March 25 2008
comment - Google gets bigger
Microsoft and Yahoo go down in the US search ratings despite millions of pounds in free advertising
I don't usually find the comScore US search engine rankings in the least bit interesting but as there’s a lot of interest over the Microsoft bid for Yahoo – yes that's still going on – then it's a little bit more interesting. The result for this month, as it has been for months, and years before, is “no change.” Google is still at the top, and getting bigger, and the blanket coverage in the media hasn't made anyone in the slightest bit curious as to what a search would look like on Yahoo, or even, heaven forbid Microsoft. In fact both Yahoo and Microsoft lost search traffic to Google, so to reiterate, in February both the Yahoo and Microsoft search engines had millions of pounds of free publicity but they managed to LOSE traffic.
It looks like nothing short of a miracle is going to knock Google off the top. God knows enough people have tried. Back in the heady days of 2000 I had at least five emails everyday from people who were going to be the new Google, I still get them now and its really quite depressing. Google has achieved absolute critical mass in search, and nobody is going to be able to build or buy anything near to Google, and to be honest as a retailer that's good news. It means there's only one place you need to advertise, there's only one technology you need to understand and if you get Google right, then you're made.
IR was recently in Google and while we were talking we couldn't help noticing that Google was a very nice place to work, there were free massage chairs, tons of bean bags, comfy sofas, fun toys, interesting art work, fridges full of free pop and what looked like FREE sweets in the coffee area, and acres of people who all looked like they were enjoying themselves. No ties, no suits, no corporate hell, it’s hardly the trappings of an evil empire. Where as other corporations - who will be nameless - look bland, have a bland uniform – are chinos and polo shirts still cool? - start every sentence with “that's an interesting question”, talk in acronyms and generally make John Major look interesting. I know which one I'd bet on.
So here's the search news for February, Google extended its share of core searches to 59.2 percent, up from 58.5 percent the previous month. Yahoo ranked second with 21.6 percent (down 0.60 on Jan 08), followed by Microsoft at 9.6 percent (down 0.2 on Jan 08), AOL (4.9 percent), and Ask Network (4.6 percent).
If I was Microsoft I'd give up, or at the very least I'd definitely ask for a discount if they ever do manage to buy Yahoo.
