At 47% of online searches, Google’s share tops Yahoo’s and MSN’s combined
Search engine Google enjoys a high degree of loyalty among users—they drove 47% of all online search queries in January, and 42% of Google users use no other search engine. But search engine share for any of the top engines over the long term is open to shift, as evidenced by the fact that most Google users—58%—also made use of one of the two other top engines, MSN and Yahoo, concludes new research from Nielsen/NetRatings. MSN, which drove 13% of all searches, shared even more of its users with the other two engines—70% to Google’s 58%—while 71% of Yahoo search users also used at least one of the other engines. Yahoo drove 21% of all searched for the month..
“While it shouldn`t surprise anyone that Google is the search engine to beat, it is critical that all major search players, including Google, recognize that they exclusively own only a minority of their users,” says Ken Cassar, director of strategic analysis at Nielsen/NetRatings. “This highlights an opportunity and a threat to all of the established players in the market, and underscores the importance of continued innovation in a highly competitive market that is anything but mature.”
The breakdown of use:
Google: 26% of Google users also searched at Yahoo and 19% at MSN. 14% used both Yahoo and MSN as search alternatives.
Yahoo: 39% of Yahoo users also used Google, 11% of them also used MSN. 21% used both Google and MSN as alternatives.
MSN: 33% of MSN users also searched at Google, 13% also used Yahoo. 24% used both Google and Yahoo as alternatives.
Together Google, Yahoo and MSN accounted for 80% of all Internet searches at more than 60 search sites reviewed in January by Nielsen/NetRatings.
“With more share than its two nearest competitors combined, Google sets the pace in the search business. However, the opportunities that MSN and Yahoo enjoy by virtue of their broader media offerings give them an important platform from which to attack the industry leader, notes Cassar.
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