Further, it appears that search technology has improved. 87% of those surveyed say that they find what they are looking for while 92% say they are comfortable using search engines, expressing confidence in their search skills.

Also important to note, almost half of the users surveyed said that they use search engines in the research stage, looking for information they consider important to them. These numbers correspond to our own research, in which about half of users use search engines in the research stage of the purchase cycle.

Almost half named Google as their favorite search engine, while Yahoo! garnered about quarter of the popularity.

The new research confirms that search is still gaining in popularity. It also shows that there is huge potential on the web. Half of the web's users use search for research. That is huge market potential and retailers should be trying to convert those researchers into buyers.

There is also a huge potential for brand building at this stage - if a user is using the web for research, then letting them know about your site and what it has to offer is a great way to build brand so that when they do decide to become buyers they come back to your site.

Rob Sullivan
Production Manager
Enquiro.com

Copyright 2004 - Searchengineposition Inc.