Search engine traffic growing faster than internet usage

It is a data finding from the USA market, not Australia, but a new Nielsen/Netratings report has confirmed that American search engine usage is growing faster than the overall consumer usage of the internet.

Why is that significant? It means that consumers are becoming more reliant on search engines to do everyday research than ever before.

As Ken Cassar, senior director of analytics at Nielsen/NetRatings, commented: “The double-digit increase in online search activity marks a significant milestone in the evolution of Internet consumer behavior. Online search is the primary tool most people rely on to do everyday research.” The December 2005 data revealed a 55 percent year-on-year surge in online searches.