Experian Hitwise reveals latest UK search engine analysis
Visits to search engines increase 4 per cent year-on-year
Google maintains 90 per cent market share of UK search
London, 17 May 2012 – UK Internet users made 2.2 billion visits to search engines in April 2012, up by 89 million visits compared to April 2011. The increase in search activity represents a 4.1 per cent year-on-year increase. Google further increased its dominance within the UK search market in April as rival search engines bing and Yahoo! both lost market share.
In total, Google Sites accounted for 91.02 per cent of all searches conducted in the UK in April 2012, up by nearly one quarter of a per cent from March 2012. Year-on-year Google also saw positive growth with a 0.18 per cent increase in market share of searches compared to April 2011.
Microsoft Sites led by bing lost market share of searches this month, down by 0.12 per cent with an overall market share of 3.86 per cent. Yahoo! Sites also decreased in market share by 0.16 per cent. Ask Sites meanwhile showed growth in both the monthly and yearly figures, edging close to two per cent of the total UK search market. Other search engines monitored by Experian Hitwise maintained their market share this month but were down by 0.20 per cent year-on-year.
James Murray, Digital Insight Manager for Experian Marketing Services commented: “We've witnessed increased online search activity in the UK across every month so far in 2012 and this trend looks likely to continue throughout the rest of the year. Search is becoming even more powerful in digital marketing, and marketers need to know what people are searching for online in order to satisfy the needs and demands of their customers. With over 40 per cent of online traffic going to retail websites coming from search engines this is a channel that you need to really understand in order to maximise onsite traffic levels.”
ENDS
Alexandra Banks
Digital PR Manager, Experian Marketing Services
+44 (0) 7966102823
alexandra.banks@uk.experian.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
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.
For more information, visit
http://www.experianplc.com
.