Research shows that both the use of images and multiple mentions in query results encourage clicks.  In a survey from Perfomics, 48% of respondents are more likely to click on a search result if it includes an image; 53% are more likely to click if a company name or brand appears multiple times on the search engine results page.

More importantly, 88% of respondents are more likely to click on a result that contains the exact search words or phrases; 26% are more likely to click on a result that contains a video, according to Performics’ 2010 Search Engine Results Page (SERP) Insights Study, conducted by ROI Research.

Searchers rely heavily on search results when researching and making purchase decisions:

• 83% find specific manufacturers or product websites.
• 80% gather information via search before making online purchases.
• 78% learn more about a products or services after seeing an ad elsewhere.
• 63% find special discounts and coupons.Searchers are most influenced by a search result’s description (75%), followed by the title (73%) and URL (60%).

Nearly two-thirds of searchers (63%) say they know the difference between natural and sponsored search results; 80% of searchers age 18-29 are aware of the difference.

Overall, 75% of searchers use Google, 19% use Yahoo, and 7% use Bing.  Google users are the most loyal: 66% say they occasionally or frequently use another search engine, compared with 72% of Yahoo users and 82% of Bing users. And, 43% of all searchers frequently or occasionally or click on sponsored video ads.

HAT TIP: MarketingProfs

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