Google Drives 70 percent of Traffic
to Most Web Sites
by Mike Banks Valentine
A recent post in a discussion list 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.
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