Google now with 77% of UK market (2006 stats)

Google is now BY FAR the biggest, in fact TEN TIMES BIGGER than its closest rivals in terms of search volume in the UK market.

Google 77% (US = 44.7%)
Yahoo 7% (US 28.5% )
MSN 7% (1US 2.8%)
ASK 5% (US 5.1%)
others 4% (work it out for yourself I am too lazy, but Time Warner (AOL etc) got 5%)

Stats provided by Hitwise May 2006 with the US stats from comscore

So for anyone who thinks google is not that important in the UK, THINK AGAIN

 

The term "Google it" is so widely used here you wouldn't believe - even in the classroom kids are encouraged to use the search engine to do research for homework and the like. It's no wonder they have such a firm grip on the market.

Whereas I'm impressed with Google and all the services they provide, I am a little worried by their sheer dominance - after all, look at Microsoft and some of their dubious moves over the past years.

 

I think being answerable to shareholders does not make it any easier for them.

I am a little worried too. Have been for a while. The only effect of that worry is I don't use my GMail account. The fact that they may store a copy of every email ever sent or received starts to worry me.

 

The moment Google launched their social networking site Orkut, I knew they were going to be a tricky bunch of bastards. It was IMO never about giving something away, it was always an experiment in social networking and the flow or referals etc to help with their algorithm.

Within a few months of Orkut being launched and watching the networks grow from the inside I could see it could turn scary. For that reason I stopped using Orkut, or at least halted my friend gathering.

 

On one hand it pains me to see stats like these, on the other it makes me happy because the rewards for cracking google are so great.

 

Can I get an 'AMEN' to that brother Mad4

it certainly is, it also means that the spammers looking for instant reward are far less damaging, and the market is more stable. As you say, working with Google in the UK is a bonus and a loss. Wheras in the US you can get 50% of your traffic elsewhere, in the uk you are really looking at less than 20% (Y! MSN, Ask)

 

If the stats were accurate in the Google docco I watched on SBS, Google owns the market. Especially in markets which are less net savvy.

 

The more Google grows the more our SE traffic is prone to big fluctuation. Bad news IMO.

 

whoa...i didnt know asks.com was so close to yahoo and msn. google is growing in all nation imho

 

Has Y! ever run TV ads in the UK?

 

I've never seen google advertsise offline! I've senn Y! advertsise a some major sporting comps but thats it, never TV. But maybe thats just in australia?

 

Yahoo has partnered up with Channel 7 and Ninemsn with Channel 9, that's why they get lots more TV exposure.

 

Can you point me to these stats pls?

Looked at Hitwise site but couldn't find anything.

I have a feeling this would be a good proxy for Ireland.

 

Were selling online. Google is still the best search engine, however a high percentage of the 77% is school kids, as the chap earlier mentioned.

MSN is still important for office buyers. Admitably not as important as Google. The point is the stats are slightly miss leading. Avg age of a search in each engine would be interesting

 

I agree. A breakdown on demographics would be nice. Probably harder for them to do that though, which is why we have not seen that level of statistical information.

 

Yes, it would be good to see more of a spread amongst the search engines, monopolys are never good for competition.

I'm suprised MSN get's as much as 7% in the UK to be honest, their traffic is apalling.

 

I feel a bit embarrassed by it.

We Brits are not exactly very discerning are we? You guys in the USA must think we are as thick as sh*t.

Back in Feb Google's search market share was 75% in the UK and 55% in the USA (stats published by WebSideStory Inc). Over the next few months we go through the final birth spasms for Big Daddy with Google producing some of its most unreliable and wildly fluctuating serps ever... and us Brits raise our usage by 2 points!! (while Americans actually pay attention and drop theirs by 10%)

Google UK must be laughing all the way to their British bank.

 

Not that I know of but I have seen billboard ads and indeed with the World Cup they had some at the corner flags.

 

the questions are
how google got here ?
and why people prefer it ?

 

Yahoo just implemented their new lay-out here in the UK so they're trying at least...