A few weeks ago, I discussed the efficiency of search engines and mentioned that something needed to be done so we do not see their demise in our near future. I realize now that this is most likely the fault of paid inclusion and paid placement. By allowing companies to “buy their way to the top” we are distorting the purity of our search results.
A search that once seemed to turn up quality results now is likely to have the first three options be an opportunity to purchase a product or service. While many of these options are generally placed on the right hand side of the page, there are still those companies that manage to slip into the top ten search result listings.
Just as with any new media, we are seeing them become less effective but the fact is they still remain for the time being and as long as they do, people will click on them. This benefits advertisers because they only end up paying for those who actually click through. Marketers will argue that they are getting more for their advertising dollar because these consumers actually did a search for a similar product. However, unless the consumer completes registration on a page they are not getting a good idea of who is being the viewing.
