SEATTLE - Oct. 12, 2004 - (PromotionWorld) - In search of the tools to make strategic decisions about paid search advertising, Atlas DMT, a digital marketing technology provider and an operating unit of aQuantive, Inc. (NASDAQ: AQNT), today released research demonstrating the rank of a paid search listing and its impact on conversions.
Today's announced Atlas DMT Digital Marketing Insight (DMI) is a follow-up to research released in July, which focused on how search engine rankings impacts traffic.
"Paid search's success is undeniable and, while its popularity has grown rapidly, so have prices," said Young-Bean Song, director of analytics, Atlas DMT & The Atlas Institute. "Every marketing medium has the fundamental trade-off between volume and efficiency, and search is no exception. Understanding factors such as rank on traffic and conversion provides marketers tools to better control costs, while maximizing targeted traffic and sales."
Atlas' two paid search DMIs provide conversion modeling and forecasting benchmarks for the top 10 rankings in paid search, and can be used to plan more strategic search engine marketing campaigns.
"Many have hypothesized that conversion rates might actually rise at lower ranks, theorizing that users clicking on lower listings are more qualified prospects, but this approach turns out to be neither entirely right nor wrong," said Song.
The research discovered that conversion rates generally fall according to rank, and this was especially true for high volume keywords. However, when looking at low volume keywords (the bottom 80 percent of keywords based on click volume), in many instances conversion rates in the lower ranks converted at higher levels than the top ranked listings
For example, at Google, ranks 8 through 10 for low volume keywords had about 30 percent higher conversion rates than the top ranking. While at Yahoo!'s Overture, low volume keywords showed sustained conversion rates across all top 10 ranks.
To view the complete Atlas Institute DMI on "How Search Engine Rank Impacts Conversions", as well as the July DMI focused on traffic, go to: http://atlasdmt.com/insights/.
Utilizing data from Atlas Search, the industry's first integrated search marketing and online campaign management system, traffic representing more than 41 million clicks and 400 thousand keywords during July and August 2004 were analyzed. The analysis took into consideration advertisers' "primary" conversion metric, which for most represented online sales, but also included conversions such as lead acquisitions, account sign-ups and requests for information. To learn more about Atlas DMT's search offerings including Atlas Search for agencies and large advertisers, and Atlas OnePoint for small and mid-tier advertisers, go to: http://atlasdmt.com.
About the Atlas Institute
The Atlas Institute is the research and education arm of Atlas DMT, an advertising technology provider and creator of the Atlas Digital Marketing Suite. The Institute publishes Digital Marketing Insights, a series of publications by Atlas DMT's senior marketing analysts and digital marketing experts that help our customers improve their digital marketing effectiveness. Many of these findings are also made available to the digital marketing industry at large. Each Digital Marketing Insight report is designed to help marketers more successfully build value with their customers, throughout the customer lifecycle: from awareness to acquisition and from retention to growth. Atlas Institute also provides education in digital marketing to Atlas DMT customers and partners. To view a full listing of the Atlas Institute's Digital Marketing Insights, please visit www.atlasdmt.com/insights/.
About Atlas DMT
Atlas DMT (www.atlasdmt.com) is a marketing technology provider and creator of the Atlas™ Digital Marketing Suite, the industry's first fully integrated online campaign management platform built by and for marketers. The Atlas Suite helps advertising agencies and advertisers deliver efficient, profitable digital marketing programs. The Suite manages online media planning, buying, creative management, analysis and optimization, and offers an integrated paid search management toolset. Atlas Suite clients include Carat Interactive, OMDi, Euro RSCG Worldwide, Tribal DDB, Foote, Cone & Belding, and ID Media. Atlas DMT serves its clients from offices in Seattle, San Francisco, New York, and London, delivering the industry's most complete service and support. Atlas DMT is an operating unit of aQuantive, Inc (NASDAQ: AQNT). Atlas DMT is a member of the NAI and adheres to the NAI privacy principles that have been applauded by the FTC. These principles are designed to help ensure Internet user privacy. For more information about online data collection associated with ad serving, including online preference marketing and an opportunity to opt-out of the Atlas DMT cookie, go to: www.networkadvertising.org.