Greg Sterling from the Kelsey Group has a new article posted at Search Engine Guide that takes a look at how broadband web access has made local search move from hype to reality. Greg's article features a bunch of data from a recent Kelsey Group consumer survey. Findings listed in the article include:
- Internet Use for Local: The reach of the Internet as a source of local information has increased from 60 percent of total households to 70 percent (equal to traditional newspapers).
- Search Growth, Broadband Key: Most of the Internet?s growth as a local shopping resource has taken place via major search engines, the usage of which increased from 47 percent to 55 percent. That growth came exclusively from broadband users; dial-up consumers used search engines less in the second survey than the first.
At the end of the article Sterling writes,
One should resist the temptation to see Internet adoption as a zero-sum game vis-à-vis print media. Use of the Internet does not mean that consumers have abandoned traditional media. But it does mean that their local influence has diminished somewhat.Save up to $400! Register now for SES New York 2012, the Leading Search & Social Marketing Event, taking place March 19-23. Google's Digital Marketing Evangelist Avinash Kaushik will keynote. Hurry, pre-agenda rate expires March 2!
