We’ve been printing the headlines for years now : Google Rules Search Market Share, Google Tops Yahoo & MSN in Search for March, Google : Dominant American Search Engine for 2005 … yada yada yada. Hitwise released a press release today about how they tracked how Google Dominates Search in November with some numbers to back up the claims.
Google has become the New England Patriots of Search. And according to Hitwise, even though they have a vast lead on Yahoo, Microsoft and Ask.com, they continue to run up the score “Google accounted for 65.10 percent of all U.S. searches in the four weeks ending December 1, 2007. Yahoo! Search, MSN Search and Ask.com each received 21.21, 7.09 and 4.63 percent respectively. The remaining 46 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis Tool accounted for 1.96 percent of U.S. searches.”
Search Engine : November 07 / October 07 / September 07
Google : 65.10% / 64.49% / 61.84%
Yahoo : 21.21% / 21.65% / 22.43%
Microsoft : 7.09%* / 7.42%* / 9.82%*
Ask.com : 4.63% / 4.76% / 4.23%
* Microsoft numbers are combined from MSN Search & Live.com
Why the sharp rise in Google this November? More than likely because more holiday shopping searching was going on and as the number of research oriented searches increase, Google usage increases. Not to mention the fact that when Google tweaks their system … adding Universal Search or given more awareness to Google Base/Google Shopping … it’s like when the Patriots sign Moss or A.D.; the new additions gel into their near perfect surroundings, and make it better (ok, so Picasa is an exception, but you get the picture).
For example, Yahoo users are Yahoo users. Almost everyone has a Yahoo account and almost everyone has Yahoo toolbar on their computer. Those users, who are always logged into Yahoo or use Yahoo Mail everyday, search via Yahoo out of habit.
However, when its time to make a purposeful searching decision, a great deal of those same loyal Yahoo and MSN users, turn to Google. Using this theory, the usage of Ask.com is even more amazing, since according to Hitwise their share of the search market is almost as strong as MSN/Live.com, and Ask does not have the dominant presence that MSN has in terms of a browser or operating system to constantly market their search engine.
Oh yes, if Google is the New England Patriots of search, which NFL teams would reflect the other search engines?
- Yahoo : Dallas Cowboys – America’s team, the flash and flare of the spotlight has been on Dallas and Yahoo for years, even when the companies are down and out, we still gather around to watch them perform, and use their services waiting for the day (or season) when something comes around like a Yahoo Search Assist & Yahoo Search Marketing ‘Panama’… or a Tony Romo & Marion ‘the Barbarian’ Barbour … to change the outlook and give us hope again.
- Microsoft : Oakland Raiders : Microsoft is a tough one. They have what it takes, but seem to sign their free agents late in their game, once they’ve already peaked at their previous positions. When we use their search engine, or watch a game, we’re taken aback by their system, its dominance and its potential … and with owners like Al Davis and Bill Gates, or a home town like Oakland or the Windows Operating System, we expect them to do very well, make the playoffs, or at least contend. But we can’t decide who to root for, Live.com or MSN… Oakland or LA.. .and their identity crisis leads us to look for more stable and long term alternatives.
- Ask.com : Arizona Cardinals : They have what it takes to win in their respective fields on paper … Boldin, Leinart, Fitzgerald & Lanzone, Diller, Price .. but sometimes when it comes to putting them on their field, they just don’t produce and let the big boys take over the score. However, they are young, eager, aggressive, funded and poised for forming a future dynasty. If they only had the core offensive line, or that Dell contract…
