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1. 93% of consumers worldwide use the search engines to find products and services (even in offline industries like automobiles 73% of consumers start their research online).
2. 57% of Internet users search the web every day.
3. 85% of qualified Internet traffic is driven though searches.
4. 91% of all Internet sales are reached through using the search engines.
5. 70% of the people searching do not go beyond the first page of any search, and 90% do not go beyond the 3rd page.
6. Search engine traffic is more targeted and receptive because it is initiated by the customer.
7. 88% of Internet search engine users abandon their searches if they do not find what they want in the first 3 pages.
8. 20% of all search engine queries ( 9.8 billion total searches in the month of August 2007 alone) are for LOCAL traffic. Twice as many people now use Internet searches to find local businesses as those who use the Yellow Page Directories.

9. Organic search engine results are seen by most consumers (72.3%) as more relevant and non biased, and they therefore are able to bring you customers that are more valuable.
10. Only 14% of Internet users trust paid listings.
11. Only a maximum of 30% of Internet users EVER click on paid listings. 70% never click on paid listings.
12. Click fraud is reported by Newsweek Magazine to be between 10-15% of all click on paid listings representing well over $1 Billion dollars in losses to pay per click advertisers. A Forrester Research study shows click fraud at 26.6%!
13. According to Newsweek, Both Google and Yahoo have settled at least one class action lawsuit from advertisers so far. Newsweek interviewed one 23 year old click fraud mastermind who claims to be making $70,000 per month.
14. The cost of pay per click advertising is rising dramatically. Between October 2004, and December 2005, the cost per key word average rose from $25 to $55.
15. The overall sales conversion rate is 17% higher with organic click vs. paid click customers, who cite trust and relevance as key factors in their decision to buy from companies with organic listings over those with paid listings. 29% of customers report being “annoyed” by paid listings, and 66% report they distrust paid listings and see the organic companies listed as more worthy of their business.