Yahoo Search Market Share Apparently Inversely Related to Yahoo Share Price

October 29, 2008 at 11:29 am PT

Astonishing. Even as its headcount declines and the company’s profound lack of leadership drives its share price ever deeper into the mud, Yahoo is “getting fit” in the search market, of all places. According to comScore’s latest metrics, Yahoo saw an increase in search market share in September, apparently at the expense of Microsoft (MSFT) and Google (GOOG). Yahoo (YHOO) handled about 20.2 percent of state-side search queries in September, up from 19.6 percent in August. Meanwhile, Google handled 62.9 percent, down slightly from the 63 percent it handled the month prior. And Microsoft handled just 8.5 percent compared to the 8.9 percent it handled in August.

Why the sudden increase? The presidential elections almost certainly have something to do with it. But, more likely than not, it was driven largely by paranoid investors obsessively checking Yahoo Finance and its Stock Message Boards.

Tagged with: comScore, Google, John Paczkowski, market share, Microsoft, search, Yahoo

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http://blog.macb.net Mac Beach

There is a Yahoo ad running now on a local niche radio station. It specifically asks users to switch how they search, something I suspect many users don’t have a clue how to do (or much inclination).

My guess is that more switching in search providers occurs based on either default set by PC sellers (Microsoft may default to themselves, but Dell and HP default to the highest bidder, Firefox default to Google, etc.)

For many home users, their initial entry to broadband service is often accompanied by a mostly unnecessary “installation” process that while checking that TCP/IP is set up properly also mangles toolbars, search providers, and “revitalizes” the machine’s ability to display pop-up ads.

In the case of Verizon, they give users a choice of Microsoft, Yahoo, or “none of the above” branding.

I’ve actually had people ask me “how do I get rid of this Yahoo stuff on my PC?” Investigation showed that it was all introduced when they signed up for Cable based Internet.

It’s commendable that Yahoo now suggests users make their own decision about how to search, but I suspect it has more to do with Google moving in on some of these co-branding deals.
Sam Harrison

the sad part is yahoo counting micro fractions of percents and claiming “victory”

pathetic, why don’t you try and actually come out with a product somebody NEEDS… nobody needs free web mail or the other clutter that yahoo provides

it has nothing unique, not ONE thing

no leadership in ANYTHING