Experts say that the results of a Microsoft Canada – OTX Research survey conducted in the summer of 2009 provides several complex insights into the online behavior of Canadians – important information for search engine optimization (SEO) practitioners.
One of the biggest changes since the last such survey was conducted was the increase in the proportion of Canadians using the internet for entertainment purposes, up 25 percent from 2007. Andrew Assad, a senior manager at Microsoft Canada, told von Abrams that "publishers and advertisers have to work harder to get a slice of [online] time and gain consumers’ attention without disrupting their online journeys."
Karin von Abrams, a senior analyst at eMarketer, says that the study adds weight to the idea that the internet is more a lifestyle than anything else, and that consumer receptivity to various types of online marketing – including search engine optimization (SEO) – can vary depending on the time of day, among many other factors.
In addition, search engine optimization (SEO) efforts in non-U.S. countries need to take differences in which search engines are used by a country’s citizens into account during the planning stages.
