Internet users are getting more savvy to SEM tactics, with most confident they can recognise paid search ads, and 75% say the ads make it easier to find the information they are looking for, according to new research.
The study, from Clutch, surveyed 506 people who have clicked on a paid search ad in the past month to learn the reasons why people click on paid search advertisements, including Google Ads, Amazon Advertising, Bing Ads and YouTube.
The report found that people click on paid search ads that provide the most relevant information to their online search, which depends on the site they search on and the information they are looking for.
The key findings include:
- More than three-fourths of people (77%) are confident they can recognize paid search advertisements.
- Three-fourths of people (75%) say paid search ads make it easier to find the information they are searching for on a website or search engine.
- One-third of people (33%) click on a paid search ad because it directly answers their search query.
- About four times as many people are more likely to click on a paid search ad on Google (63%) than on any other search engine – Amazon (15%), YouTube (9%), and Bing (6%).
- People are most likely to click on text paid search ads (49%) instead of shopping/product listing ads (31%) and video ads (16%).
- More than one-quarter of people (26%) click on a paid search ad because it mentions a brand they are familiar with.
- The primary reason people click on YouTube and Amazon search ads is that the ads mention a brand they are familiar with (33%).
About the Survey
Clutch surveyed 506 people who have clicked on a paid search advertisement in the past month.
Two-thirds of respondents (66%) were women and one-third (33%) were men.
Over half of respondents were between the ages of 18-35; 36% were 35-54 years old; 11% were 55 years old and above.