The battle for Web search-engine supremacy got a new player last
month after media mogul Barry Diller (ABC, Fox) purchased
Ask Jeeves in a $1.85 billion stock deal.
Diller is sure to put serious resources into Ask Jeeves to
compete head-to-head with industry leaders Google and
Yahoo!, which share the Nos. 1 and 2 slots for the Top 10
Web sites visited in a month, per Delahaye.
Whether it's for the weather (Weather.com), the latest
best seller (Amazon.com) or directions to the satellite
office from the airport (Mapquest.com), searching of one
kind or another is all the rage online right now.
The trick for PR execs is to disseminate their news and
information in such a way that it lands on the engine's front page
related to any search concerning your brand, product, service or
space.
Sports- and entertainment-related Web sites seem to be the best
online vehicles to get your message out -- aside from search
engines, that is.
The sites run both wide (MLB.com, NFL.com) and
deep (moviefone.com, citysearch.com), appealing to
diehard fans or folks who just want to see what's on TV
tonight.
In a twist on the old saw that "all politics is local," so is
Web searching, apparently. Among the top Web sites visited monthly,
several cater to local tastes and interests.
| Top 10 Web Sites Visited Monthly |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile | % Of Target | Target Persons | |
|
1
|
31.40%
|
68,850,640
|
|
|
2
|
Yahoo! |
30.20%
|
66,165,110
|
|
3
|
MapQuest |
23.60%
|
51,629,860
|
|
4
|
eBay |
19.00%
|
41,655,060
|
|
5
|
Weather.com |
14.20%
|
31,137,030
|
|
6
|
AOL |
13.00%
|
28,494,720
|
|
7
|
Amazon |
12.80%
|
28,057,080
|
|
8
|
Ask Jeeves |
8.60%
|
18,766,830
|
|
9
|
ESPN.com |
8.50%
|
18,513,490
|
|
10
|
CNN.com |
6.90%
|
15,143,670
|
| Other Sites Visited Monthly |
|||
| Profile | % Of Target | Target Persons | |
|
11
|
MSNBC.com |
5.80%
|
12,669,410
|
|
12
|
National Football League (NFL.com) |
5.30%
|
11,517,960
|
|
13
|
Netscape |
5.00%
|
11,018,040
|
|
14
|
Major League Baseball (MLB.com) |
3.50%
|
7,662,410
|
|
15
|
Citysearch |
2.50%
|
5,574,370
|
| Other Sites Visited Monthly |
|||
| Profile | % Of Target | Target Persons | |
|
16
|
Discovery.com |
2.50%
|
5,461,540
|
|
17
|
MSN Local City Guide |
2.50%
|
5,426,800
|
|
18
|
Moviefone |
2.30%
|
5,094,930
|
|
19
|
AOL local channel |
2.10%
|
4,634,140
|
|
20
|
National Basketball Association (NBA.com) |
2.00%
|
4,419,400
|
|
21
|
MTV.com |
1.90%
|
4,202,820
|
|
22
|
Lycos Network |
1.90%
|
4,056,130
|
|
23
|
TVGuide.com |
1.50%
|
3,194,780
|
|
24
|
AandE.com (A&E)/History Channel.com |
1.30%
|
2,743,490
|
|
25
|
National Hockey League (NHL.com) |
1.20%
|
2,611,520
|
|
26
|
About.com |
1.00%
|
2,168,090
|
|
27
|
Netscape Local |
0.80%
|
1,679,900
|
|
28
|
GO |
0.60%
|
1,309,680
|
|
29
|
CompuServe Local |
0.50%
|
1,078,840
|
|
30
|
Terra.com (Hispanic) |
0.40%
|
824,250
|
| Source: Delahaye Survey Research |
|||