08-09-2008, 10:31 AM
Quote: You may be surprised to hear how much search engines impact brand awareness and the propensity to purchase.
Just seeing a paid search listing, for example, made searchers 38% more likely to have a perception of "exceptional quality" for the brands featured - they didn't even have to click to visit the advertised sites for this increase in brand equity to occur.
High search engine rankings translate into perceptions of leadership and credibility across various industries studied. For auto insurance purchasers, 79% said search introduced them to brands they were previously unaware of (2). For wireless service customers, 61% said they expect brand leaders to consistently be in the top results (3). And for travel web researchers, 56% said they looked at a site they didn't intend to because it was one of the first few results listed (4)...
full article: http://www.searchengineguide.com/stacy-w...search.php