I heard a rumor today that people (and by people I mean average web users) tend to search for information about products on Google, but when they're ready to buy they use Yahoo! to find the best pricing.

Has anyone ever seen evidence to this effect? I wondering if this is one of those erban myths (I'm trying to coin a phrase here - erban myths instead of urban myths; what do you think?).

Thanks for all the help. I really like this forum, I gotta tell ya. It's been nothing but help so far.

What you meant by the average web users and is this based on some surveys / or some input from the giants ...

I think that rumor is more to do with Google having a bias toward information pages in their search results and Yahoo having a bias toward commercial pages in their results.

Google doesn't have its own informational content so it wants to link to those kind of pages. Yahoo has plenty of informational content and so doesn't need to link to it as readily.

I think the average web user generally uses their preferred search engine for whatever they're looking for. I'm not sure if most are at the stage where they choose search engines based on what they're searching for. They probably will at some point, but I don't know if that time is here yet.

I think the average web user generally uses their preferred search engine for whatever they're looking for. I'm not sure if most are at the stage where they choose search engines based on what they're searching for. They probably will at some point, but I don't know if that time is here yet.

I think that's exactly the answer I was looking for. Basically, this question came up from my boss who heard it somewhere. Until a month ago, he did all of our company's SEO work and he likes to do research, so I tend to believe the thnigs he hears. He didn't remember exactly where he heard it though. I wanted to post this thread to see if its something that anyone had heard of.

Thanks guys. I appreciate the help.

Buying is a little vague ... what are you selling, and to who?

When I need camera gear I look to B&H; computer stuff is Tiger Direct, New Egg, or someone like them. Most of the things I'm likely to buy, I have a few ideas where to get.

More important, I won't give a web site I'm not familiar with my card info just because they came up in a web search. I'd check Reseller Ratings, ask around, and so on.

But then I'm probably not the average web user.

Glad to help Joe. My comments were just speculation of course, but I think that's where most average users are when it comes to searching.

We sell Golf Instruction videos / DVD's. They're not the most common things and most of our competition isn't sold in stores. Our major competition is on-line and selling through their own direct sites. We have an affiliate program and get a good number of sales through there.

Our vision of our average customer (as I've inferred from research into referrals and conversions in our Google Analytics) is someone heading to a search engine and typing in "golf swing" or "golf swing training" and eventually getting to us. The sales pages are long form sales letters with testimonials and examples.

Its not the kind of thing that they'll go to a directory or on-line store and find our product. So I don't think its analogous to NewEgg or B&H.

Knowing that that's your general process for online buying helps though.

What does everyone else do when they're looking to buy online? As Forrest mentioned, we might not be *typical* users, but knowing how we buy might give us some idea of how other people buy.

If this is off-topic or I need to bring this up on a different forum, please let me know. Its a big site and I haven't been to all the corners yet.

Thanks guys!

It's fine to ask here.

You know I would think there would be a good deal of interest in golf videos and dvds. It's a frustrating game that everyone who plays thinks they could play better.

I'm not sure how typical I'll be even for us atypical searchers and buyers. I really don't buy a lot online or offline. I've never needed all that much and the things I do want I generally find a place a stick with it.

Books are one thing I'm always buying. If I can wait for delivery I just go to Amazon and if I want something sooner I go to the nearest Barnes & Noble. Not much searching involved except within the store itself.

For other things I tend to do research first. So I'll search for information to decide what I want. Usually during my search for information I'll have collected some places to buy and go back to them and decide where to purchase. Sometimes my buying decision will come down to price alone, but more often I'll base the decision on which site I trust the most or which one provided me with the best information during my research. I figure if they helped me I want to help them too.

I might also buy from a specific site if I it looks like they have other things I may want to buy in the future.

Now that I typed all that I get the feeling I'm more typical than I first thought.

Now that I typed all that I get the feeling I'm more typical than I first thought.

You just might be. That's almost exactly the process I normally follow. I'll research something to no end and then try to find someplace locally to get it. Software's a totally different story - I usually download, try and then buy online.

I actually have a bad habit of researching and checking and checking and then buying on eBay to save a few dollars. I guess I keep doing it because I've been lucky with eBay (knock on wood) but I know some day I'll get burned by that site.

Thanks for the input.

I do the same thing with software. I'll always try first, though more often than not I can find something free to do what I need.

I think I'm one of the few people never to have bought or sold anything on eBay. I've been to the site less than a half dozen times. Something about it has never appealed to me though that's not meant to be a knock on eBay. It's more me.

this will not be true.
i run website for second years now, and gone through many logs and awstat.
this is not true

I use both, I do use google for search and sometimes Yahoo but I also use Yahoo for everything else from looking up stock prices to sports scores.

I don't know. It depends on what they buy.