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Google is Ireland's internet king
07-04-2008
by Emmet Ryan

Search giant Google has crushed all opposition in a survey of visitor numbers to Irish websites.

According to the report by Net Behaviour, 78 percent of all Irish internet users visit Google every month, well clear of second-placed Yahoo on 49 percent and Aer Lingus on 48 percent. The Dublin-based internet agency commissioned the survey in a bid to better understand Irish web traffic. "We need to know how the Irish people use the web," Emmet Kelly, operations director with Net Behaviour, told ENN.

The study, which was carried out by research firms Amarach Consulting and Monitrack Internet Research on behalf of Net Behaviour, asked 2,500 people about their use of 500 websites. While search engines topped the charts, other areas, such as finance and banking sites, also played a prominent role. AIB was the most popular money-related site with 30 percent of users visiting it regularly, followed by Bank of Ireland on 25 percent with Permanent TSB, Rabo Direct and Ulster Bank rounding out the top five. In total Net Behaviour estimates that 641,000 Irish internet users, or 45 percent of all users, visit these kinds of sites at least once a month.

The most prominent sector in the top 30 sites listed was travel. Ryanair was tied with Aer Lingus on 48 percent while Aer Arann also cracked the list on 16 percent. Other sites from the industry to chart well included ebookers.ie and Budget Travel.

The success of both finance and travel in the study shows the increasing interest Irish internet users have in processing transactions online. People are becoming more willing to pay for goods and services over the internet, indicating a rise in the confidence Irish web surfers have in buying online. No site testified to this trend more than eBay, which is visited by 37 percent of Irish internet users at least once a month.

The study also found that attitudes towards the internet are changing, with younger users setting the trend for the future. Social networking and Web 2.0 style sites such as Bebo and YouTube performed well with this segment of the market. Kelly said that having this breakdown of data on how different users behave online can aid businesses trying to reach specific target markets. He said the aim of the study was to use this information give advertisers a better idea of what various market segments are doing online.