Most high-tech companies understand that SEO is a critical channel for driving new clients, revenue and brand exposure. Organic search results are used widely by software buyers to find and evaluate products. New research from iProspect finds that organic search, more than paid search and online display advertising, offers the greatest lift in a customer's likelihood to visit a brand's website—and buy its software.

The iPrsopect study explored the effects of three digital media—organic search, paid search and online display advertising—and specific combinations thereof, on four key brand metrics, including the likelihood to visit a website, likelihood to make a software purchase, brand favorability and unaided brand recall.

Below, the key findings:

• Likelihood to visit a website. Exposures to organic search impressions boosted the likelihood to visit a software brand's website 37%. However, the combination of organic search plus paid search generated the greatest lift: 58%
• Likelihood to purchase. Exposures to impressions of organic search results increased the likelihood to purchase a software product 30%. Moreover, organic search was the only media type to influence software purchases.
• Brand favorability. Virtually no brand favorability lift was registered with exposures to any of the digital media types or combinations, which is not surprising, since businesses—rather than consumers—drive software investments.
• Unaided brand recall. A 14% lift was produced with exposures to impressions of organic search plus paid search.

The Po!nt: Organic search—and therefore a content-rich website—should be the cornerstone of a software company's Internet marketing strategy, followed by paid search channels.

Source: iProspect.

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