59% of Americans click on brands they know in Google results: Survey

Searchers are twice as likely to click on a brand they know than a top-ranked result, according to a survey from link building agency Page One Power.

• 59% of Americans click on search results of brands they know.
• Less than one-third click on the top-ranked result.

Why we care. Trust remains critical for brands in SEO. Yes, “build a brand” has become a cliche, but it’s also true. You need to build a brand that your audience recognizes and connects with. But that doesn’t mean you must be a global brand the size of Apple or Google.

Paid vs. organic. 49% of Americans trust organic search results more than paid results, while another 46% trust organic and paid results equally. Only 5% trust paid results more than organic.

• 54% of men and 56% of Millennials trust organic search results more.
• 50% of women and 52% of Gen X trust organic and paid results equally.
• The top frustration for many searchers is “too many ads.”

Why people click. Beyond the brand, the reason Americans click on search results varied by generation, according to the survey.

• Compelling headlines were important to Baby Boomers (50%) and Gen X (52%).
• High star ratings and positive reviews mattered more to Millennials (55%) and Gen Z (63%).

People trust search results. Just 12% of Americans “fully trust” search engine results. However, 52% of Americans also said search engines (e.g., Google/Bing) were their most trusted source for information.

Google was America’s first choice, regardless of age or gender.

• Baby boomers: 44%;
• Gen X: 55%;
• Millennials: 64%;
• Gen Z:  64%.

Search engine trust is stable-ish. Trust in search engines is “relatively stable,” according to the survey – with trust in search engines increasing for 28% of Americans and decreasing in trust for another 27% of Americans.

Google monopoly concerns. Somewhat surprisingly, only 25% of Americans consider Google to be a monopoly that wields too much influence online. But also:

• 40% believe there are enough Google alternatives.
• 33% think “Google’s clout is appropriate given its reach and performance.”

Diversity vs. personalization. Almost half (47%) of Americans would prefer a wider range of viewpoints in their search results. Meanwhile, 28% would prefer personalized content based on things like preferences, past searches, and viewing activity.

About the data. The survey is based on answers from 1,000 people across 49 states and Washington, D.C.

The survey. Shaping Trust Online: How Search Engines, Influencers, and Media Sources Impact Our Digital Behavior and Beliefs.

Dig deeper. Branded search and SEO: What you need to know