Update: ComScore has notified me that it has discovered an error in its September figures and will be releasing amended numbers shortly. It appears that the impact of the change will be marginally positive for Google. We’ll update as soon as we get the recalculated figures.
Update 2: Corrected figures are below, as are the originally reported figures for comparison. The mistake was in Ask’s numbers. Its market share declined half a percentage point to 4.3 percent instead of increasing to 5.4 percent.
Ahead of Thursday’s earnings announcement from Google, comScore just released its search market share figures for September. Google’s overall share of search queries in the U.S. dipped from 63% in August to 62.9% 62.2%. Yahoo and Ask (whose search is powered by Google) saw the biggest gains.
Corrected: U.S. Search Market Share (September, 2008)
| 62.9% (down 0.1% from August) | |
| Yahoo | 20.2% (up 0.6%) |
| AOL | 4.1% (down 0.2%) |
| Microsoft | 8.5% (up 0.2%) |
| Ask | 4.3% (down 0.5%) |
Original: U.S. Search Market Share (September, 2008)
| 62.2% (down 0.8% from August) | |
| Yahoo | 20.0% (up 0.4%) |
| AOL | 4.0% (down 0.3%) |
| Microsoft | 8.4% (up 0.1%) |
| Ask | 5.4% (up 0.6%) |
On the bright side for Google, both its annual and quarterly search query volume growth rates are accelerating. Year-over-year, Google’s query growth was 38.6 percent, up from around 33 percent each of the past three months. (On a quarter-over-quarter basis, the growth rate was 35 percent). Wall Street will likely focus on this acceleration as a slight positive for the stock.
Google as helped by overall search queries growing 26.9 24.7 percent across all search engines. Only Ask’s search volume grew faster, at 45.5 percent year-over-year. Ask’s growth slowed down to 8.2 percent, from 23.5 percent in August. But that still helps Google, since Ask is a partner. AOL, another partner, saw 18.9 11.4 percent growth in search queries. Yahoo saw only 7.1 percent growth, and Microsoft saw a measly 3.0 1.3 percent growth (but at least its growth rate did not decline as it had each of the previous three months).
Corrected: U.S. Y/Y Search Query Growth Rates (September, 2008)
| Total | 24.7% (versus 19.6% in August)) |
| 38.6% (versus 33.4%) | |
| Yahoo | 7.1% (versus 0.4%) |
| AOL | 11.4% (versus 7.0%) |
| Microsoft | 1.3% (versus -13.2%) |
| Ask | 8.2% (versus 23.5%) |
Original: U.S. Y/Y Search Query Growth Rates (September, 2008)
| Total | 26.9% (versus 19.6% in August)) |
| 38.6% (versus 33.4%) | |
| Yahoo | 7.1% (versus 0.4%) |
| AOL | 18.9% (versus 14.3%) |
| Microsoft | 3.0% (versus -11.6%) |
| Ask | 45.5% (versus 29.8%) |
Do you have any idea how completely full of crap ComScore is?
Their measurement techniques (I refuse to use the word technology here) are so absurd I can’t believe you guys reference them.
Why don’t you leave the citation of this crap data to the rookie reporters at the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. At least they don’t know any better.
The world will be a much better place when Google takes web traffic measurement over with their Google Trends product.
They’ve got a ways to go still…but they’ll do it.
I agree.
I’m afraid that Erick is having a less than average evening. On another post he actually supports and promotes Glassbooth.org, a shady venture backed by George Soros and Co.
(Wonder how much they are paying him)
Erick will most probably remove this comment. Intolerance is an ugly trait…
Sergey
I start to doubt the author’s knowledge in search industry. The ads, not the search of Ask.com, is powered by Google.
Careful. Eric got this part correct.
His post reads that Ask search volume is up and that is good for Google because they split the rev on their PPC Ads.
“Ask (whose search is powered by Google)” – yes Calvin, you’re right – the ads are from Google. Big mistake.
Link to the release please?!
Clydesdale I couldn’t agree more. Why it is even used at all is beyond me. I don’t think google has the answer though
Ask.com…..slooooowly on the rise. Continue to hear good things about it. Does it have a chance?
They’re down .8% boohoooooo…
Anyone find it nifty that YouTube had more searches than Yahoo in August??
Someone post the Comscore release to see Sept’s number!!!
Here is August 2008:
http://www.coms....asp?press=2476
Are there any specific factors that you know of that are affecting Google’s dropping ranks in the internet industry, or any of the other listed companies for that matter?
Is there a particular website that would more accurately calculate these statistics?
wow a lot of negative comments – ill add one.. you got the earnings announcement date wrong – its thurs after market closes not tomorrow
Why i love that TechCrunch uses ComScore is that if you look in ComScore the stats for TechCrunch are terrible. Last i checked it was primarily female. Obviously great data for everyone
Where are most of Ask’s users coming from? I’m happy that they have 5.4% of the market share, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone use Ask. I’m not saying it’s false or anything of that sort, I’m just asking what the demographics of their user base are like.
Google should worry…
not.
I saw Ask.com doing some TV ads.
Well I am happy to see AOL doing ok. Can someone tell me why AOL keeps getting trashed? It seems that they are more innovative than Yahoo or Ask.
Google is king of the web
http://gatesand...s.blogspot.com/