Commentary
The Butler's Stepping Out
- by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 29, 2005
According to Nielsen//NetRatings, Q1 and Q2 search growth for the search engines AOL and Ask Jeeves rose 15 and 16 percent, respectively in the number of searches conducted. Google and Yahoo! maintained single digit growth. Overall, search as a category saw a five percent increase in the number of searches conducted from Q1 to Q2 during 2005.
Ken Cassar, director of strategic analysis, Nielsen//NetRatings, said "While it's far too early to say that Google needs to watch its back, a resurgent AOL makes the game a lot more interesting."
Search Growth for Top 5 Search Engines, Q1-Q2 2005, U.S. | |||
Search Engine | Q1 2005 Searches(000) | Q2 2005 Searches(000) | Percent Change |
5,737,097 | 6,088,343 | 6% | |
Yahoo! | 2,576,473 | 2,798,123 | 9% |
MSN | 1,659,235 | 1,590,049 | -4% |
AOL | 562,816 | 646,641 | 15% |
Ask Jeeves | 216,656 | 250,869 | 16% |
Overall Total | 12,263,765 | 12,849,121 | 5% |
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, July 2005 | |||
In the newly released June 2005 MegaView Search report, My Way Search made its way into the top five rankings, garnering two percent of all searches. "My Way's unique anti-advertising value proposition resonates with a small, but growing market niche," said Cassar. "As online publishers enjoy the growing demand for advertising inventory and continue to create more ad slots within a finite number of Web pages, this disaffected minority may become a force that the major players need to contend with.
Top Search Engines by Share of Searches, June 2005 (U.S., Home & Work) | ||
Search Engine | Searches (000) | Share of Searches |
Google Search | 2,032,227 | 47% |
Yahoo! Search | 965,644 | 22% |
MSN Search | 540,687 | 12% |
AOL Search | 237,408 | 5% |
My Way Search | 78,821 | 2% |
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, July 2005 | ||
Image search was the main vertical driving the growth experienced by four of the top five search engines during Q2 as compared to Q1.
Main Drivers of Search Growth for Top 5 Search Engines, Q1-Q2 2005 | |||
| Q1 2005 | Q2 2005 Searches | Percent Change |
MSN Image Search | 9,305 | 17,694 | 90% |
AOL Image Search | 5,718 | 9,935 | 74% |
Yahoo! Image Search | 92,403 | 143,643 | 55% |
Ask Jeeves News Search | 450 | 637 | 42% |
Google Image Search | 482,629 | 541,843 | 12% |
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, July 2005 | |||
Jack Loechner is the Editor of The Center for Media Research's daily Research Brief. You can reach him at jack@mediapost.com.