Google now only 40% of searches?!

Chris K · 03-02-2004, 04:12 AM

Read this in a newsletter I recieve from a company who specialise in gateway pages following poor performance of their product after the recent Google shake ups:

'First of all, the 'good' news is that as predicted Yahoo has, as of 2 weeks ago, stopped being driven by Google. It is now powered by a combination of its own spidered results and inktomi data. As inktomi has traditionally been a strength for us this is good news in the long term for positions and traffic. The overall implications on traffic are that Google's share of search engine traffic has dropped from around 70% to about 40%, with Yahoo accounting for 30%, MSN 20% and all the rest 10% (Lycos, HotBot, AlltheWeb etc).'

Is this true? (I am in the UK, and struggle to believe that Google is now down to 40% of searches?)

Thanks

Chris

stuart · 03-02-2004, 06:06 AM

I tell you thas almost probably bullshit, on the back of you saying they didnt farewell with the google shake up, they then tell there clients google isnt so important and that otehr search engines r breaking thru, to cover there own backs and not have there own mistakes look so bad...

stuart · 03-02-2004, 06:07 AM

Website I work for get about 2,500 referrals from search engines a day, and easily 80% of them are google

Leader of Men · 03-02-2004, 06:07 AM

It's not hard for me to believe, a big amount of their searches came from Yahoo! and MSN. Now that those two have left Google, Google only has it's own traffic to use (which is still substantial)

Emancipator · 03-02-2004, 06:09 AM

I have seen stats indicating that for NEW searches google is now around 40% but for referal searches it is still like 80%. I will have to find my source.

I would not trust a word a page that preaches doorway pages says.

Rather then buying gateway pages, next time save your money and go to the zoo. At least you will have some fun looking at the lions and it will even help your seo about as much as doorway pages do

Leader of Men · 03-02-2004, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stuart

Website I work for get about 2,500 referrals from search engines a day, and easily 80% of them are google

You've probably optimized aiming at Google, which explains your lopside.

Emancipator · 03-02-2004, 06:16 AM

I am #1 on google and yahoo for quite a few terms and google still sends me more traffic then yahoo but it is not that big of a margin. the margin has narrowed in the last month.

Grumpus · 03-02-2004, 08:23 AM

Well, there's at least one lie - erm, error - in that missive...

Quote:

It is now powered by a combination of its own spidered results and inktomi data.

Um, Inktomi data is it's own spidered results....

G.

edbarton · 03-02-2004, 10:12 AM

Last month Google gave me about 6 times what Yahoo gave me but again that is probably because I optimise for Google and Yahoo hasn't spidered me very well yet.

Emancipator · 03-02-2004, 10:51 AM

Yeah that is a good point cardesign. I have not checked to see when the last time yahoo hit me.

digitalpoint · 03-02-2004, 12:05 PM

Before Yahoo dropped Google as it's backend, my search engine referrals were:

Google: 84%
Yahoo: 12%
AOL: 2%
MSN: 1%

Since the results are identical, I would assume that Google gets 7x more searches than Yahoo does.

Since Yahoo dropped Google, my referral are:

Google: 89%
Yahoo: 5%
AOL: 3%
MSN: 2%

Overall, the *total* referrals numbers are the same... We have similar (of course not identical) in the 'new' Yahoo.

So that makes me think I think part of the drop in Yahoo is it being a different index (comparing apples to oranges), but I also think part of it is that some users actually stopped using Yahoo now that they are giving less relevant results as a whole, and some people who were using Yahoo before, are moving to Google, AOL and MSN.

- Shawn

kwvarga · 03-02-2004, 03:21 PM

when i was #15 on google and #8 on yahoo.. I was getting 100+ hits from google for the term.. only around 10-15 from yahoo..

propc1 · 03-03-2004, 08:09 AM

Googles the best!, Therefore those stats are wrong, favoring other search engines...

I, Brian · 03-03-2004, 11:43 AM

The original excerpt, in the context given, suggests that these people haven't got a clue how to optimise for Google, and are therefore trying to justify their own position.

Emancipator · 03-03-2004, 11:49 AM

pay for inclusion on yahoo will add some fun to the numbers.

brettb · 03-04-2004, 08:52 AM

So now? how do you get listed in yahoo uk search results? I have paid for the inclusion in their directory which is a complete waste of money.
Do i have to submit to Intomi UK or somthing?

brett

compar · 03-04-2004, 09:00 AM

The PFI for the directory won't get you into the SERPs. You have to pay for an Overture Site Match. You can do this at Ovture's site or through the people who previously sold Inktomi inclusion. Here is the site I use.

brettb · 03-04-2004, 09:02 AM

Thanks for that Bob, But is that for UK web search results?

compar · 03-04-2004, 09:04 AM

Not as far as I understand. No! I'm sure that the answer is no.

Chili · 03-04-2004, 11:19 PM

All I really want to know is, if I'm already in Yahoo, AltaVista, AlltheWeb, do I still have to pay Overture? Will my listings and traffic fade away? Not that they account for much... 80% of my traffic is from Google anyway.