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                                        by Erik Sass
                                        , Staff Writer, 
                                    
                                
                                December 10, 2011
                            
                        
Although a lot of the research is in its early stages, preliminary data suggests search marketing which incorporates social signals leads to increased click-through rates and, further
down the funnel, more conversions than search alone, according to Mike Perlman, managing director of online media and search for Compete.