The searcher just keeps on getting smarter and smarter. Yes, just like search engines like Google continue to evolve and get smarter so do the people who use them. One of the areas to highlight is the percentage of searchers that are clicking on organic results in comparison to paid results. Rand Fishkin wrote in his ‘Beginner’s Guide to SEO’ (a must read by the way) that sites/pages ranking in the organic search results receive 60-70% of the clicks depending of course on factors like prominence of ads and relevance of secondary content. In case you are not already doing the math yourself, that leaves only 30-40% of clicks going to paid listings.

This is clearly a sign of the searcher getting smarter. The searcher realizes the importance of the search algorithm in helping them find what they are truly looking for. They realize that the paid advertisements are just that, paid advertisements. And just like “Tivo” or DVR for your television, they are learning to shut out paid advertisements. I must say that it will be interesting to see how this evolves over time. Will the searcher continue to shy away more and more from the Paid Advertisements? Or will a search engine like Google somehow find away to better integrate paid advertisements in such away that they don’t feel like ads?

These are all things that the Search Engine Marketer needs to consider. Meanwhile, SEO looks as if it will continue to grow in it’s role with search engines and the Internet in general. So as a case study, I am interested in any Utah business or individual who is doing SEO and PPC for their website to keep an eye on their web analytics to see what their percentages are. If you are a business or individual in Utah and have some interesting statistics of your own to share please do. It will be helpful to all of us! Thanks.