Search Engines Update: Jan 2006
In its monthly analysis of competitive search engine activity for November 2005, comScore Media Metrix (http://www.comscore.com/) announced that Google and Yahoo! have maintained their lead in the US marketplace.
However, the survey also showed surprising strength for latecomer MSN-Microsoft which, although not yet in the same range as the top two, had growth figures that suggest a possible strong three-way race in the search space is a possibility.
Over the past several years this column has featured a number of alternative search engines, alternatives that is to the established and most well known products that comprise the bulk of the field.
This latest survey suggests that these other engines and directories face a tough battle. The top three account for around 85% of all searches conducted in the United States in November, and the top five accounted for a whopping 99%.
Year over year figures (see table) show that the top three positions remain unchanged and that chart topper Google may in fact be increasing its dominance over the other two.
Such figures suggest that search is increasingly difficult as a segment in which a newcomer might carve a niche of any significance and may underscore the actions of, for example, IceRocket (http://www.icerocket.com)/, which is presently trying to establish a beachhead as a search tool for bloggers.
In top spot, no surprise there, was Google, accounting for almost 40% of American searches in November, comprising some 2.05 billion measured searches. Some distance back and even showing a decline at just under 30% was Yahoo! (1.52 billion searches).
Although quite a way back at just 14%, MSN-Microsoft might yet prove to be a sleeper in these surveys. With year over year growth through July 2005 of more than 30%, MSN accounted for 744 million US searches that month.
It would seem that the Redmond, Washington company’s late foray into search may be paying dividends and that the last chapter in the field is still some way from being written. And with so much cash on hand it is conceivable that Microsoft could buy up either the second or fourth place properties.
Mind you, the year over year search figures through November are not quite as upbeat. Search pundits are fond of pointing out how Microsoft’s Internet Explorer trumped the then ubiquitous Netscape Navigator, implying that the same could still happen in search technology.
Also of interest in the most recent comScore search survey is data on the use of dedicated search toolbars. Yahoo! toolbars accounted for 49% of all such searches, slightly ahead of Google’s 46%. However, such toolbars accounted for just 12% of all United States searches in November.
Search remains a very active field. New engines spring up every week, each trying to grab a piece of the overall search pie, if not attempting to knock one of the big boys out of a top-five spot.
As the field matures have you noticed a reduction in “hype” from the search engine companies? Remember when each tried to trump the other in terms of pages indexed? I’ll bet you haven’t even noticed that Google no longer carries that “More than X billion pages indexed” message.
Some other search engines worth a test drive:
***
Site of the Week
Over the next several weeks you might want to play “keeping up with the Joneses” as you check out property values along your street. For the past couple of years, BC Assessment, the provincial crown agency charged with producing annual property assessments, has made such data available through a free online service.
Ostensibly the service is provided to permit property owners to compare their assessments to the values of neighbouring properties for possible appeal purposes. The service, available from January 3 to March 15, 2006, may be found at http://www.bcassessment.bc.ca/.
Product of the Week
From Israeli company Walletex comes Wallet Flash, a USB storage device about the size of and only slightly thicker than a credit card. Keep your data where it belongs: in your wallet. Check it out at http://www.walletex.com/.
Peter Vogel is a Physics and Computer Sciences teacher at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School (www.ndrs.org). Suggestions and comments may be sent via email to peterv@portal.ca.
However, the survey also showed surprising strength for latecomer MSN-Microsoft which, although not yet in the same range as the top two, had growth figures that suggest a possible strong three-way race in the search space is a possibility.
Over the past several years this column has featured a number of alternative search engines, alternatives that is to the established and most well known products that comprise the bulk of the field.
This latest survey suggests that these other engines and directories face a tough battle. The top three account for around 85% of all searches conducted in the United States in November, and the top five accounted for a whopping 99%.
Year over year figures (see table) show that the top three positions remain unchanged and that chart topper Google may in fact be increasing its dominance over the other two.
Such figures suggest that search is increasingly difficult as a segment in which a newcomer might carve a niche of any significance and may underscore the actions of, for example, IceRocket (http://www.icerocket.com)/, which is presently trying to establish a beachhead as a search tool for bloggers.
In top spot, no surprise there, was Google, accounting for almost 40% of American searches in November, comprising some 2.05 billion measured searches. Some distance back and even showing a decline at just under 30% was Yahoo! (1.52 billion searches).
Although quite a way back at just 14%, MSN-Microsoft might yet prove to be a sleeper in these surveys. With year over year growth through July 2005 of more than 30%, MSN accounted for 744 million US searches that month.
It would seem that the Redmond, Washington company’s late foray into search may be paying dividends and that the last chapter in the field is still some way from being written. And with so much cash on hand it is conceivable that Microsoft could buy up either the second or fourth place properties.
Mind you, the year over year search figures through November are not quite as upbeat. Search pundits are fond of pointing out how Microsoft’s Internet Explorer trumped the then ubiquitous Netscape Navigator, implying that the same could still happen in search technology.
Also of interest in the most recent comScore search survey is data on the use of dedicated search toolbars. Yahoo! toolbars accounted for 49% of all such searches, slightly ahead of Google’s 46%. However, such toolbars accounted for just 12% of all United States searches in November.
Search remains a very active field. New engines spring up every week, each trying to grab a piece of the overall search pie, if not attempting to knock one of the big boys out of a top-five spot.
As the field matures have you noticed a reduction in “hype” from the search engine companies? Remember when each tried to trump the other in terms of pages indexed? I’ll bet you haven’t even noticed that Google no longer carries that “More than X billion pages indexed” message.
Some other search engines worth a test drive:
- Vivisimo: http://www.vivisimo.com/
- Picsearch: http://www.picsearch.com/
- A9: http://www.a9.com/
- MrSapo: http://www.mrsapo.com/
***
Site of the Week
Over the next several weeks you might want to play “keeping up with the Joneses” as you check out property values along your street. For the past couple of years, BC Assessment, the provincial crown agency charged with producing annual property assessments, has made such data available through a free online service.
Ostensibly the service is provided to permit property owners to compare their assessments to the values of neighbouring properties for possible appeal purposes. The service, available from January 3 to March 15, 2006, may be found at http://www.bcassessment.bc.ca/.
Product of the Week
From Israeli company Walletex comes Wallet Flash, a USB storage device about the size of and only slightly thicker than a credit card. Keep your data where it belongs: in your wallet. Check it out at http://www.walletex.com/.
Peter Vogel is a Physics and Computer Sciences teacher at Notre Dame Regional Secondary School (www.ndrs.org). Suggestions and comments may be sent via email to peterv@portal.ca.
posted by Peter Vogel at 2:03 PM
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