Search Listings Better at Branding & Sales Than Banners

Posted Friday, June 13, 2003

Search listings perform better than banner ads in branding efforts, according to a new study Tuesday by the NPD Group, a market intelligence firm.

According the survey, conducted in late December and early January among 2,663 participants, search listings worked better than standard banners or button formats with regard to brand recall, favorable opinion rating and purchase origination.

In unaided recall, the top three search listings outperformed banners and tiles by three to one. In addition, more than twice as many participants reported a favorable overall opinion of companies in the top three search positions than those featured in banners and tiles.

Participants also reported that more of their online purchases originated from search listings than from banners. According to the findings, fifty-five percent of participants' online purchases originated on sites found through search listings, compared to nine percent from sites originating from banner ads.