July 15th, 2005
Majority of online searchers use multiple search engines
by Susan Snipes
According to research from Nielsen//NetRatings, 58% of Google searchers also used at least one of the other top two search engines, MSN and Yahoo!. Even though Google currently dominates the market, there is significant opportunity for other search engines to grow their shares.
The use of multiple search engines is not limited to Google’s searchers. Nearly 71% of those who searched at Yahoo! also visited at least one of the other top two search engines. 70% of MSN searchers also used one or both of the other two major engines.
“While it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Google is the search engine to beat, it is critical that all of the major search players, including Google, recognize that they exclusively own only a minority of their users,” said 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.”
