search engine race

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If you're searching for information on the internet, you tend to be in a hurry. Let's be honest - you've got better things to do with your precious time! So which search engine will you choose? And how have search engines responded to this need for speed? In "search" of the answer, imagine a race between the two most popular search engines. According to statistics from comScore reported on Search Engine Watch, the leading search engines are Google (with 63.7% of searches in March 2009) and Yahoo (with 20.5%).

Google - sleek and very fast

The leading search engine, Google, has a very simple, uncluttered home page (see www.google.co.uk) that is only about 18 kb in size – this includes all associated files such as logos that have to be downloaded to enable the user to see the complete page. This home page will download in less than a second over a broadband connection – about 3 seconds over a 56.6 kbps modem.

Perform a Google search and the search results page is about 100 kb in size – taking about 2 seconds to download over broadband.

Google’s basic page design does not distract, confuse or delay the user. The site is very easy to use, the user feels in control and the site delivers the information that users want extremely quickly.

Yahoo - the couch potato

In comparison, Yahoo’s home page (see http://uk.yahoo.com/) is over 400 kb in size (!) and takes up to 8 seconds to download over broadband – and a massive 69 seconds to download if you're unfortunate enough to have to use a 56.6 kbps modem! Even 8 seconds (broadband) is a long time to wait before you can even start your search. If you're quick at typing in a search query, you could have used Google and completed your search before the Yahoo home page has even loaded! In a straight race between the two search engines, Google wins hands down!

different strokes for different folks

File size is not the only issue to consider. Google's comprehensive scope and objective ranking of search results are key factors in its popularity. And Yahoo’s business model is very different from Google’s. Yahoo’s home page contains advertisements and many links to other parts of the Yahoo site. These are all important in generating revenue and traffic for Yahoo.

but Google wins for pure search

Users who just want to perform a simple internet search can choose between many different search engines. The success of Google suggests that many users want a search engine that delivers high quality information extremely quickly.

what are the implications for web design?

We like to use Google's 18kb home page as a benchmark. We encourage our clients to respect their users and deliver relevant information as quickly as possible. Let's face it, users are impatient and, if your site is slow to download, they'll look elsewhere. The speed and efficiency of Google makes it very easy for these impatient users to find another site to visit!

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