--- title: "Market Feasibility Research" url: https://marketingsignals.com/service/integrated-search/market-feasibility-research type: Page --- # Market Feasibility Research Market feasibility research for search: demand, competitors, AI visibility and channel fit, with scenarios and a clear recommendation you own and can act on. ## Market Feasibility Research For Search And AI Visibility Before you fund a new market, a new channel or a new agency, find out whether the opportunity is there and what it would take to win it. Our market feasibility research is paid, independent research into demand, competitors, AI visibility and channel fit across SEO, PPC, Digital PR and GEO. It ends in a recommendation you own, and sometimes that recommendation is to wait. Why leadership teams work with us ## Key Takeaways - You get paid, independent research and a recommendation you own before committing budget to a new market, channel or agency, and that recommendation can be to wait. - Cautious, central and strong scenarios state every assumption and source, giving your board and finance director numbers they can test rather than a forecast taken on trust. - Our feasibility research names the competitors winning your market in Google and in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and AI Overviews, and the gap you would need to close. - As a fixed piece of research rather than a retainer, the project needs one purchase order, and we are an approved supplier to enterprise procurement teams, including Sage. ## We’ve Helped Dozens Of Great Brands Grow Their Digital Presence Via Search Marketing ## You don't need a pitch deck, you need an honest answer. Most agency pitches end the same way: a confident forecast, a price and a recommendation that happens to match the agency's service list. A free proposal is written at the point the agency knows least about your business, and it is paid for later through the work you buy. We set out the full argument in [you don't need a proposal, you need a market feasibility report](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/market-feasibility-report-not-agency-proposal). So we would rather be paid to research your market properly than pitch for free. Market feasibility research looks at the market around your website: how much search demand there is, who wins it today in Google and in AI answers, how far you are from them, which channels fit and in what order. It is the evidence that should sit in front of an [integrated search](https://marketingsignals.com/service/integrated-search) programme, or the reason not to start one. You own the findings. Take them to us, to another agency or to your in-house team. If the answer is that a channel or a market will not pay back yet, the research says so. The first step is a [growth plan call](https://marketingsignals.com/growth-plan) to agree whether research is the right move at all. Why Choose Us ## Paid Research. Real Data. A Straight Answer. ## Evidence Before Budget. An Answer You Own. ### The Questions That Matter Before The Spend **Feasibility research settles one question: is there a profitable opportunity in search for you, and what would it take to win it?** We agree the decision the research must support before we start, whether that is entering a new market, funding a new channel, replacing an agency or rescuing a strategy that has stalled. Then we measure the market, not just your own site, using your analytics, Search Console and ad data alongside market data. You get scenarios with their assumptions written down, the effort each one needs, the risks and a clear call. - Search demand by market, trend and season - The competitors winning clicks and AI answers - The gap on content, authority and brand demand - Channel fit and order across SEO, PPC, PR and GEO - Cautious, central and strong scenarios - A recommendation that can say not yet #### Demand, Seasonality And Market Size Search demand is the starting point, and the free tools need careful reading. Google Keyword Planner's average monthly searches are averaged over 12 months by default and counted for exact matches only, so a seasonal category can look flatter than it trades. Google Trends is normalised to a 0 to 100 scale for each time and place, which shows shape and direction but not volume. We combine both with third-party data and your own Search Console figures to size demand by market, product line and month. #### Who Wins Today, In Google And AI Answers We name the competitors that take the clicks on your commercial searches, and the brands ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews name when buyers ask for recommendations. Measuring AI share of voice across a set of buyer prompts shows whether the market is open or already decided in the answers, and it often surfaces competitors that barely rank in Google. Our guide to [choosing which prompts to track in AI search](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/how-to-choose-which-prompts-to-track-in-ai-search) explains how we build that prompt set. #### Channel Fit And The Cost To Compete Not every opportunity suits every channel. Paid search shows what a click costs today: Keyword Planner's top-of-page bid ranges approximate the 20th and 80th percentiles of what advertisers have paid over the last 30 days. Organic and AI visibility cost less per visit but take longer and depend on authority, content and links. We set out which of SEO, PPC, Digital PR and GEO fits the opportunity, the order to fund them in and where a short paid test should come first. #### Scenarios, Risks And The Recommendation Google's own guidance says no one can guarantee a number one ranking, and that an SEO audit should give realistic estimates of improvement and of the work involved. We hold feasibility research to the same standard. You get cautious, central and strong scenarios, each with its assumptions and sources stated, the effort each needs, the risks that could stop it and a clear call. Our approach to [SEO forecasting your finance director will believe](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/seo-forecasting-your-finance-director-will-believe) shows the method. ### What The Research Actually Measures ## Our Market Feasibility Research Services #### New Market Entry Research Thinking of selling in a new country? We size search demand in the target market in its own language, name the local and international competitors that win it, check how AI assistants answer local buyer questions and assess what your site would need to compete, from localised content to the hreflang set-up covered in our guide to [choosing your next market](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/international-ecommerce-seo-hreflang). The research says which market to enter first, which to leave for later and whether [international SEO](https://marketingsignals.com/service/organic-search/international-seo) or paid search should lead. #### New Channel Feasibility Considering paid search for the first time, a Digital PR programme or work on AI visibility? We test whether the channel suits your margins and sales cycle before you commit to a retainer: what a click or a mention costs to win, how quickly it could contribute and what it would need from your team. Where paid search can test demand quickly, we may recommend a short, controlled paid test before any slower organic investment. If you already run paid search, a [PPC audit](https://marketingsignals.com/service/pay-per-click/ppc-audit) may answer the question faster. #### Competitor And Share Of Search Analysis We measure where you stand against the brands that win your market: organic visibility on commercial searches, paid search presence, referring domains and press coverage, and branded search demand over time. The aim is not a long list of rivals. It is a clear view of the two or three competitors you actually need to beat, the gap to each, what closing it would take and how realistic that is with the budget and team you have. #### AI Visibility Benchmarking AI answers are now part of how many buyers shortlist suppliers, so feasibility research covers them alongside Google. We run a prompt set built from your buyers' questions across ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews, then record which brands are named, how they are described and which sources are cited. That shows whether AI search is an opening or a wall. For a deeper look at your own brand, our [AI visibility audit](https://marketingsignals.com/service/ai-search-optimisation/ai-visibility-audit) goes further into what to fix first. #### Product And Category Opportunity Sizing For retailers and marketplaces, the real question is often which categories deserve investment. We size demand and competition category by category, set it against your margins and stock depth, and rank the opportunities by expected revenue rather than search volume alone. That stops months of content and link work going into categories with plenty of searches but little profit, and points effort at the pages that carry revenue. #### Strategy And Agency Review Research When a strategy has stalled and nobody is sure why, feasibility research gives an independent read. We look at what the market has done, what competitors have done and what your own data shows, then separate a market problem from an execution problem. You can use the findings to brief your current agency, to run a short selection process or to decide what your [in-house team should own](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/in-house-or-agency-the-hybrid-that-works) and what to buy in. #### Business Case And Board Paper Feasibility research is written to be used. Alongside the full findings you get a short business case covering the opportunity, the cost, the scenarios and the risks, in a form a board or finance director can test. Because it is a fixed piece of research rather than a retainer, procurement can raise one purchase order against it. We are an approved supplier to enterprise procurement teams, including Sage, and our page for [procurement teams](https://marketingsignals.com/procurement) covers supplier information. Every piece of research is scoped around the decision in front of you rather than a standard template. These are the questions we are most often asked to answer as a feasibility study consultant for search, and each one ends in written findings, a recommendation and a walkthrough where you can challenge the conclusions. Featured Work ## Integrated Search Work Measured On Revenue ## What Paid Research Gives The Business ### Research You Own The findings are yours to use with us, with another agency or with your in-house team, whether or not you go ahead. ### An Answer That Can Be No We are paid for the research, not for the size of the scope, so the recommendation can be to wait or to drop a channel. ### A Business Case The Board Can Test Scenarios with stated assumptions give your board and finance director numbers they can question, not a single forecast taken on trust. ### One Purchase Order A fixed piece of research is simpler for procurement to approve than an open-ended retainer or a long pitch process. ### A Real Test Of The Agency You see how we handle your data, explain uncertainty and deliver unwelcome findings before you commit to a longer engagement. ### Budget Aimed At Proven Demand Spend goes to the markets, categories and channels with evidence behind them, not the ones that looked best in a pitch deck. The point of feasibility research is a better decision, made on evidence and owned by you, before the larger spend begins. ## How Our Feasibility Research Runs, Step By Step ### 1. Growth Plan Call We start with a growth plan call with our senior team about the decision you face, and say plainly whether feasibility research is the right next step or something smaller will do. ### 2. Agree The Questions We agree in writing what the research must settle, the markets and channels in scope, and the data you can share, such as read-only analytics, Search Console, ad accounts and sales figures. ### 3. Research The Market We measure demand, competitors, AI visibility and channel fit, then build cautious, central and strong scenarios with every assumption and source written down. ### 4. Walkthrough And Recommendation We walk you through the findings, defend the parts you challenge and give a clear recommendation you can act on with us, another agency or your own team. **4.9** from 130 reviews ## Don’t just take our word for it > “Marketing Signals is our kind of agency: they do what they say they are going to do. The team is responsive and has the ability to pivot onto different priorities throughout the yearly trading cycle. We are well on target to meet our own sales target on the back of their work.” > > Jamie Evans, Head of E-commerce > “I've worked with Marketing Signals on a few projects and always had great customer service, fast delivery and reliable quality. Definitely somebody who should be on your potential agency list for any future activity.” > > Rob Hughes, Director, Global SEO > “We have been working with Marketing Signals since 2015, after our previous agency had messed up. They helped reduce our average CPC and increase conversions, as well as helping us launch a separate site just for Drug Driving leads. We've never looked back and have referred them to many of our other business contacts.” > > Matthew Miller, Managing Director > “As a long-term client of Marketing Signals, I can confidently say their expertise in SEO and PPC is second to none. They deliver consistently good results from SEO and PPC and maintain excellent communication with us.” > > Sandra Carosi, Head of Marketing > “Gareth and the team immediately understood what we were looking for and the type of audience we wanted to attract. Through site changes, content improvements and lots of great PR pieces, we were able to significantly increase the number of leads we got from the organic channel.” > > David Weaver, Co-founder > “An excellent agency to work with and a perfect choice if you're looking to scale quickly.” > > Katie Owen, Founder ### What is market feasibility research? Market feasibility research is paid research that tests whether a market or channel is worth investing in before you commit a budget. For search, it covers demand in each market, the competitors that win in Google and in AI answers, the gap between you and them, which of SEO, PPC, Digital PR and GEO fit and in what order, scenarios with stated assumptions, the effort needed, the risks and a clear recommendation, which can be to wait. ### How is it different from a free agency proposal? A free proposal is written to win work, usually before the agency has seen your data, so it tends to start from what the agency sells. Feasibility research is paid for, uses your data, names competitors, states its assumptions and can conclude that a channel or market is not worth pursuing yet. You own it and can act on it with any agency. Our article on [why you need a market feasibility report, not a proposal](https://marketingsignals.com/insights/market-feasibility-report-not-agency-proposal) sets out the full case. ### Is it the same as an SEO audit or a market research agency project? Neither. An SEO audit looks at your own website: technical health, content and links. A market research agency project usually studies customers through surveys and interviews. Feasibility research for search uses search demand, competitor visibility, AI answers and paid search costs to judge whether there is a profitable opportunity in search and what it would take to win it. An audit can be one input to it, but it cannot answer whether the opportunity is worth funding. ### How does this fit with the Pitch Positive Pledge? The IPA and ISBA, the UK trade bodies for agencies and advertisers, announced the Pitch Positive Pledge in January 2022. Its first commitment asks advertisers to be positive a pitch is required and to set out in writing why. It also notes that industry practice is three to four agencies on a final pitch list. If your rules require a competitive process, run a short pitch on team and fit, then commission feasibility research from the agency you choose. ### What do you need from us? The research is only as good as the data behind it. Read-only access to analytics, Search Console and ad accounts helps most, along with sales or CRM data where you can share it. We also ask what a customer is worth, which markets and products matter and what cannot change, such as a platform, a budget ceiling or a development freeze. Where access is not possible, we work from market data and say which conclusions that limits. ### What happens after the research? You decide. The findings and the recommendation are yours to act on with us, with another agency or with your own team. If the answer is to go ahead, the research becomes the starting point for an [integrated search](https://marketingsignals.com/service/integrated-search) programme or ongoing [digital marketing strategy](https://marketingsignals.com/service/integrated-search/digital-marketing-strategy) support. If the answer is to wait, you have avoided finding out the expensive way. Every project starts with a [growth plan call](https://marketingsignals.com/growth-plan). ## The Answers to Your Questions Visibility Playbooks ## Related Playbooks Ongoing strategy across SEO, PPC, Digital PR and AI search: channel mix, measurement, budget allocation and reporting the board can act on. More Specialist Services ## Ready To Test The Opportunity Before You Fund It? Book a growth plan call with our senior team to talk through the decision in front of you and whether feasibility research is the right first step.