Internet users are still naive when using search engines. A report from Pew Internet and American Life and earlier from Consumer Reports WebWatch show that searchers don't distinguish between paid and unpaid listings. According to the Pew report only 38% of searchers were aware of the difference between paid and unpaid listings and 47% of those said they can always tell which are which. Also, searchers tend to stick to one engine - 44% regularly use one and 48% use two or three. The real kicker is that 92% say they are fairly confident about their searching abilities, and 68% think search engines are an unbiased source of information.
Search Engine Users: Internet searchers are confident, satisfied and trusting – but they are also unaware and naïve by Deborah Fallows, Pew Internet Life (Jan 23, 2005)
In Search of Disclosure: How Search Engines Alert Consumers to the Presence of Advertising in Search Results Consumer Reports WebWatch (Nov 8 2004)
Also see Survey: Searchers are Confident, Satisfied & Clueless by Chris Sherman, SearchDay (Jan 24)
Posted by Gwen at January 24, 2005 11:13 PM