Nielsen: US Search Volume Down 16% While Bing Jumps

Apps finally starting to relace Google as a preferred means of navigation and web usage.

now we see why google getting so aggressive on monetizing SERPs and getting rid of organic results.

Holy mother! I read statements on here in the last 6 months to the effect that "search is dead...or at least dying" and never believed it. Those stats might possibly give credence to those words.

Apps finally starting to relace Google as a preferred means of navigation and web usage

can you expand on this please, everytime I hear "apps" all I can think of is cell phones now. > <

Yes - I assume that's what Brett meant. It's pretty sure that smartphone apps are taking up a lot of functions that previously went to search. Mobile access is changing the Internet.

Does this mean search is "dead"? Not yet, and probably not for a long time. But search does seem to have peaked, and it now needs to share the "locate my information" function with mobile apps.

but how do the apps search ?


Search exists to find unknown items, an app is surely linked to the app supplier i suppose

are you saying mobile users are just going direct to their app suppliers content ?

...preferred means of navigation and web usage.

Preferred? Perhaps, an alternative means.

Significant story, nonetheless; the trend is what matters.

So we need a search engine to catalog and search for Apps ? ;)

well, if, on every search i do, the first result is a wikipedia entry that answers my query than, at some point I will bookmark wikepedia and bypass google.

The same principle applies to many, many topics...look for movie info go to imdb...look for industry specific information...go to the industry authority website...etc.

Throw in the way people use fb, twitter etc to ask their friends for info plus more and more mobile phone 'finder apps', all bypassing google and you have receipe for 'search is dead'

Google search turning into some sort of glorified yellow pages only speeds up the process of people using alternative sources to 'search'.

More about apps in this article about Intel and apps for netbooks [geek.com] I hear that Intel is now building chips that have their app store embedded in it!

If 2009 taught us anything, it’s that every product needs an app store. Whether it’s a television or an established mobile operating system, people want their apps. And they want them from a single source where they don't have to worry about compatibility or difficult installations.

I just use Youtube for info, Ebay and Amazon to buy and word of mouth for local services ... what is there left but naff over seo'd rubbish on google ?

if Wikipedia's own search was quicker and better, I'd use google probably 20% less than I do, which is already far less than I used to. I use G for searches such as "Paul Newman wiki" because I've never got on with Wikipedia's sluggish and occasionally wacky search engine.

True, they are many top sites that offer a certain service but I always google for "products" just in case I get a better price or different POV.

I'm with karter, as I've never held a smartphone in my hand. Can someone give an example of how people navigate with apps?

Apps finally starting to relace Google as a preferred means of navigation and web usage.

Wouldn't the better answer be that many people have established the sites they go to everyday?

If I graphed the average person's search usage over time it'd probably be the graph of y = 1/x. Once people have their news/social/game/shopping sites marked down they don't need to use global search that often anymore.

Don't underestimate the GFC in stemming the momentum on top of the other market diversifications involving apps . That makes things a bit more hazy IMO.

well, if, on every search i do, the first result is a wikipedia entry that answers my query than, at some point I will bookmark wikepedia and bypass google.

The same principle applies to many, many topics...look for movie info go to imdb...look for industry specific information...go to the industry authority website...etc.

Throw in the way people use fb, twitter etc to ask their friends for info plus more and more mobile phone 'finder apps', all bypassing google and you have receipe for 'search is dead'

yes this is kinda what im thinking, we are getting more well established websites and less people are having to search, they just go straight to the authority website of choice.

This also has a lot to do with people being more tech savvy as time passes. They are now understand they don't have to turn to google for everything they are looking for.

Let's also examine the effect the worlds economy is having on search. Isn't two thirds of our economy fueled by consumer spending? Fewer searches due to a reduction in "interest" to at least do research on products or services?

And The Nielsen Company gets thier data from whom? Verified how and by what method?

Once I downloaded a fleet of useful iPhone apps, I quickly discovered that I used Google far less on the iPhone than I do on a computer - even over Wi-Fi, and even when doing many of the same activities. That is partly due to the fact that mobile search needs to improve, but it is also do to the nature of the smartphone itself.

When I’m sitting at a computer, I typically use Google at least 2-3 times per hour. It’s usually the first place I go to get information. Google is not as much of a sleuth as it is a concierge. For example, when I’m pulling up a site, I often don’t use a bookmark or type the URL into the address bar. It’s just quicker to open my home page (Google) and type in the company name. This behavior is a bit lazy, but it’s effective because it’s the path of least resistance.

However, the opposite is true on smartphones — especially the iPhone with so many specialized apps and no qwerty keyboard. In my tests with the iPhone, I discovered that Google is usually my last resort for finding information. In fact, I typically only use Google search 2-3 times per day from the iPhone.

[blogs.techrepublic.com.com...]

However, the opposite is true on smartphones — especially the iPhone with so many specialized apps and no qwerty keyboard. In my tests with the iPhone, I discovered that Google is usually my last resort for finding information. In fact, I typically only use Google search 2-3 times per day from the iPhone.

Great...and now they'll look into buying Apple... :-)

Can someone give an example of how people navigate with apps?

My wife's Droid has several apps she uses daily:

1) A sports scores app that she set sport type and it gives leagues and within them teams scores.

2) Yankee baseball schedule - day vs location and TV network.

3) Weather applet that interfaces with the cell network to determine location. Then it pulls weather based on current location.

4) IMDB app that you can input movie or actor and get results.

question, is there any chance of smartphone use overtaking laptop use at home, for sure folk on a 30 train or bus ride home surf with their phone, but does this carry through

There's a big chunk of activity that just doesn't need to involve search. I'd like to see some deeper analysis on where the mainstream trends are headed and which type of verticals and scenarios , but common sense tells me :

-People make do on less information ( Twitter Style )
-Social media has already got a strong place on phones
-Phones are more convenient for geo / directory search
-Phone companies / Yellow Pages have better data
-Brands can afford to partner with Telco's e.g. Supermarkets , shopping , banking
-Phone's will interact with more alternative digital devices as technology advances e.g. televisions , check in for flights ( boarding passes ) , hotels .

Could Google end up playing 2nd fiddle to a new generation ?

Lol, perhaps if Nielsen included searches made from apps the figure would be more accurate.

Trust me, more people searched, the number of locations they search from has increased (apps, xbox/ps3/wii, TV etc) and 99.9% of those "devices" are STILL powered by one of the big 3 search engines.

Nielsen isn't counting all the search sources, that's all.

edit: an example of evidence there are MORE searches going on... today everyone is pinged with the absolute latest news about everything from SOME device and they go look up those search results pronto. You do it too, you KNOW you clicked search results for Paris Hilton in jail this week for example... betcha didn't get that news from a search engine though. Whatever device you DID get it from obviously searches non stop for you.

Maybe it would be more accurate of nielsen to say "fewer natural human type in searches".

Maybe it wou;ld be more accurate of nielsen to say "fewer humans viewed natural search result pages".

Take your pick but in reality you caused more data to be searched this year than last thanks to the armada of automated ways it can be done.

If there was trruly LESS data thrown your way there would be LESS advertising and that's never going to happen with Wall st's MORE MORE MORE mantra.

[edited by: Sgt_Kickaxe at 3:28 am (utc) on Aug 30, 2010]

Perhaps this is simply the decline of automated tools/scraping of search engines.

If the search engines are always improving results then people may be doing less searches to find what they want. It's simple but very possible.

...you KNOW you clicked search results for Paris Hilton in jail this week for example...

Am I the only person who finds Paris Hilton more boring than anything else?

As Stephen Colbert would say, "Like a manilla envelope taped to a beige wall."

The people disagree, it was the top story yesterday. People like to stare even if they don't Google anymore. How many people here have some sort of device/software/service that shows you top stories without having to Google them? I bet you see top stories while checking your email...

No need to search when every app and service out there throws ads wrapped in whatever is currently hot at you.