More About Google (yawn)
Every news source in the country is trying to find something to write about the hottest search engine/IPO company on the Web. S&P came out with some new survey results that outline some challenges that Google faces.
The quote I found most interesting is the part where it says:
The survey showed that users favor Google for the relevance and accuracy of its results. Nevertheless, more than 6 of 10 Google users said they would switch search engines if a better service was introduced.
Two thoughts about that - (1) Saying you would switch is a lot different than actually switching. Case in point: why does AOL continue to have so many users even though they charge a premium for a sub-par Internet service? (hint: they're not all staying for the content and chat rooms). It's because there is a very real emotional and psychological cost involved with that kind of switch. Granted a search engine is easier to switch than an ISP, but many of these people are addicted to Google and in their mind there is no other place to search. I just don't see everyone jumping ship all at once. I see the opposite happening, I see them acquiring more new customers faster than they lose any of their existing customers. And (2) is this is really any different than any other business? Wouldn't 6 out of 10 customers say they would switch to a different company if a better one came along? That's the beatuy of surveys, you can make it look like a serious problem by the way you phrase the question.
Here's the article on MSNBC
The quote I found most interesting is the part where it says:
The survey showed that users favor Google for the relevance and accuracy of its results. Nevertheless, more than 6 of 10 Google users said they would switch search engines if a better service was introduced.
Two thoughts about that - (1) Saying you would switch is a lot different than actually switching. Case in point: why does AOL continue to have so many users even though they charge a premium for a sub-par Internet service? (hint: they're not all staying for the content and chat rooms). It's because there is a very real emotional and psychological cost involved with that kind of switch. Granted a search engine is easier to switch than an ISP, but many of these people are addicted to Google and in their mind there is no other place to search. I just don't see everyone jumping ship all at once. I see the opposite happening, I see them acquiring more new customers faster than they lose any of their existing customers. And (2) is this is really any different than any other business? Wouldn't 6 out of 10 customers say they would switch to a different company if a better one came along? That's the beatuy of surveys, you can make it look like a serious problem by the way you phrase the question.
Here's the article on MSNBC
posted by Dave @ 7:47 AM
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