The annual survey released by Marketing Sherpa, the leading source of Practical News & Case Studies on Internet Advertising, Marketing & PR finds that marketers are happier today than 1-year ago with the results generated from Paid Search Advertising.
In fact, they found that 43% of readers felt that PPC ad results were “very effective.” compared to 34% of readers who felt PPC results were “very good” in July 2004 — and that’s a nine-point jump in satisfaction.
MarketingSherpa surveyed 3,271 marketers in July 2005, who revealed an extraordinary amount of real-life data on their own search marketing experiences. Here are some of those highlights:
According to the same survey satisfaction with search engine optimization did not fair quite as well as Paid Search. Last year 31% surveyed marketers said results were very good, this year, however, the survey indicates that 33% say SEO is very effective, that is only a 2% increase year over year.
Non-search tactics still have ground to gain, such as e-mail marketing, with a 25% “very effective” rate, and affiliate marketing with a 22% “very effective” rate.
So how do those surveyed plan to spend their marketing dollars for the next 12-months?
(Increase in search engine optimization and paid search spending in the next 12-months according to US Markerters, 2005 (as a % of respondants)
B2B Marketers
SEO Big Increase – 23%
PPC Big Increase – 20%
SEO Small Increase – 36%
PPC Small Increse – 36%
B2C Marketers
SEO Big Increase – 29%
PPC Big Increase – 22%
SEO Small Increase – 35%
PPC Small Increase – 43%
And roughly 30% of marketers in both groups indicated they planned to hold spending steady. Some 4-5% of the respondants anticipated a decrease in SEO spending. Meanwhile, about 12% of B2B and 8% of B2C marketeres are planning to cut PPC budgets in 2006.
Other notes of highlight:
Click rates fell in 2005 to 2.6% from 3.0% in 2004.
Google Cost per click increased in 2005 to $1.61 from $1.29 in 2004.