.m.
YouTube released plans Thursday that allow channel producers to sell paid video subscriptions that will create ...
-
Money Doesn't Grow On Trees May 9, 11:54 a.m.
If you leave your printed coupons at home, don't want to pay for ink or waste ...
-
Local Search To Increase Ad Views May 8, 11:45 a.m.
My mother sits at the kitchen table and opens the printed Yellow Pages book to find ...
Be the first to comment on "Yes, It's Official: Search Engines Most Popular Path To Web Sites"
Leave a Comment