Search engine companies are increasing their presence on the internet, with the latest data from Nielsen//NetRatings showing that the number of searches totalled 5.1 billion in December 2005, up 55% from 3.3 billion in December 2004.
Google retained its position as the top search engine, accounting for 49% of searches. Google, MSN and Yahoo! handled over 81% of all US online searches in December 2005.
Looking at market share, Google saw the number of searches conducted through its site increase by over one billion between December 2004 and December 2005, a rise of 75%. Yahoo! was used for 53% more searches over the same time period, while MSN for 20% more.
| |
| Market Share for the Top Three Search Engines in the US 2004, 2005 (%) |
| |
Dec-04 |
Dec-05 |
| Google Search |
43.1 |
48.8 |
| Yahoo! Search |
21.7 |
21.4 |
| MSN Search |
14 |
10.9 |
| Source: Nielsen//NetRatings February 2006 |
As search engine use increases, so does adspend on search engine marketing, with marketers spending $5.75 billion on search engine marketing in 2005, a rise of 44% year on year.
According to a new study from The Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organisation, paid search spend is forecast to reach $11 billion by 2010 (see Search Engine Marketing Spend Enjoys Strong 2005).
Looking towards 2006, search engine marketing is expected to continue the strong performance seen in 2005. Interactive marketing experts, 24/7 Real Media, predict the medium to reinvent itself as a lead-generation channel, while continuing to drive significant advertising revenue (see Search Engine Marketing To Enjoy Popularity Surge In 2006).
Meanwhile, paid search is also forecast to enjoy a healthy 2006, with a recent report from Piper Jaffray expecting the medium to generate more than $14 billion globally over the coming year, enjoying an increase of 41% from the estimated $10 billion that it made in 2005 (see Paid Search To Reach $14 Billion Worldwide In 2006).
Paid Search’s strong growth over the next year is also predicted in an earlier study from JupiterResearch projecting paid content searching to reach $8.9 billion in 2010 (see Paid Search To Hit $8.9 Billion In 2010).
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