query. Another major type of search terms are those related to intent. Half include words like “buy” or “for sale” that clearly indicate intent to purchase property. Due to the high usage of location and intent in searching for property, it is not surprising that around 50 per cent of all generic searches include five words or more. A useful insight if you are using AdWords – make sure you are covering off the longer length search terms in your campaigns.


Reaching different types of homebuyer Nielsen’s panel allowed us to look at the differences in behaviour among various groups of people searching for property on the Internet. It is clear that home buyers browse and research property in different ways and therefore as marketers it is crucial we understand how best to reach these people online. Some key insights: Work vs Home


While at work, property seekers visit 35 per cent more property sites and conduct 38 per cent more searches. From previous research we have seen that Mondays and Tuesdays are the most popular days for Internet property research and this statistic helps us understand why this is the case. Home and garden websites


Families We believe this


research is a first for the industry. It


represents the most in-depth, rigorous, longitudinal


analysis into the actual observed online property behaviours of UK


consumers.” MAtt DoDD


nielsen sVP ReseARCH & AnAlytiCs eMeA


House hunters who also visited major school information websites such as Ofsted and Schoolsnet were more considered in their online journey. They tend to spend 15 additional days searching for property and browse 40 per cent more sites than those people who do not look at schooling websites. Mortgages


Those who had received a mortgage quote during the research period were understandably more active online. With the critical aspect of finances seemingly in place, this group is 35 per cent more likely to convert, visits 55 per cent more sites and conducts 20 per cent more searches than those without a quote. This group was also 10 per cent more likely to have clicked on sponsored links on Google.


ConClusion This study has proven much of what we believed to be true – the online consumer journey for property buyers is long and complicated. This presents challenges for marketers in this space. Search is at the heart of the research process so ensure people can find you at all times. If you are


Homebuyers visit many different kinds of sites while looking for a property. Even websites that may not include property listings can have a major influence on the final buying decision. We found home and garden sites such as B&Q and Homebase were visited by over 90 per cent of the total sample. This may be because they are planning to do up their current house before selling theirs and buying another or they’re already planning work to new house they’ve seen. Market information


We found that websites dedicated to property market information such as house prices very popular with 40 per cent surfing them.


GRAPH 5


WHERE ARE PROPERTY BUYERS BASED? Regional presence


Scotland 10% of Total 24% Convert


North 23% of Total 24% Convert


Midlands 21% of Total 38% Convert


Wales 11% of Total &West 42% Convert


London 21% of Total 49% Convert


South 15% of Total (excl. London) 38% Convert


Base: Those that visit property sites and convert


Scotland and Northern buyers convert less, or do they search more? 16 DECEMBER 2010 PROPERTYdrum


www.propertydrum.com/articles/googlesearch Do you have any views Google? Log on and add your comments.


using Pay Per Click consider using longer search terms to pick up on the observed search behaviour. Investing in your website so the information is up to date, relevant and engaging is crucial to your success. Finally, we’ve seen that active property seekers can be found on a variety of different types of site. Consider expanding your online marketing to include these kinds of sites and pull in potential customers with bespoke marketing messages.


methodology


Nielsen has provided Google with category specific reporting on the journey that customers undertake as they research property and other relevant sectors online. The aim of these analyses has been to provide Google with a richer picture of surfing activities, the duration periods and influences on the purchase decision. ‘Clickstream’ studies are conducted by tracking and decoding


URLs visited by their expansive UK sample. For this project, the panel was limited to those who had visited property sites during this period. Owing to the complex and lengthy property buying process this study became one of the most comprehensive clickstream projects Nielsen have undertaken. Research time period – 6 months from January to June 2010


• •


Websites tracked – As so many different kinds of sites are used when contemplating which property to buy, we look at over 800 related sites and 238 property specific sites. We split the sites out into 17 categories ranging from portals/ builders/agents to schools (as these influence the property purchase decisions).


Total sample observed in research period, 3,772. Website visits do not include URLs over 2000 characters.


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