New York, NY, January 19, 2006--Nielsen//NetRatings reported that Web surfers often use search engines to navigate their way to common Web sites rather than typing the Web site’s URL directly into the address bar.
Web users’ top search terms were popular, well-known Web site names, such as “ebay” and “google,” according to Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search from November 2005.
Nielsen//NetRatings reports that 43 percent of online searchers use the search box much like an address bar.
Leading the top 10 most popular search terms for November was “ebay” with 13.9 million requests, followed by “google” and “yahoo,” with 13.3 million and 8.0 million requests, respectively.
Interestingly, five of the top 10 search terms were for sites with search engines themselves, supporting the argument that Web visitors are not likely to be loyal to a single search engine.
Other popular search terms were for retail and auction sites including eBay and Wal-Mart, as well as sites that offer a service, such as Mapquest and pogo.com. What all ten search terms had in common was that they were the names of popular Web sites rather than topics. The first topical search term, “weather,” ranked No. 23.
“There are two types of online searchers that type a Web site’s URL into a search engine rather than into the browser’s address bar: Those inexperienced enough not to appreciate the difference between the
two, and those that are so experienced they have become habituated to using the search engine as their portal to the Internet,” said Ken Cassar, chief analyst, Nielsen//NetRatings. “Whether this behavior is
driven by ignorance or savvy, the end result is the same: The search engine is the focal point of the online experience for Internet users across the spectrum.”
Top 10 Search Terms for November 2005
1. “ebay” 13,871
2. “google” 13,301
3. “yahoo” 7,997
4. “mapquest” 7,431
5. “yahoo.com” 6,528
6. “pogo.com” 4,062
7. “walmart” 3,688
8. “ask jeeves” 3,389
9. “msn” 3,166
10.”ebay.com” 3,125
Source: Nielsen//NetRatings MegaView Search, January 2006
