Google investigates the brand value of search listings

A recent research study of business technology buyers found that unaided brand awareness and brand perceptions of a global 500 business technology were significantly higher when the brand's listings were in prominent positions on a search engine results page - even when that brand's listings are not clicked on by the searcher.

Furthermore, the study suggested that so-called cannibalization1 of organic traffic by traffic from high-ranking paid ads may not be as significant a risk as commonly assumed.

This research should help search and brand advertising strategists alike in addressing important questions about search advertising and business technology buyers, including: Do business technology buyers read search ads? What is the value of a search impression? Are there branding benefits to occupying higher-ranked positions on the page (leaving aside the clicks a brand sees)? Are paid ads as credible as organic listings?

How do the brand benefits of search advertising compare to alternative advertising investments such as online display advertising, print, radio or TV? Can even a well-established and respected brand experience lift? To what degree might a top-ranked paid ad cannibalize traffic from a high-ranking organic listing?