Stakes multiply in search wars

On average, people use two different search engines a month, according to new data from market researcher ComScore Media Metrix. And while Google commands the most loyalty from searchers, even those people find the need to cheat sometimes.

"Everyone thinks there's this incredible loyalty to Web search engines, but in fact there really isn't," said James Lamberti, a research director at ComScore. "Consumers still switch around a lot, and loyalty can be quickly broken."

To be sure, the search game is still anyone's to win, despite popular opinion that Google is the locked-in leader. The most concrete evidence of a tenuous perch is the transfer of the search crown from Yahoo to Google during the past few years.

Yahoo and MSN are investing heavily in search to make sure that they become the leading jumping-off point on the Web. Yahoo plans to launch new technology within five weeks, displacing partner Google, and MSN is regularly experimenting with new search formulas that it plans to debut later this year. Both companies are aiming to take advantage of their expansive audiences to convert new search loyalists.

Their efforts may be effective, too. People are often dissatisfied with their first search results, and switching providers costs little to nothing. Although a glowing report last week from Search Engine Watch awarded Google the "outstanding search engine" prize, the industry newsletter also noted that the company's search results are slipping.

Google's chief scientist Craig Silverstein disputed that claim, citing internal research that shows it has improved relevancy and searcher satisfaction over time.