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Share of searches performed by U.S. users (source: comScore Media Metrix)
Google = 35% Charts and analysis of this statistical lie can be seen at SearchEngineWatch.com. As an SEO specialist, I don't care if Yahoo and MSN together get almost 40 percent of all searches performed as long as Google delivers nearly triple the Referred tr'affic of either of those also-rans. I love those numbers presented by comScore. The problem is that it has nothing to do with search engine Referred Treaffic to webmasters. I did a small study of client tr'affic stats last year and found in every case that Google delivered over 70% of referred tr'affic to client sites and one gets nearly 90% of his referred tr'affic from Google! Those included some new clients as well as several of those I'd been working with for up to a couple of years. This indicates to me that it's not the work I do that favors Google, and that it is a similar result across many types of sites, optimized or not. My article, Google Drives 70 percent of Tr'affic to Most Web Sites discussing these numbers was picked up in half a dozen places and debated in a forum or two because it seems shocking to imagine Google dominating at that level.
If you scroll down the page at that SearchEngineWatch page linked above, you'll see another chart that reflects Google's reach and, guess what? It's actually closer to 70% due to the fact that Google powers AOL and, up until last week, Yahoo. Now I expect the 28% loss from Yahoo will make those numbers fluctuate a bit in coming months as searchers decide whether they like the results they get from Yahoo search without Google powered results. Now that Yahoo search will no longer be contributing to Google's 70% of referred tr'affic, I suspect it will vary from last year if webmasters look at their tr'affic stats at the end of next month. I'll look forward to those numbers! Still, I'll wager that if you look at your client tr'affic stats for search engine referrals that delivered tr'affic from Google FAR outdoes tr'affic from any other search engine for some time to come. When that changes, then it will start to matter. Until it changes - who cares even if Yahoo and MSN search get double their current "Searches performed" when the referred tr'affic they deliver is just a fraction of that? Who cares if the competitors are at 27% of searches performed if they deliver only 5% of their referred tr'affic? What do people do when they get results at Yahoo and MSN search? They must stay there, follow paid links, or give up their search and go shopping if they aren't ending up clicking through from those organic results to the top ranking sites!
I have multiple top ranking terms at MSN and Yahoo for several clients that get trickles of tr'affic from both of those sites, even though those very same search phrases deliver dramatically higher tr'affic from Google - and in cases where they rank lower at Google! Puzzling, eh? Google delivers tr'affic. The others don't deliver at even half the rate that Google does. So I simply don't care that nearly a third of searches are done elsewhere. I am going to work on ranking well for the search engine that delivers visitors from organic search. I'll pay for tr'affic from the others if necessary since they don't deliver on even Top Ranking searches. I believe that is because the searches at MSN and Yahoo sites and their search partners have too many flashing, blinking, prominently placed, paid ads dominating the SERP's. Yahoo and MSN may get lots of searchers searching, but if those searchers don't cl'ick through on those top ranking organic results - what earthly good does it do to rank well in organic results at those search engines?
I suspect that Yahoo will prof'it nicely from Overture, and since they appear to be so highly prof'it-driven (yes, I agree that is a good thing for business, but bad for search) then the results will be prof'it driven too. Paid results will dominate at both Yahoo and MSN and they will continue to deliver far less organic search referred tr'affic than does Google. Until I see some changes in referred tr'affic, I'll bet some serious mon'ey that Google will continue to deliver over 50% of all referred search tr'affic to everyone due to the emphasis on relevance above prof'it. The impending Google IPO makes me nervous about all of this because Google will have to do as the others do and emphasize paid results on the SERP's at a much higher level than they do now in order to keep investors happy. Investor pressure. Those two clearly marked sponsored ads at the top of the page and clear boxed Adwords ads along the right will be charming memories in short order. We'll see paid links grow to dominate the Google SERP's and it wouldn't surprise me if they started running banner ads in addition.
Statistics from the webmaster perspective show Google sending nearly triple the tr'affic of all other search engines
combined. That's the only statistic that webmasters care about.
About The Author Take our Search Engine Quiz to test your Skills Level. email link: http://privacynotes.com/cgi-bin/M/msb.cgi?2
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