by Mike Banks Valentine copyright
© 2003
It
has been
suggested that Google is becoming the Microsoft of
search (dominating web search as Microsoft dominates
PC operating systems). So I decided to research a
theory - one I'd developed about search engine traffic.
I dug into the traffic stats on three of my own sites
and those of several clients that I monitor traffic
for.
While this case study is tiny and certainly NOT conclusive,
I'll wager it has strong parallels across small business
web sites. The conclusions drawn are admittedly opinion,
based on very limited statistics, but those are all
that matter to those of us seeing tiny search engine
traffic from supposedly monstrous portals.
The participating clients from this case study ALL
submit their sites to paid inclusion programs from
AltaVista, Inktomi and AskJeeves/Teoma. Two use LookSmart
LookListings and all but one are listed in YAHOO!
Directory. All are listed in the Open Directory Project
and all submit to smaller industry specific directories
and smaller search engines. One uses Overture PPC
on a limited basis, while none use Google Adwords.
All were optimized by yours truly and each represent
varied industries in retail, professional services
and one is an information site only, is non-commercial
and sells nothing. Each of them ranks well at most
search engines, but see little traffic from those
good rankings.
The research I did confirmed what I'd only assumed
before by backing it up with solid numbers. On my
own sites and those of clients that I reviewed, Google
sends over 70% of all search traffic to every one
of those domains in every case. This includes Google
foreign variants, Google Directory and Google image
search (image search numbers are tiny). The foreign
Googles send tiny numbers of visitors from non-English
speaking countries, but English speaking Google traffic
from the UK, Canada and Australia drives more traffic
than either Yahoo or MSN according to traffic statistics
of those sites reviewed for this case study.
With the highest difference between compared search
engine traffic of 8 percent variation between studied
domains, I've compiled a list of average traffic delivered
by search engines for those sites to which I have
access to traffic logs. The Google percentages are
inclusive of those portals that use Google results
such as iWon.com and Yahoo web results. Direct Yahoo
results are for sites listed in their directory.
The
following chart is from comScore Media Metrix and
shows Google 's reach when it's partners are included
in the mix.
The chart above makes the following numbers seem to
make more sense. These numbers show average referred
search engine traffic to those client sites reviewed
for this article.
Google
74%
Yahoo 14%
MSN 9%
Ask 2%
All other SE's 1%
I'm concerned, not that Google is too big, but that
the other search engines just don't get it, don't
deliver it and don't want to give it up. What is IT?
Traffic!
I attribute this to one thing. Those search engines
don't want to give up visitors to FREE search results.
They are happy to send visitors off if they gain income
from that traffic in either PPC ads or advertisements
of ANY sort. Knowing that those free results will
lose the "eyeballs" of searchers, they struggle
to deliver both PPC ads and sponsor ads that most
closely approximate the search phrase entered by the
searcher. Thankfully, all have dropped banner ads
from the SERP's (Search Engine Result Pages).
They cannot stand the idea they will lose the visitor
and seek to entice them to click on something, anything
that'll earn them income. Even if it means delivering
NON-relevant results to entice the searcher to use
a different search phrase seeking to gain more relevant
results, thereby viewing more ads and additional PPC
ads the visitor may click on to deliver income to
the portal.
I believe these search engine traffic percentages
are a direct reflection of relevance delivered by
those search engines. The more relevant the results,
the more likely they'll send a higher percentage of
traffic to your site.
74% of search traffic referred:
Google offers their own PPC results, offers no outside
banners, Amazon links or effluvia related to the search.
They deliver relevant results and visitors love that,
then leave freely to return next time they want relevant
results.
14% of search traffic referred:
Yahoo offers Overture PPC results (which they'll soon
own), Amazon links and sponsorship links, along with
that "Also search in: Yahoo! Shopping" link
at the bottom of every result page, hoping you'd rather
shop than to actually find what you were searching
for!
9% of search traffic referred:
MSN offers Overture PPC results, "Broaden your
Search" (LookSmart) links, "Shopping Results
on MSN" links and a sponsor text link at the
bottom of every page as though you didn't really want
to find anything but their ads.
2% of search traffic referred:
Ask offers more paid results than any other search
property with 5 sponsor links at the top of every
search result page and TEN links to further paid sponsor
results in a "Related Searches" footer to
every result page. LookSmart, Overture and Ask sponsors
provide search ads. Doesn't Ask understand that most
searchers see right through this?
Relevance at each of these search engines declines
further with progress down the list of traffic referred.
Is it any wonder Google is the leader? They lead in
relevance, therefore in search engine referred traffic.
All any engine need do is provide relevant results
with limited sponsors and no excessive "shopping"
or multiple source PPC links and book links. If they
do that, they'll compete effectively with Google.
More relavant search engines deliver the traffic to
web sites, NOT to their advertisers.
I have a bold suggestion to make to MSN as they develop
their newin-house search engine. Drop the ads, sponsors,
book links, shopping links and resist the temptation
to bring back banner ads. Searchers want to find what
they are looking for and easily see through transparent
attempts to sell stuff to them and keep them from
leaving. Let go of searchers by delivering highly
relevant search results while clearly labeling limited
numbers of sponsor or PPC ads! The result will be
devastating to Google by giving searchers a real alternative
that they may prefer using!
YAHOO! has a huge task ahead of them - to integrate
the recently acquired Inktomi, Overture (and Overture's
recent acquisitions Altavista and Fast/AlltheWeb)
search technology into their search mix. Clearly they've
plenty of technology now and won't need Google when
they add all these ingredients to the search soup
they are cooking up. Yahoo will possess all the best
technology and must only decide to provide relevant
search results WITHOUT shopping links, excessive sponsor
links, book links and other clutter to the SERP's.
I suggest that if they show only limited Overture
PPC ads and clearly labeled sponsor ads along with
the relevant results - that they can also threaten
Google's lead. If the re-born, re-cooked and massively
complex YAHOO! or the "new" MSN resist the
temptation to send searchers to advertisers rather
than sending them to relevant results, then we will
have three very strong competitors in the search market.
The numbers of search referrals will level off at
about 30% per competitor and Google will have to fight
to gain back their current dominance. If YAHOO! or
MSN seek to favor advertisers over searchers, Google
will
maintain domanance - clear and simple.
I encourage all webmasters to do their own comparisons
of traffic referrals now and then again when YAHOO!
and MSN weigh in over the next year with their "new"
offerings. It could get very interesting if there
were some true competition in search, so referred
traffic from YAHOO! and MSN starts to deliver to webmasters
rather than advertisers.