Research · Scheduled study
Paid search dependency among high-spend professional firms
Scheduled study. An annual analysis, from engagement data with client permission and from a survey of professional firms, of the share of qualified inquiries that depend on paid search, the cost per qualified inquiry by source, and how both change over the first year of an authority and AI visibility program. Firms are reported in aggregate by category and spend band, never by name. Publication date will be announced on this page.
Status: Scheduled; publication date will be announced on this page · Cadence: annual
Research question
What the study will answer.
What share of a high-spend professional firm’s qualified inquiries would stop if paid search stopped, how does that share differ by category and spend band, and how does it change as earned demand is built?
Planned method
How it will be done.
- Engagement data contributed with client permission under the measurement definitions used in our monthly evidence reports: qualified inquiries by source, cost per qualified inquiry, paid spend, earned-demand share, over time.
- A survey of professional firms on paid spend, inquiry sources and measurement practice, with the instrument published.
- Aggregation by category and spend band; trends over the first twelve months of a program where data permits.
Why it matters
Who will use the number.
The question every budget owner asks, what happens if we spend less, is rarely answered with data. A published series with a stated method gives firms a reference for owned versus rented demand.
Participate
How to take part.
Firms may contribute anonymized measurement data or take the survey. Contact us for the instrument and the data-sharing terms.
By David Selakovic · Published 2026-10-16 · Revised 2026-10-16 · Reviewed every 90 days