In a release that went out this Monday, iProspect revealed that according to a recent study comparing universal and vertical search:

…in the case of news, image, and video results, search engine users click specialized content within general search results more than they do within vertical search results.

The study, conducted by Jupiter Research demonstrates the natural user preference towards universal search as well as the increasing importance of getting content onto the coveted first page of search results.

Only 17 percent of search engines user click a “news” result after conducting a news-specific search whereas 36 percent click “news” results within blended search results. With video, 17 percent of search engine users click “video” results within blended search results, compared to only 10 percent who click a “video” result after conducting a video-specific search. Among the various content types now showing up in blended search, “news” results were found to be the most clicked form of vertical content. And what about video; why are the numbers so low? The study noted:

Google—the largest search engine in terms of searches performed—does not offer a vertical specific search for videos on its main search page. Instead, video search is an additional click away…This is one of several probable reasons why video finishes a distant third behind images and news in terms of vertical search usage.

According to the iProspect study, it is paramount for marketers to optimize all of their digital content types so that they may be found within blended search results. The study emphasizes how important it has become for publishers to have all of their digital content turn up at the top of search engine results lists, both from a traffic-generating perspective as well as a branding perspective. Those organizations with a diverse portfolio of digital assets are best positioned to capitalize on the benefits provided by blended or universal search.

In order to successfully get these digital assets to the top of Google—and other search engines—Web publishers will need to optimize their content. One constant throughout the evolution of the Web has been the importance of text in driving search and navigation. The key to optimization across content types is the text associated with each article, image, sound bite or video clip. The ability to attribute these objects with text in the form of tags, categories and transcripts is critical to plugging this content into the top search results pages across the Web.

“Blended search allows marketers to capitalize on their digital assets without the need to affect a change in user behavior,” said Robert Murray, President, iProspect.

It essentially brings a variety of content types to users - where they are most comfortable and open to receiving it - and allows them to choose between the various result types…The bottom line is that companies that have optimized a variety of digital assets will have a distinct advantage. Those who lack such assets will essentially forfeit page real estate to their competitors.