A new study by Forrester Research found that 55 percent of U.S. online adults use multiple search engines each week. 20 percent of users only used Google each week, 8 percent only used Yahoo, 3 percent only used AOL, 2 percent only used their ISP’s search engine, 1 percent only used MSN, and 1 percent only used Ask.com. The study also found that 69 percent of users used Google each week, 50 percent used Yahoo, and 14 percent used MSN. Finally, the study found 30 percent of users identified Yahoo as their home page, 23 percent identified Google, and 7 percent identified MSN. The study was based on a survey of over 4,800 individuals.
Category: Yahoo
December U.S. Search Share Results
Nielsen Online yesterday released its rankings of U.S. search share for December. Overall search increased 19.6 percent year over year to 8.6 billion searches. Google had year over year increase of 33.5 percent and received 62.9 percent of searches. Yahoo had a year over year increase of 13.7 percent and received 16.8 percent of searches. Microsoft had a year over year decrease of 15.5 percent and received 9.8 percent of searches.
Yahoo Hires New CEO, President Resigns
Yahoo has announced that they have hired Carol Bartz as their new Chief Executive Officer. Bartz replaces Jerry Yang, who in mid November announced he would step down as CEO once a successor was appointed after having served in the position for 17 months. Bartz previously spent 14 years as the CEO of Autodesk, ending in 2006. Yahoo also announced that President Sue Decker would resign from the company following a “transitional period”.
November U.S. Search Share Results
Nielsen Online today released its rankings of U.S. search share for November. Overall search increased 9.6 percent year over year to 8.1 billion searches. Google had year over year growth of 21.7 percent and received 64.1 percent of searches. Google’s percentage of searches was it’s highest reported by Nielsen Online, surpassing it previous high in April of this year when it received 62.0 percent. Yahoo had a year over year decrease of 1.4 percent and received 16.1 percent of searches. Microsoft had a year over year decrease of 16.7 percent and received 9.1 percent of searches.
Yahoo To Begin Anonymizing User Data Within 90 Days
Yahoo today announced that they would begin to anonymize user data within 90 days. This includes search log data as well as page views, page clicks, ad views and ad clicks. Previously, Yahoo had kept unanonymized search log data for up to 13 months. Google currently keeps search log data unanonymized for up 9 months and Microsoft keeps it for up to 18 months. Yahoo says that there will exceptions to the limit for “fraud, security and legal obligations.” Anne Toth, Yahoo’s Vice President of Policy and Head of Privacy, said that the new limit is the “minimum amount of time we need to retain data in order to respond to the needs of our business while deepening our trusted relationship with users”
October U.S. Search Share Results
Nielsen Online today released its rankings of U.S. search share for October. Overall search decreased 2.0 percent year over year to 7.8 billion searches. Google had year over year growth of 8.1 percent and received 61.2 percent of searches. Google’s percentage of searches was it’s second highest reported by Nielsen Online, only surpassed by April of this year when it received 62.0 percent. Yahoo had a year over year decrease of 12.0 percent and received 16.9 percent of searches. Microsoft had a year over year decrease of 19.0 percent and received 11.4 percent of searches.
Yahoo Becomes Search Provider for T-Mobile USA
Yahoo has reached an agreement to become the default search provider for T-Mobile USA’s web portal according to an Advertising Age article. Yahoo will also deliver advertising to the portal as part of the agreement. Yahoo already has a search agreement with T-Mobile in ten European countries and with AT&T in the United States. Google has agreement with Sprint and Verizon Wireless is currently in negotiations with Google and Microsoft.
Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang Stepping Down
Yahoo has announced that CEO Jerry Yang will be stepping down from the position following the appointment of a successor according to a Yahoo press release. The move follows the recent cancellation of Yahoo’s proposed search advertising partnership with Google and a drop in Yahoo’s stock price. Yang, who had been the CEO since taking over for Terry Semel in June of 2007, will return to his old position of Chief Yahoo. Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock said in the press release that the company is looking for a CEO “who can take the company to the next level.” The New York Times reports that among the possible successors are “Susan L. Decker, Yahoo’s president; Daniel L. Rosensweig, the former chief operating officer of Yahoo who is now a principal at the investment firm Quadrangle Group; and Jonathan F. Miller, the former head of AOL.”
Google Withdraws From Yahoo Partnership
In a post on the Official Google Blog, Google announced that they were withdrawing from the search advertising partnership with Yahoo that was originally announced in June. In a press release the U.S. Justice Department stated that Google withdraw “after the Department of Justice informed the companies that it would file an antitrust lawsuit to block the implementation of the agreement”. The Justice Department said that the agreement “would likely harm competition in the markets for Internet search advertising and Internet search syndication” due to the companies accounting for over 90 percent of both markets. In Google’s post they stated they withdrew because of the risk of a protracted legal battle as well as “damage to relationships with valued partners.”
Google, Yahoo Propose Revised Partnership to Justice Department
Google and Yahoo have proposed a revised version of their search advertising partnership to the U.S. Justice Department according to a Wall Street Journal article. The revised proposal limits the amount of revenue Yahoo can receive from the partnership to 25 percent of Yahoo’s search advertising revenue, shortens the length of the partnership to two years from a possible 10, and allows Google advertisers to opt out having their ads appear on Yahoo. The Wall Street Journal also reported that people familiar with discussions between the companies and the Justice Department told them that as of late last week a stalemate had been reached in the discussions.