This paper examines the academic research that has been published during the past 20 years concerning search engine marketing. It classifies the most prominent papers and establishes a conceptual framework consisting of three broad areas and 20 different research themes. This is the first literature review of search-engine-related research, proposing a comprehensive conceptual framework.
The purpose of this study is to conceptualize past research on search engines, develop a framework of topic areas and their relationships among each other, and identify research gaps and questions for future research.
The literature review covers all academic research papers from five acclaimed journals of the past 20 years that match predefined keywords and deal with search engines as parameters in modern-day marketing.
This literature review of search engine research is the first of its kind, creating a framework of research fields exclusively for online search. Furthermore, it presents the related academic work in an interdependent structure of topics and suggests future research fields.
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. Database Search Query
3.2. Summary and Categorization
4. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS
4.1. Analysis and Classification of Research Articles
4.2. Search Engines
4.2.1. Search Engine Usefulness, Utilization, and User Experience
4.2.2. Search Engine Profitability
4.2.3. Type of Advertisement Auctions
4.2.4. Organic Page Rank
4.3. Advertisers
4.3.1. Paid Search Profitability and Effectiveness
4.3.2. Bidding Strategies and Keyword Competition
4.3.3. Ad Position Performance
4.4. Consumers
5. DISCUSSION
5.1. Theoretical Contribution
5.2. Practical Contribution
5.3. Limitations
5.4. Future Research Implications
6. CONCLUSION
Objectives & Themes
The primary purpose of this study is to provide a systematic literature review that conceptualizes past academic research on search engines, develops a structured framework of topic areas and their interdependencies, and identifies research gaps for future exploration.
- Conceptualization of the search engine marketing research landscape over the past 20 years.
- Development of a comprehensive conceptual framework categorizing research into three main agents: search engines, advertisers, and consumers.
- Examination of interdependencies and relationships between various research themes within the digital marketing domain.
- Identification of academic research gaps, particularly regarding consumer-centric studies in the search engine field.
Excerpt from the Book
4.2.1. Search Engine Usefulness, Utilization, and User Experience
Before search engines became an essential part of everyone’s online navigation, early studies in the field were concerned with the usefulness of search engines. Bradlow and Schmittlein (2000) searched 20 marketing phrases with several popular search engines in order to evaluate how well they covered the world wide web. This was at an early stage of search engine development and today’s market leader Google was not even included in the study. Bradlow and Schmittlein (2000) found that search phrase and URL characteristics significantly affect search engine outcomes. They already understood that the total number of web pages indexed by a search engine is the biggest factor for search effectiveness. A common finding across engines was that the more links were included on a web page, the more likely that web page would be found. Because the indexing was not extensive, users needed to use multiple engines to achieve good results.
The only other study in the sample that was concerned with search engine usefulness researched the effect of prohibiting foreign pharmacies to buy sponsored search ads (Chesnes et al., 2017). Certain foreign pharmacies that were not certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP) were banned from paid search ads. Chesnes et al. (2017) found that banned pharmacies without any other certification experienced much less clicks than before the ban. On the search results page for a certain drug, the search engines displayed general drug information, such as side effects, usage advice or warnings, instead of the sponsored links. This increased usefulness of search engine results for consumers could also be seen in the decreased link clicks on organic listing of banned pharmacies.
At the beginning of the rise of search engines, it was also studied how users utilize the search services to navigate the internet. Telang, Boatwright and Mukhopadhyay (2004) studied the internet-use behavior from 1998 to 1999 and found that users tend to decrease their search engine usage over time.
Summary of Chapters
1. INTRODUCTION: Discusses the prominent role of search engine marketing in modern business, citing major antitrust cases, and justifies the need for a comprehensive literature review.
2. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: Defines the three main market participants (search engines, advertisers, and consumers) and outlines the identification of 20 research subtopics.
3. METHODOLOGY: Details the systematic selection process of journals and the criteria used to filter 52 relevant articles for the review.
4. EMPIRICAL FINDINGS: Presents statistical data on research growth since 2008 and analyzes findings across the defined agent categories and themes.
5. DISCUSSION: Interprets the findings, attributing the growth in research to economic and technological developments, and highlights theoretical and practical contributions.
6. CONCLUSION: Summarizes the study’s ambition to structure the research field and provides a final outlook on the necessity of addressing research gaps.
Keywords
search engine, paid search, keyword auctions, digital marketing, online marketing, search engine optimization, consumer behavior, attribution models, click fraud, bidding strategies, advertising performance, search engine profitability, cross-channel effects, sponsored search, keyword competition
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work provides a systematic literature review of academic research published over the past 20 years regarding search engine marketing, classifying findings into a conceptual framework.
What are the primary thematic fields covered in this study?
The study centers on three agents: search engines (utility, profitability, auction types), advertisers (bidding strategies, performance, budget constraints), and consumers (trust, price sensitivity, utilization behavior).
What is the primary objective of this review?
The goal is to conceptualize existing search engine research, map the relationships between different research topics, and identify existing blind spots for future academic inquiry.
Which scientific methodology was applied?
The author conducted a structured literature review based on predefined keywords and journal quality rankings (VHB-JOURQUAL 3) to filter and analyze 52 academic articles.
What topics does the main part of the work address?
The main section analyzes search engine mechanisms, advertiser bidding and strategy, the interdependence of organic and paid links, and specific consumer-related interactions with search technology.
Which keywords characterize this paper?
Key terms include search engine, paid search, keyword auctions, digital marketing, search engine optimization, and click fraud.
How does the framework categorize the role of search engines?
Search engines are categorized as agents that balance their profitability through various auction mechanisms and service features while maintaining a necessary user experience for consumers.
What does the "Position Paradox" refer to in this study?
It describes a phenomenon in pay-per-click and pay-per-impression auctions where high-quality firms bid less to achieve lower positions, yet still receive more clicks than low-quality firms due to popularity confidence.
- Quote paper
- Benjamin Chée (Author), 2018, The Power of Search. Search Engines as Key Marketing Parameters, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/477243
