Google: Search Market Blob
by John Paczkowski
Posted on January 29, 2009 at 9:28 AM PT
The Department’s investigation revealed that Internet search advertising and Internet search syndication are each relevant antitrust markets and that Google is by far the largest provider of such services.”
2008 was a great year for Google, search’s presiding monopolist. The company engulfed share like some search market phagocyte, an algorithmic blob with no Steve McQueen in sight to stop it.
According to comScore’s 2008 Digital Year In Review report, Google began the year claiming 58.5 percent of all search queries and ended it with 63.5 percent. Moreover, of the 137 billion search queries conducted in the states last year, 85 billion were handled by Google (GOOG). That means Google claimed nearly 90 percent of the total growth in search query volume for the year.
Astonishing, yeah? Frightening as well, given the potential antitrust implications of such growth, which shows no signs of abatement. After all, Google’s mindshare is growing faster than its search market share. ComScore ranked the company as the top U.S. Internet property for 2008. The U.S. Internet population grew four percent in 2008 to 190.7 million visitors in December.
Google Sites (Google.com, YouTube.com and Blogger.com) grew 12 percent to 149 million visitors.
You do the math on that one…
Comments
There are no “antitrust implications of such growth”. Unlike Microsoft, Google doesn’t pay users to search on its site – we gravitate there naturally. Whether it’s because msn isn’t worth the bandwidth it’s sitting on or yahoo is still trying to find itself, Google grows by natural selection and that’s not scary…..not if its what people want.
Posted by Piper Burnette at January 29th, 2009 at 3:33 pm