March 2005

     The Future of Search Engine Marketing Shares
                                                                  

 

Search Engines, such as, Google, Yahoo and MSN, sift through the seemingly infinite pages of the internet to bring you to exactly what you are looking for. At least, that’s what they set out to do. Google has had a stronghold on the industry for as long as most users can remember, with Yahoo, MSN, AOL and AskJeeves bringing up the rear. However in recent years the gap between Google and it’s search competitors has decreased, and now both Yahoo and MSN are threatening to encroach Google’s once dominant market share.

Since its separation from Google in 2003, Yahoo has broken away from its former partner to become an industry threat with its own proprietary search technology. A study done by The comScore Media Metrix indicated that before the split Google held 79% of the market while Yahoo held a mere 16%. However - as of late 2005 this Yahoo’s portion increased to an impressive 42%.

The future of the market is also dependent on which Search Engine is perceived as more convenient, user friendly and appealing to consumers. Google and Yahoo differ in their search result styles with the latter displaying each result with a description of the page, while Google writes its own description based on the first paragraph of the webpage’s copy. Other competitors, such as AOL and AskJeeves, are adding new and unique features to keep up with the race. For example, AOL now suggests search phrases as you type your inquiry and AskJeeves displays a thumbnail of the SERP webpage result.

Convenience is a large factor for a consumer in deciding what Search Engine to use. The BizRate.com surveyed 3887 online consumers in October 2004 and found that only 35% were loyal to one Search Engine company. For the remaining 65% the choice simply boild down to whatever happens to be at their fingertips. Bill Gates’ MSN is a Search Engine to watch out for as Microsoft has decided to concentrate more on search technology in the following years and is integrating it into Windows which will give them a huge advantage.

Only time will tell whether or not Google keeps its prevalence in the market, but Yahoo and MSN are sites that have potential to take over. Many experts predict that because of Google’s longtime grasp of the lead that it will fall victim to other ambitious companies and a desire for alternatives. Objective search result relevancy, which the major players strive to differentiate themselves through, seems to have ultimately been eclipsed by convenience.