The advent of search engine technology grew alongside the rapid expansion of the Internet from the 1990s onward. The number of residential Internet connections in the US will have quadrupled from 21.8 million in 1997 to an estimated 90+ million in 2005. By 2005, the proportion of those with broadband access compared to those with dial-up connections will have grown to roughly one in three connections--and that proportion is expanding rapidly.

The advent of search engine technology grew alongside the rapid expansion of the Internet from the 1990s onward. The number of residential Internet connections in the US will have quadrupled from 21.8 million in 1997 to an estimated 90+ million in 2005. By 2005, the proportion of those with broadband access compared to those with dial-up connections will have grown to roughly one in three connections--and that proportion is expanding rapidly.

According to Mintel’s exclusive consumer research conducted in December 2004, nearly all Internet user respondents use search engines at least occasionally and 43% of respondents claim that their current search engine usage is more frequent even than last year. Search engine providers must weigh satisfying consumers--through delivering relevant results--against making money through paid placement advertisements. These sponsored results are sometimes placed ahead of other search results that may be more relevant to the consumer’s search. As a result, consumers’ expectations in terms of the validity of search results has driven the perception relevant search results difficult to obtain. Search engine providers innovate to seek ways to balance search result relevance against profit.

This report covers Internet serach engines, defined as online indexing and retrieval tools that perform key words searches for Internet content. This definition excludes search functionality contained on websites that only search a dedicated website or database.

To provide the most concise market overview, Mintel’s definition of portals includes search engines sites that offer functionality beyond searching--search engines that also act as portals. Services such as email and directories provide value beyond searching. These services, while discussed when relevant, are not the main focal point of this report. As such, the definition excludes Internet service providers (ISPs).