I just received the June 10, 2009 e-mail blast from Search Engine Guide, the self-proclaimed educational Web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand.  This most current edition features at report from WordTracker that identifies the Top 300 search queries within the largest Meta engines (e.g., Metacrawler, Dogpile, etc.) during the past 48 hours.

I am shaking my head, because a quick cursory glance at the first thirty (30) search queries on this list reveals that 22 of these queries (or more than 2/3) are ‘direct’ keywords (i.e., exact keywords that can be entered into your browser to navigate directly to a specific site).  For example, the four (4) most popular search queries on this list (1. google, 2. youtube, 3. yahoo, and 4. facebook) could each be typed into a browser directly, rather than be searched-for through a search engine.

This phenomenon, which is not unique to the past 48 hours, leads me to speculate that the majority of today’s Internet users are either: 1. uninformed, or 2. creatures of habit.

There are individuals out there – perhaps, even the majority of individuals – who perceive that the only way to access a Web site is through a search engine.  On one hand, this is a testament to the impressive job that Google (and, the other major engines) has done in thrusting itself, and the services it offers, into the everyday lives of individuals.  On the other hand, it might just be a testament to the fact that many people (especially, new Internet users) are not aware of the most efficient means of accessing recognized sites.

This seemingly cumbersome means of visiting popular Web sites could also be a result of the fact that most of us adopt a routine for our everyday activities.  Think about it.  You more than likely performed your required tasks getting ready to go to work today in the exact same order as yesterday, and the day before.  Shower.  Hair.  Teeth.  And, so on.  I’m confident that a large percentage of Internet users get into the habit of using their favorite search engine to navigate to any and all Web sites.

One important take-away from this report, in terms of effective search engine marketing, is to realize that branded keywords are significant drivers of qualified traffic through search engines.  For many campaigns, relevant ‘long tail’ search terms can deliver substantial conversion rates.  However, branded keywords can dramatically increase the quantity of individuals arriving at your site.

SEMpdx SearchFest 09 is taking place at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, Oregon next Tuesday, March 10, 2009, and there are still a limited number of registrations available.

SearchFest 09 is the premier conference dedicated to Search Engine Marketing (SEM) in the Pacific Northwest. This session-filled, day-long event features informative presentations from numerous thought leaders in our vibrant space. In addition, we are privileged to have Danny Sullivan, Editor-In-Chief of Search Engine Land, the leading news and analysis blog for search marketing professionals, and founder of Search Marketing Expo (SMX), as our special guest keynote speaker at this event.

Also, EngineWorks is pleased to offer a ten percent (10%) discount on your entry fee! To receive $30.00 off of the regular $299.00 entry fee, simply type the following EngineWorks discount code into the check-out cart on the SEMpdx Web site:

EngineWorks Discount Code: ADV-SEMPDXSF0920

The Web site can be accessed through the following link:

SearchFest 09 Registration

If you want to learn the latest techniques to improve your presence within online search engines, or just want to rub shoulders with the most prominent individuals within our vibrant industry, I highly recommend you sign-up for this informative event!

Specifically, we can effectively target consumer sentiments for our clients by analyzing changes in the search frequency of popular search terms. Armed with this intelligence, we focus our content and optimization efforts for our clients’ Web sites around these relevant keywords. We are able to increase the actual relevancy of the sites, resulting in more qualified visitors and higher conversion rates.

Just as important, however, is the fact that we are also able to glean insight in demographic and behavioral trends taking place in specific market segments – even before the surface in traditional media sources. For example, this week, EngineWorks identified a significant increase in search volume for the query “jobs”. Over the past three months, we also noted that sites related to job listings have seen a substantial spike in traffic.

In fact, according to Google Insights, Monster.com has seen their search-driven volume from the search phrase “job search” increase by more than 500%! Obviously, this significant alteration in search engine behavior can be correlated the current down-turn of the U.S. economy. The in-depth research and analysis performed within our robust SEM campaigns provides bellwether observations such as this, which in turn can be used to improved targeting and increase budgets for specific segments of a market.

Delving even deeper into the rise of the search terms “job” and “job search” we noticed a connection to recent unemployment rates in specific U.S. states. Internet users in Florida, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, and South Carolina were the top searchers for “jobs” via search engines between September and October 2008. Interestingly, unemployment rates in these top five states have spiked over this same time period. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Florida’s unemployment rate increased 6.0%, Georgia’s increased 9.4%, Nevada’s increased 5.6%, South Carolina’s increased 9.6%, and North Carolina saw an increase of 1.4%.

We can actually observe the connection between significant changes in real-world conditions to alterations in the behavior search engine users. This data verifies the concerns and desires of the large segments of the population, which can be priceless information for any business interested in targeting segments of specific markets.

We continue to strive to stay ahead of current events, and decipher patterns that correlate between the real-world and the online-world. Each week, we will share a Google Insight here on our blog such as this relationship between current events and search engine trends. Let us know if you perceive this information to be as valuable as we do.