I just read an interesting post at Techcrunch that describes demographic differences between users of Google and Yahoo search. According to a Hitwise report on demographics of Google and Yahoo searches it seems as if those with higher economic/social demographic status tend toward Google, while lower status demographics skew towards Yahoo. Could it be that recreational Web users are more likely to use the Yahoo interface that is more distracting? How will Google's inclusion of Video ads (currently being tested in limited areas) in search results impact the distraction quotient of searches?
I find this really interesting and have shared at workshops how some have reported that those who tend to click on ads have less education than those who prefer organic search results…. I just think that smarter people conduct better searches and are more likely to see the results they are hoping for by conducting more detailed searches.
Are we naturally finding our way into our social and economic community when we use search? Extend that thinking and perhaps Facebook – where users connect with people just like themselves becomes the most useful place to include a web search engine application.
