SINGAPORE CITY, Singapore, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- comScore, Inc. , a leader in measuring the digital world, today released its latest report on search activity in the Asia-Pacific region based on data from its qSearch service. The study found that 38.6 billion searches were conducted in the region in September 2009, with searchers averaging nearly 88 queries per person during the month. Google Sites ranked as the top search destination in Asia Pacific, commanding more than 44 percent share of searches performed in the region.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080115/COMSCORELOGO) Google Sites Captures Largest Share of Search in Asia Pacific

In September 2009, Internet users in Asia Pacific conducted 38.6 billion search queries, an increase of 33 percent from the previous year. Google Sites was the top search destination with nearly 17 billion searches performed on its sites during the month, accounting for 44.1 percent share of all searches in the region. Baidu.com Inc. followed with 8.2 billion searches (21.3 percent share), while Yahoo! Sites grabbed the #3 position with 5.3 billion searches (13.8 percent share).

Searchers in the region averaged nearly 88 searches per person during September. South Korea's NHN Corporation, which owns search engine Naver.com, saw the most prolific search intensity among the top 10 destinations with an average of 81 searches per searcher. Searchers on Google Sites averaged 59 searches per person, while searchers on Lycos Sites averaged 51 queries.

Top 10 Search Properties in Asia Pacific by No. of Searches September 2009 Total Asia Pacific Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home&Work Locations Source: comScore qSearch ------------------------ Searches Searches Share of Per (MM) Searches Searcher ---------- --------- --------- Total Internet 38,585 100.0% 87.5 -------------- ------ ----- ---- Google Sites 16,997 44.1% 58.5 -------------- ------ ---- ---- Baidu.com Inc. 8,228 21.3% 44.5 -------------- ----- ---- ---- Yahoo! Sites 5,340 13.8% 41.3 ------------ ----- ---- ---- NHN Corporation 1,959 5.1% 80.5 --------------- ----- --- ---- Microsoft Sites 1,093 2.8% 9.5 --------------- ----- --- --- Lycos Sites 997 2.6% 51.0 ----------- --- --- ---- Alibaba.com Corporation 949 2.5% 15.6 ----------------------- --- --- ---- Tencent Inc. 790 2.0% 8.6 ------------ --- --- --- Facebook.com 259 0.7% 8.0 ------------ --- --- --- Sohu.com Inc. 230 0.6% 8.9 ------------- --- --- --- *Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

Local Players and Global Brands Compete for Searcher Loyalty Across Markets

An analysis of top search destinations across the 10 individual markets in the Asia-Pacific region currently reported by comScore revealed various search brand preferences across markets. Google Sites was the search market share leader in six of the markets including Australia, India, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore. Yahoo! Sites captured the majority share of searches in Hong Kong (58.9 percent) and Taiwan (65.4 percent).

Although multinational search brands led many of the markets in the region, the popularity of local brands was evident in both China and South Korea. Baidu.com Inc. led as China's top search destination with 63 percent share of searches performed, while NHN Corporation captured 49.3 percent of queries in Korea, leading the market as the top destination.

Top Search Property in Individual Asia Pacific Markets by Share of Searches September 2009 Total Internet Audience*, Age 15+ - Home&Work Locations Source: comScore qSearch ------------------------ Top Search Property in Share of Market Searches --------------- -------- Australia Google Sites 83.4% --------- ------------ ---- China Baidu.com Inc. 63.0% ----- -------------- ---- Hong Kong Yahoo! Sites 58.9% --------- ------------ ---- India Google Sites 89.1% ----- ------------ ---- Japan Google Sites 47.5% ----- ------------ ---- Malaysia Google Sites 71.1% -------- ------------ ---- New Zealand Google Sites 80.5% ----------- ------------ ---- Singapore Google Sites 72.3% --------- ------------ ---- South Korea NHN Corporation 49.3% ----------- --------------- ---- Taiwan Yahoo! Sites 65.4% ------ ------------ ---- * Excludes visitation from public computers such as Internet cafes or access from mobile phones or PDAs.

"The competition between local and global brands to capture search market share around the world continues to be an ongoing battle," said Will Hodgman, comScore executive vice president for the Asia-Pacific region. "As multinational brands continue to expand across borders, understanding the online behaviors and preferences of local audiences will be a central component to implementing successful digital marketing strategies that capitalize on this lucrative and growing market."

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