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Search Engines, such as, Google, Yahoo and MSN, sift through the seemingly infinite pages of the internet to bring you to exactly what you are looking for. At least, that’s what they set out to do. Google has had a stronghold on the industry for as long as most users can remember, with Yahoo, MSN, AOL and AskJeeves bringing up the rear. However in recent years the gap between Google and it’s search competitors has decreased, and now both Yahoo and MSN are threatening to encroach Google’s once dominant market share.

Since its separation from Google in 2003, Yahoo has broken away from its former partner to become an industry threat with its own proprietary search technology. A study done by The comScore Media Metrix indicated that before the split Google held 79% of the market while Yahoo held a mere 16%. However - as of late 2005 this Yahoo’s portion increased to an impressive 42%.

The future of the market is also dependent on which Search Engine is perceived as more convenient, user friendly and appealing to consumers. Google and Yahoo differ in their search result styles with the latter displaying each result with a description of the page, while Google writes its own description based on the first paragraph of the webpage’s copy. Other competitors, such as AOL and AskJeeves, are adding new and unique features to keep up with the race. For example, AOL now suggests search phrases as you type your inquiry and AskJeeves displays a thumbnail of the SERP webpage result. (more…)

“Don’t be evil,” sounds like a command given to a sinister three-year-old boy eyeing a batch of freshly baked cookies by a mother as she leaves the kitchen to rip a butt. In an age when we have more embezzling CEOs than roll models it is hard to imagine a new, headline making company using this as a their informal mantra.
  

Being a buzz worthy company that has recently become public, it’s informal mantra has become a lightning rod for both positive and negative attention from the press and self acclaimed “internet gurus.” Entire websites have been devoted to the monitoring and belittling of the world’s most popular search engine. Two sites that were easy to find in the Google search results were www.google-watch.org and www.dontbeevil.com.

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Abstract: Comparison shopping sites are becoming increasingly popular amongst online retailers. Small retailers have the tendency to feel as though they cannot survive in such a competitive environment where prices are being driven down by larger retailers, which have the business models to support themselves on slimmer margins. However, small retailers can gain and retain market share without lowering their prices and by building their brands.

The online market place is rapidly growing. Recently, Forrester Research released an online retail study projecting that the Internet will bring in $269 billion in retail sales in 2005, while influencing $378 billion in offline sales, over half a trillion dollars all together. With e-commerce continuing to increase its impact on retail sales, online retailers have begun piling into comparison shopping sites. According to an October 2004 study done by Forrester Research, while only 18 percent of online consumers use comparison shopping sites, that segment spends 24 percent more than average online consumers do. It is certainly a desirable method of generating sales leads; however, as more online retailers use comparison shopping sites, bid prices will escalate. Some online retailers argue that customers who visit these sites seek the lowest prices and for that reason will just drive their margins down. So what is the key to long term success for these businesses? Brand building. (more…)