Search Trends - Search Engine Marketing

Google has recently conducted a pretty extensive survey of busines-to-business buyers to determine where they research products and services to purchase. It's anecdotal that search engines carry the brunt of the research work these days, but this report should cement that in the minds of B2B businesses, hopefully helping them realize the importace of being listed at the top of the search engines.

Reported by MediaPost: During the research phase, according to the study, respondents use search 30 percent more frequently than print magazines and trade publications, the second-most often-used source. In the consideration and comparison phase, search engines were used 21 percent more often than trade publications and magazines, which were again the second-most used source, and five times more often than e-mail newsletters, which were the least-often used. And in the purchase stage of the buying process, search engines were used by 21 percent of buyers as their primary resource, with trade publications, content Web sites, and trade shows trailing at roughly 13 percent each.

The study, entitled "The Importance of Search in the Business Technology Purchase Process," was conducted in March and April of this year, and was performed by Millward Brown, which surveyed 900 people involved in corporate technology buying decisions. The study took into account both paid listings and information provided in the natural results.

MediaPost said in their article that the study was "unveiled", although I haven't seen any official press rlease from Google, nor have I seen the actual report or specific data anywhere just yet. I'll keep an eye out for the actual report and provide a link when I find it.