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"Searches Performed" Empty Lies, Damned Lies and Statistics! 
Who Cares? Webmasters Want "Referred Traffic"
by Mike Banks Valentine ©Copyright 2004

Yahoo abruptly quit using Google as a search partner last
week in a surprise move that has the search industry now
scrambling for statistics to analyze and numbers to bandy
about. I'd like to share some rarely discussed statistics
and numbers with you here. First the numbers and stats from
the press, then I'll share a few of my own. Here are the
stats that are getting the most attention for the Yahoo
search story.

Share of searches performed by U.S. users
(source: comScore Media Metrix)

Google = 35%
Yahoo = 28%
AOL (powered by Google) = 16%
MSN = 15%
ALL Others = 6%

Charts and analysis of this statistical lie can be seen at:

http://www.searchenginewatch.com/reports/article.php/2156431

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 traffic 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
TRAFFIC to webmasters. I did a small study of client
traffic stats last year and found in EVERY case that
Google delivered over 70% of referred traffic to client
sites and one gets nearly 90% of his referred traffic
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 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.

http://searchengineoptimism.com/Google_refers_70_percent.html

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 traffic, I suspect it will vary
from last year if webmasters look at their traffic 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 traffic
stats for search engine referrals that delivered traffic
from Google FAR outdoes traffic 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 traffic 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 traffic? 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 traffic from both of
those sites, EVEN THOUGH those very same search phrases
deliver dramatically higher traffic from Google - and in
cases where they rank lower at Google! Puzzling, eh?

Google delivers traffic. 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 traffic 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 click 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 profit nicely from Overture, and
since they appear to be so highly profit-driven (yes, I
agree that is a good thing for business, but bad for search)
then the results will be profit driven too. Paid results will
dominate at both Yahoo and MSN and they will continue to
deliver far less organic search referred traffic than does
Google.

Until I see some changes in referred traffic, I'll bet some
serious money that Google will continue to deliver over 50%
of all referred search traffic to everyone due to the emphasis
on relevance above profit.

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 traffic of all other search engines combined.
That's the only statistic that webmasters care about.

================================================================
Mike Banks Valentine is a Search Engine Optimization Specialist 
practicing ethical SEO for Online businesses http://SEOptimism.com

Take our Search Engine Quiz to test your Skills Level
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