Search engine ads increase brand awareness by 27%

Nielsen//NetRatings survey respondents were 27% more likely to name a specific brand if it was in the top spot on the search results page. Contextual listings - text ads on non-search pages - caused a 23% lift among respondents. Placement was a key element. Ads in the top position on the search results page increased an aggregate of all the brand metrics by an average of 14% across the six industries. The effect fell dramatically as rankings went lower, the study found. For example, ads in the fifth position showed only a minor directional lift.