Yahoo!
It's not official, so don't go tracking down a wedding-reception caterer or an invitation calligraphist just yet. I'm just sharing my initial reaction after hearing that Google
|
September Share of Searches |
November Share of Searches |
|
|---|---|---|
|
|
54.0% |
57.7% |
|
Yahoo! |
19.5% |
17.9% |
|
MSN/Live |
12.0% |
12.0% |
|
AOL |
6.0% |
4.5% |
|
Ask.com |
2.2% |
2.7% |
If Mr. Softy isn't bent on hooking up with Yahoo!, then Microsoft executive Kevin Johnson's comments during last month's UBS analyst conference -- that Microsoft wants to be able to claim 30% of online search queries over the next three to five years -- becomes practically laughable.
And if Microsoft does make its move, it may want to act soon, before Google gobbles up more than 70% of the market. The longer Microsoft waits, the more irrelevant Yahoo! and MSN's Live.com become. Time Warner's
What's more, Microsoft and Yahoo! keep falling behind, while Ask.com continues moving up the charts. IAC/InterActiveCorp's
I'm not sure whether a united Yahoo! and Microsoft could slow Google down, but at the very least, it would mandate sponsor attention.
The two companies can kid themselves and pick at the bones of fading second-tier players such as MIVA
There were 4.3 billion searches conducted on Google last month, according to Nielsen Online. I trust that none of those were conducted by Microsoft or Yahoo! in pursuit of something that they know that they will find only in one another.
Search-worthy Foolishness:
