Experian Hitwise reveals latest UK search engine analysis

Experian Hitwise reveals latest UK search engine analysis

2.2 billion visits to search engines in February 2012

Google maintains 90 per cent market share of UK search

  London, 15 March 2012 – UK Internet users made 2.2 billion visits to search engines in February 2012, up by 174 million visits compared to February 2011. The increase in search activity represents an 8.7 per cent year-on-year increase. Google further increased its dominance within the UK search market in February as rival search engines bing and Yahoo! both lost market share.

In total, Google Sites accounted for 91.57 per cent of all searches conducted in the UK in February 2012, up by nearly one per cent from January 2012. Year-on-year Google also saw positive growth with a 0.89 per cent increase in market share of searches compared to February 2011.

Microsoft Sites led by bing were unable to build on their growth at the beginning of the year and instead their market share slipped by 0.48 per cent this month. Yahoo! Sites also decreased in market share by 0.39 per cent. Ask Sites maintained their market share in February and showed year-on-year growth of 0.37 per cent. Meanwhile, all other search engines monitored by Experian Hitwise lost market share both this month and in the year-on-year comparison.   

James Murray, Market Research Analyst at Experian Hitwise commented: “There was a continuing growth trend in visits to search engines in February 2012, as people relied on search to navigate their way around the Internet. Compared to February 2011 we saw an additional 174 million visits to search engines in February 2012, an impressive 8.7 per cent growth year-on-year. Understanding how people are interacting with search engines, which keywords they are using and how successful those searches are, is becoming more critical than ever for companies to successfully market their brand online.”

  ENDS

Contact:

Alexandra Banks

Digital PR Manager, Experian Marketing Services

+44 (0) 7966102823

alexandra.banks@uk.experian.com

press.uk@hitwise.com

About Experian Hitwise

Experian Hitwise is the leading online competitive intelligence service. Experian Hitwise gives marketers a competitive advantage by providing daily insights on how 25 million Internet users around the world interact with more than 1 million Web sites. This external view helps companies grow and protect their businesses by identifying threats and opportunities as they develop. Experian Hitwise has more than 1,500 clients across numerous sectors, including financial services, media, travel and retail.

Experian Hitwise (FTS:EXPN), www.experianplc.com , operates in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, France and Brazil. More information about Experian Hitwise is available at www.hitwise.com/uk .

For up-to-date analysis of online trends, please visit the Experian Hitwise research blog at www.ilovedata.com and the Experian Hitwise Data Centre at www.hitwise.com/datacentre

About Experian 

Experian is the leading global information services company, providing data and analytical tools to clients in more than 80 countries. The company helps businesses to manage credit risk, prevent fraud, target marketing offers and automate decision making. Experian also helps individuals to check their credit report and credit score, and protect against identity theft.

Experian plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (EXPN) and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. Total revenue for the year ended 31 March 2011 was US$4.2 billion. Experian employs approximately 15,000 people in 41 countries and has its corporate headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, with operational headquarters in Nottingham, UK; California, US; and São Paulo, Brazil. 

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