Search Engine Click-Throughs Not Linked to Audience Size

LONDON — A new study released Thursday indicates that total search engine click-through rates are not proportional to the audience size of the search engine.

Conventional wisdom had suggested that the amount of click-throughs obtained by a website using search engine advertising were directly linked to the search engine’s user base, but new research conducted by Nielsen//NetRatings suggests that this might not be the case.

The Internet analysts examined the number of click-throughs per search engine user and then ranked each engine based on the number of average click-throughs and the number of audiences, with odd results.

“The research shows that when it comes to placing keywords on search engines, a bigger audience is not always better,” said Tim Roe, head of the data analytics department at NetRatings. “Understanding that the small search engines can be as successful as some of the larger ones in generating click-throughs can help companies to improve their return on investment, and make their promotional spending go further.”

According to the study, while the conventional wisdom bares out for both Google and Yahoo, ranked No. 1 and No. 2, respectively, in both unique searchers and average click-through rate, the two sets of ranks drastically diverged beginning at third place.

Ask Jeeves is ranked as having the third highest audience out of the search engines, for example, but only averages 4.5 click-throughs per users, making it ninth. Instead, Altavista, ranked 15th in terms of audience size, took third place with roughly 13.6 click-throughs per user.

Tiscali, ranked 12th in terms of its user base, garners 7.8 click-throughs per user, placing it in fourth place. Conversely, MSN Search, ranked fourth in terms of size, only pulls in 5.5 click-throughs per search, making it tied for sixth place with Wanadoo.

“There are many factors that influence the success of a search engine,” Roe said. “As with other forms of advertising, companies cannot rely solely on the size of the audience to a particular search engine as a guarantee of attracting the right target audience to their website, product or service.”

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates FTC 'Click to Cancel' Rule Pending Review

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions, pending further review.

FSC Drops Florida AV Lawsuit in Wake of SCOTUS Decision

A U.S. district court judge granted on Tuesday a motion by Free Speech Coalition to dismiss the trade association’s lawsuit over Florida’s age verification law, a case that had been on hold pending the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the constitutionality of state AV laws.

Ukrainian President Responds to Porn Legalization Petition

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded Tuesday to an OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine, stating that he would wait for the legislative process to play out “in accordance with established procedure.”

Show More