Peers play a major role in influencing people’s lives, especially when it comes to buying decisions. We ask those around us for personal product and service recommendations from everyday items like laundry detergent to long-time investments such as a car. However, the days of going next door to ask a neighbor about their new mini van are past and people are now looking to their trusted friend, the Internet, to guide them in the right direction by way of search engines.

Search engines have been around for a few decades, but they have quickly grown in recent years and it is estimated that 75% of Americans are using search engines on a regular basis. More people are using the Internet than the traditional yellow pages to find local services. Search engines are affecting businesses of all kinds because if a business is not listed in the top of the results, it eliminates their chances of establishing a customer base.

Search engines are not the only tools that influence consumers’ decision-making process; social media is a major game player too. Since 96% of Americans are on Facebook, it’s hard to ignore the impact social media has. Consumers are interacting with brands on a whole new level by “liking” their page on Facebook. By “liking” a brand on Facebook, consumers are able to receive constant product updates and develop a more personal relationship with the brand, which explains why 61% of Facebook users who have liked a brand note that they are more likely to purchase from that brand.

However search engines and social media are not mutually exclusive because 48% of consumers combine social media and search engines in their buying process. It would be foolish at this point in time to not to devote time to both of these entities. With the right keyword research, search engine marketing is a cakewalk.