By: RH

Internet Retailer: Search Marketing Survey

InternetRetailer.com did a survey that had some interesting points in that those surveyed see Bing on the upswing and have some concern about more changes from Google.

From InternetRetailer:

This year's Internet Retailer survey on search marketing, conducted in June, attracted 128 responses, of which the majority—64.4%—came from web-only merchants. Besides the findings regarding search rankings and Google Shopping, the survey results highlight the command that search holds over online marketing budgets. They also show the ongoing interest in devoting more of that spend to Microsoft Corp.'s Bing search engine, which accounts for just less than 30% of searches, a percentage that's held steady over the past year. Google accounts for about 65% of searches, according to web measurement firm Experian Hitwise. Most questions for this year's survey were the same as last year's, allowing for some rough comparisons, although it is impossible to tell if the same respondents took part because both surveys were anonymous.

No surprise that the majority of those surveyed said that Google had the better conversion rate.

Traffic is the engine that runs the Internet. Rick Schwartz has written many times that its about the traffic first and foremost. When starting a new site search engine marketing is one way to bring traffic.

How much should you spend depends on your budget and the category. The article highlighted what those surveyed were willing to pay for their ppc.

Asked how much they spend per click on a paid search ad, the largest group, 17.6%, or slightly fewer than one in five, reported paying in the range of 26 cents to 40 cents. 15.2% reported paying an average of 51 cents to 75 cents per click, while 12.8% said they pay 5 or fewer cents. (For more detail, see the accompanying charts.) Last year, only 6.4% of respondents reported paying an average of 5 or fewer cents per click for paid search ads, which means more retailers this year are paying on average only a few pennies for a click.

Read the whole article here