Re-evaluating How Search Engines Explain the Presence of Advertising in Search Results

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Still in Search of Disclosure

A Research Report Prepared for Consumer Reports WebWatch by: Jørgen J. Wouters, Consultant

Consumer Reports WebWatch
101 Truman Ave.
Yonkers, N.Y., USA 10703-1057

Abstract

June 9, 2005 - One year after Consumer Reports WebWatch research demonstrated many of the Web's most popular search engines fail to provide clear disclosures about how their results are influenced by advertisers, follow-up WebWatch research confirms the industry's continuing inability to adequately inform consumers about the financial forces at work in online search.

This report builds upon last year's report, "Searching for Disclosure," by re-examining the Web's 15 most-trafficked search engines -- which millions of consumers rely upon as gateways for finding information online -- almost one full year after they were reviewed by information retrieval experts for the 2004 study. One year is a long time in cyberspace and, unfortunately for consumers, many changes made by search engines have not been for the better.

Once again, Consumer Reports WebWatch used guidelines created by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission as the basis for conducting our follow-up evaluations. WebWatch discovered some engines reviewed in 2004 have gotten worse in their efforts to describe their business relationships with advertisers and how those relationships may or may not affect the objectivity of search content and results. Many engines have switched from once vivid disclosure headings and hyperlinks to less visible, muted versions, and some sites have stripped away disclosure links altogether. On the positive side, two of three meta-search engines evaluated -- CNET's Search.com and Web Search -- have greatly improved their disclosure practices.

"Still Searching for Disclosure" is WebWatch's fourth search-engines-related report. In addition to last year's search engines report, this year's study builds upon two earlier Consumer Reports WebWatch studies. The first, a 2002 survey of 1,500 U.S. adult Internet users, showed that more than 60 percent of respondents were unaware that search engines accept fees to list some sites more prominently than others in search results. A follow-up study in 2003, "False Oracles: Consumers React to Learning the Truth About How Search Engines Work," demonstrated a lack of awareness among consumers of the influence of advertising on search results and a negative reaction to the practice.

Search Engine Marketing - The Way Forward

Search Engine Marketing is rapidly becoming the most powerful form of Direct Marketing for corporates. Find out how Highlander Marketing can help improve your online marketing strategies.

(PRWEB) May 18, 2005 -- It's an exciting world we live in. Ten years ago, if we wanted to find out more about new products to buy we either had to wait for one of the newly-launched technology magazines to tell us all about it, or get in the car and go to the shops to find out what was available to us, product technical details, when it would be available and, most of all, how much damage it was going to do to our wallets.

Today, researching new products has moved on vastly thanks to the power of the Internet and the majority of us now use search engines to find exactly what we're looking for. Studies show that on average we do three searches across different engines, starting with a generic term like 'vacuum cleaner' before tying our terms down to a specific brand. Pretty straight forward, then, if you're looking to buy something.

The difficulty comes when you are the seller, trying to grab the attention of those using the Internet to find the product they're looking for. Search Engine Marketing, unsurprisingly, is rapidly becoming the fastest method of direct marketing that corporate and retail companies can use to drive traffic to their website and ultimately increase revenues for their organisation. The difficulty, however, is understanding just how to get your site to appear in the first page of the search engines' results, and then how to understand how much traffic that marketing has driven to your site and, ultimately, what revenue it has driven.

EAch of the search engines uses different methodology in order to review and rank a website and getting to the front page of one's results might have you listed on page ten of another's. The quickest solution to this is keyword marketing, allowing you to pay to ensure you appear in the result of a specific search. The challenge, though, is managing a vast collection of keywords and ensuring that the price paid for each keyword is not over the top. Additionaly, you have to adjust your bids to guarantee your link appears in the right place at the right time / day / week, within the right search engine; this can be a complex, time-consuming and, often, costly task. All that before you've even tried to figure out just how effective such marketing is.

Highlander's Online Marketing division offers corporate solutions to resolve all of these issues. With ten years' experience providing conultancy and software for web development and web analytics solutions, our Online Marketing team are experts in providing consultancy and solutions for your Search Engine Marketing needs. Whether it is Search Engine Optimisation to ensure strong rankings within the free search - or 'organic' search engine results - or whether you need a solution that can manage all your paid-placement campaigns within the myriad of search engines and shopping engines that dominate the web, Highlander Marketing can provide a solution to all your needs.

If, like me, you're excited by the prospect of using S.E.M. to improve your website's results and grow your Return On Investment, pop along to stand 332 at this year's Search Engine Strategies expo in London or get in touch with me on 0870 950 9759; I'll be happy to discuss your strategies further.

Mark J Daniels
Manager - Online Marketing Strategies
Highlander Marketing

Mark Daniels
HIGHLANDER SOLUTIONS LTD
0870 950 9759