NEW YORK, June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Over half of all US online adults use search engines most or every time they are online, but less than half of search engine users know the difference between natural and paid search results, according to the "How America Searches" study launched today from icrossing, the premier search engine marketing agency, which commissioned the study from Harris Interactive.
"How America Searches" takes a detailed look at why people turn to search engines, which engines have the most loyal users, how well people can distinguish natural and paid results, and other questions.
"The more we understand about how consumers are searching, what they're looking for, and what their needs are, the better we can help marketers serve them," says icrossing CEO Jeffrey Herzog. "This report represents one more way for us to educate and inform the industry, just as we've been doing since 1998."
To receive a complimentary copy of the report, send an e-mail to research@icrossing.com with your full name, company name and e-mail address.
Some highlights from "How America Searches" include:
* Over half (53%) of all US online adults use search engines most or
every time they are online, trailing only e-mail and general surfing
* Researching specific topics is the #1 search activity (by 88% of search
engine users), followed by getting directions/maps (75%) and looking
for news/info about current events (64%)
* 56% of internet users do not know the difference between natural and
paid search listings; males are more confident in reporting they know
the difference -- over 50% of males say they know, compared to about
one-third of females
* 54% of frequent Google users report knowing the difference between
natural and paid listings; the next closest group is Yahoo! users
at 42%