Social networking traffic overtakes search engines

For the first time social networks have become more popular than search engines in Britain, according to New Media Age.

Figures from Experian Hitwise found that traffic to social networks made up 11.9% of all UK internet visits in May, whereas search engines accounted for 11.3%. Traffic to Facebook accounted for 55% of all social network visits, which was triple the amount YouTube got. Twitter is now the third most popular social network, followed by Bebo and MySpace.

Search engine marketing experts won’t be surprised to learn that Google remains the most visited website overall.

Experien Hitwise said that, whilst Facebook is clearly the most popular social network, it doesn’t dominate the market in the same way that Google does. According to their figures, google.co.uk and google.com accounted for 90% of every web search carried out in the UK during May.

“Although social networks and search engines perform different functions, they both act as gateways to the wider internet,” said Robin Goad, research director at Experian Hitwise. “This data illustrates the key role that social media now plays in so much online behaviour.”

He continued: “The majority of online marketing spend is currently diverted towards search, and this is likely to remain the case in the short to medium term. Search remains the primary source of traffic for most websites, particularly in sectors that account for the majority of online transactions, such as retail, finance and travel.”

In America, Facebook has overtaken Google in popularity, according to an article by The Guardian. In reference to Hitwise statistics for America, they state that Facebook accounts for 7.07% of all American traffic, while google.com accounted for 7.04%.