Understanding Search Engine Results Can Save You Money

Do you use the internet to shop? Do you think the best deals come up first in some of the most popular on-line shops or market places. Research released earlier this week, tells us that if we simply choose to make our purchases through websites that appear high in our google search, we may be missing out on some great deals and paying far more for things than we need to.

Research points:
* Almost half of purchases are cheaper on Google ads than on Google organic search

* One in three purchases are cheaper beyond page one of a Google search

* 401 UK retailers, price comparison sites and portals analysed
* Research based on analysis of 880 search results over a range of electronics, clothing and consumer products queries. 




An analysis of Internet prices for a range of consumer goods has found significant potential savings. Search marketing company, AccuraCast, compared the prices of 12 specific items across 401 individual unique retailers, price comparison sites and portals and found that consumers could save more than 10% on many items simply by clicking on an advert on page one of Google, rather than a result in the organic search.




Item - Potential cost saving:

Xbox One games console – £4.15
Apple iPod Touch 5th generation 16GB - (£23.00)
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 12” tablet 64GB - £74.01
Dyson DC50 Animal vacuum cleaner - £40.00

Panasonic TX-42A400B television - £49.61

Sandqvist Stig backpack - £4.42




Five of the 12 (42%) items researched were cheaper in the Google ads than in the organic search results. Just two out of the 12 (17%) items researched were cheapest in the organic (not advertised) search results (page one). Five items were the same price in the organic search results and the ads on page one of Google.



It is not only Google ads offered cost savings for consumers. The AccuraCast study found that users could often find better deals if they went further down the search results. Four of the 12 (33%) items were found to be cheaper beyond page one of Google search. Five items (42%) were the same price on page one as they were on the three pages beyond the first page. Just three items (24%) were cheaper on the first page of Google than on subsequent pages. 



“This study clearly shows that considering Google ads and going beyond page one of your search results can save you money,” said Farhad Divecha, managing director of AccuraCast.

“When you consider that 95% of web traffic only goes as far as websites listed on the first page of Google, consumers could be spending much more than they need to.”



Midlands-based car dealership, JT Hughes is not surprised the findings of this study. Paul Tench, the Group’s Sales Director said: “The first few results for popular car-buying terms are often flooded by generic pages from big brands and those are not necessarily the ones offering the best value to customers”.



Consumers have also been surprised by the results. Will Grove, 24, a young marketer and avid online shopper said: “I never ever click on ads on Google, because those links are being paid for, and I never think they offer the best prices.”



“I bought a Sandqvist Stig backpack online for £110. It turns out that exact same backpack would have cost me just £85.58 via a Google ad. I couldn’t believe the saving.”



Further details on the study and an infographic can be found at:
http://www.accuracast.com/news/ppc-7471/consumers-losing-money-shopping-via-google/


About AccuraCast