Can you recall the last time you clicked on a paid search result? If you are like me, it’s probably almost 0% of the time? In fact, when talking about the importance of SEO, I often tell clients that 80% of searchers click on the organic search results while only 20% click on paid search results. However, the lines between “organic” or “editorial” and “paid” is becoming more blurred all the time.

Recent surveys suggest that up to 45.5% of people have trouble differentiating between paid ads from editorial search results, and almost 2 out of every 3  people who search for commercial keywords click on paid Google search results. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, considering how new ad formats now have more real estate on those search results we generate – up to 85.2% of the pixels above the fold!

The following infographic, published by WordStream, shows how online paid advertising has gone a long way since the days of obnoxious banner ads. Slowly but surely, the scales are tipping as the  shift from free clicks to paid ones is happening.

[Click here for full size version]

War on Free Clicks: How Paid Clicks Are Taking Over Google Search Results

David Wallace

David Wallace

David Wallace, co-founder and CEO of SearchRank, is a recognized expert in the industry of search and social media marketing. Since 1997, David has been involved in developing successful search engine and social media marketing campaigns for large and small businesses.

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