For the first time since 2002, when the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) was first carried out by the University of Michigan, Yahoo! has overtaken Google in US customer satisfaction points. The ACSI survey is a leading indicator of consumer behaviour and economic performance and collects data from circa 80,000 Americans annually on a wide range of business-to-consumer products and services.The category of 'portals, search engines, and news and information sites' has previously been led by Google. This year, however, Yahoo! managed to beat Google on points - on one point to be exact. Out of a possible 100 points, Yahoo! reached a score of 79 points while Google dropped back to second place with 78 points.
Other notable changes in search engine rankings include Ask.com score of 75 customer satisfaction points (a healthy increase of four points year-on-year), while MSN remains at the 75 point mark, its score changing insubstantially since the survey was first conducted. With Ask.com and MSN concurrently ranking on third place, AOL has dropped a massive seven points and only reached a total of 67 points.
The most striking shift within the e-business site category is certainly Yahoo!'s overtaking of Google. But why have Americans started to believe that Yahoo! offers a more satisfactory experience than Google?
While Google's success is mainly based on search engine capabilities, Yahoo! can draw upon a portfolio of well-promoted portal services and, although Google offers many additional features to searchers as well, user awareness of these tools seems to be low.
According to ForeSee Results, the survey clearly reflects people's view of Yahoo!'s superior performance - whether deserved or not. Google's outstandingly simple, clean and easy-to-use search engine identity now comes back to haunt the internet giant. While site design changes and additional services are being effectively promoted on the Yahoo! portal homepage, Google's search engine start page has largely remained the same over the last few years.
Additionally, Google has been confident enough to rely on growth by word-of-mouth advertising via satisfied users, while Yahoo! actively markets its services through a variety of advertising channels.
Nielsen Media Research data shows that, in the UK, Google relies on promoting services online with an evanescently small spend for press adverts. By contrast, Yahoo! has an extensive marketing budget for above-the-line advertising, using not only online and newspapers advertising facilities, but also poster and radio media.
For Yahoo!, the survey gives hope for a healthier financial future. For Google it's time to start thinking - the power of word-of-mouth advertising might have exhausted its potential and can't be relied on for promoting an extensive range of new and innovative Google services.
In the harsh search engine world, it is vital to be perceived as the best in the field by users. The ACSI survey has shown that Google cannot allow itself the luxury of resting on its laurels.
