February 9th, 2006
Number of online searches continues to soar
by Susan Snipes
According to Nielsen//NetRatings research, the number of people with Internet access rose only 3% to 207 million in the US. During the same time, the number of searches soared 55% to almost 5.1 billion searches in December 2005.
“The double-digit increase in online search activity marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Internet consumer behavior,” said Ken Cassar, the senior director of analytics at Nielsen//NetRatings. “Online search is the primary tool most people rely on to do everyday research.”
US Search Engines Market Share
| Search Engine | Dec-05 Share | Dec-06 Share | Percentage Change in Market Share | Growth in Number of Searches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43.1% | 48.8% | +5.7% | 75% | |
| Yahoo! | 21.7% | 21.4% | -0.3% | 53% |
| MSN | 14.0% | 10.9% | -3.1% | 20% |
| Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, February 2006 | ||||
