Is Google Overrated?

Mary C. | 15 March 2005 |

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Many innkeepers, hoteliers and rental managers are overly focused on their Google Rankings. It is a mistake to judge your Internet Marketing effort solely by rankings for a few phrases in Google. There are many other elements and resources that contribute as much or more to your online success and should be factored in.

A prime example is performance in MSN and Yahoo. Recent research states that Yahoo and MSN (when combined) deliver the same number of searches as Google, to an even WIDER audience. (The occasional searcher apparently prefers Yahoo and MSN.) What does this mean? For an average website, the following would be true: Yahoo + MSN = Google.
This is good news for many. MSN and Yahoo are more responsive to marketing efforts and generally show a quicker return. Google SEO efforts mature more slowly. The major secrets of success are the same for each:

*Make your website content-rich
*Update your site frequently
*Use keywords on your pages judiciously
*Get links from lodging guides, niche directories, destination guides, etc…

So, next time you measure your results, look at the "big picture" and include Yahoo and MSN.

Additional resources on this topic

comScore Media Metrix Search Engine Ratings
By Danny Sullivan - February 11, 2005

The comScore Media Metrix qSearch service measures search-specific traffic on the internet. qSearch data is gathered by monitoring the web activities of 1.5 million English-speakers worldwide (1 million in the United States) via proxy metering.
The most important bit gleaned from this report is the "share of searches" by search provider:

Google: 48%
Yahoo: 32%
MSN: 16%

Nielsen NetRatings Search Engine Ratings
By Danny Sullivan, Editor - February 11, 2005
"Nielsen/NetRatings is one of the leading internet and digital media audience information and analysis services. NetRatings provides worldwide web site ratings based on a sample of over 225,000 individuals in 26 countries. These web surfers have real-time meters on their computers that monitor the sites they visit. This metered information is compiled to produce NetRatings results."

This report sheds light on the "reach" of search engines in terms of "unique monthly visits" to websites — searching Yahoo once and Google 1,000 times in one month would be the same by this outlook… this is supposed to be a count of "people", not searches. Some people search all three resources!

Google: 44.9%
Yahoo: 32%
MSN 25%

The Average amount of time people spent per search engine, per month:
Google: 30:07
Yahoo: 11:57
MSN: 7:37

Trent Blizzard, Blizzard Internet Marketing, Inc.