Google, Yahoo expand search market share

Google and Yahoo increased their market share in the online search arena as Microsoft's MSN slipped, according to Web research firm Nielsen//NetRatings.

Growth in use of Google and Yahoo is outpacing the overall growth in the search engine market during the past year, according to Nielsen//NetRatings.

The number of searches at Yahoo.com grew 47 percent, and searches at Google.com grew 41 percent between March 2005 and this March, Nielsen//NetRatings said. Overall, online searches grew 36 percent in the past year.

Google's searches increased from 2.1 billion in March 2005 to 2.9 billion this March, while Yahoo's searches increased from 907.8 million to 1.3 billion. The third largest search provider, MSN, grew 9 percent, from 592.2 million to 643.8 million, Nielsen//NetRatings said.

Google gained 2 percent of the search market share over the past year, while Yahoo gained 1 percent. Google receives 49 percent of all searches, and Yahoo receives 22 percent, the research firm said. MSN's share dropped from 14 percent to 11 percent.

New features such as instant search suggestions and video search are boosting customer loyalty at Google and Yahoo, Michael Lanz, vice president for search industry solutions at Nielsen//NetRatings, said in a statement.