Research into Australians’ internet search habits shows that the internet has become a major media channel justifying search engine advertising as Australia’s fastest growing advertising segment.
However, the study mirrors overseas research which shows Australian consumers have an increasing preference for, and trust in, natural or organic search listings as opposed to paid sponsored links that marketers are primarily using.
The online survey - Australian Online Search Habits 2006 - carried out by Galaxy Research during September for Sydney pr agency Network PR, asked a series of questions of 302 Australians aged 18 to 64 years with access to the internet.
The internet is challenging traditional media
The research clearly shows that the internet has become a significant media channel in its own right, overcoming traditional media as a source of news and information:
more online Australians (79 percent) use the internet as a daily source of information than television (68 percent), radio (52 percent) and newspapers (33 percent).
when online Australians want information or an update about news or current affairs 66 percent turn to the internet compared to television (23 percent), radio (7 percent) and newspapers (3 percent).
use of the internet as a source of news and current affairs is prevalent across all age groups. It is most prevalent amongst the young with 72 percent of the online population aged 18-34 most likely to turn to the internet for information. However, even amongst those aged 50-64 more than half (57 percent) prefer to use the internet.
The majority use search engines
The study confirms that the search engine has become a key tool for online Australians and represents a major opportunity for marketers.
71 percent recognise ‘sponsored’ listings as paid for by organisations
92 percent consider natural language to be more relevant to their inquiry
88 percent are more likely to trust natural language results
88 percent say they are more likely to be influenced by natural language results
Products and Services
To find out the most heavily researched products and services contact Network PR for the full report.
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