Internet users ignorant about paid search engine ads
In a survey last summer of 2,200 adults 18 and older by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, only 38 percent of respondents were aware of the distinction between paid and regular search listings, while one out of six could differentiate between paid and regular listings on an actual search engine page.
“I would compare it to the confusion surrounding advertorials in print and infomercials on television,” said Deborah Fallows, senior research fellow at Pew.
The report also revealed that 70 percent of respondents accepted the practice of paid search listings, while 45 percent said they would stop using search engines if they thought search engines weren’t clear about offering some paid results.
The Pew study and others which revealed consumer confusion about paid search listings has prompted the FTC to issue recommendations for search engines to more clearly differentiate between natural and paid search listings.
Other findings of the report include:
- 84 percent of American adults online (approximately 108 million people) have used search engines. On any given day, 56 percent use a search engine.
- 47 percent of searchers use a single search engine no more than once or twice a week; 35 percent use search engines at least once a day.
- 44 percent of searchers regularly use one search engine; 48 percent use two or three; 7 percent use more than three.
- 68 percent of Internet searchers say that search engines are a fair and unbiased source of information, while 19 percent say they do not trust them.
Charles Kao
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025