Americans conducted 6.5 bln searches online in August 2006, up 3% versus July 2006. Annual growth rates in search query volume remained strong with a 28-percent increase since August 2005. Google Sites led the pack with 2.9 bln search queries performed, followed by Yahoo Sites (1.9 bln), MSN-Microsoft (812 mln), Time-Warner Network (360 mln), and Ask Jeeves/Ask Network (358 mln). Google and Yahoo! continued their dominance in toolbar searches, combining for more than 95% of the market share in August 2006. Google grabbed 49.6% of toolbar searches, while Yahoo! captured 47.3%.
In August 2006, Google Sites regained some ground from the 1.0 share point decline it suffered in July, gaining 0.4% to capture 44.1% of the US search market. Yahoo! Sites maintained its second place ranking with 28.7% of US searches. Microsoft (12.5%) and Time Warner Network (5.6%) each slipped 0.3 share points from the previous month, but held steady in third and fourth places, respectively. Ranking fifth, Ask Network (5.5%) showed a modest market share gain versus July.
|
Top search engines in August 2006 |
||||
| Search engine | August 2005 | July 2006 | August 2006 | Growth, % |
| 37.3 | 43.7 | 44.1 | 6.8 | |
| Yahoo! | 29.7 | 28.8 | 28.7 | -1.0 |
| MSN | 15.8 | 12.8 | 12.5 | -3.3 |
| Time Warner | 9.6 | 5.9 | 5.6 | -4.0 |
| Ask | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.5 | -0.5 |
| Source: comScore | ||||