CNNIC report on search engine usage in H1 2009

The 2009 Report on Chinese Search User Behavior,
released today by the China Internet Network
Information Center (CNNIC), shows that as of the
end of June 2009, China was home to 235 mln search
engine users, up by 59.49 mln users, or 34%, from
June 2008. Search engine use among Chinese
Internet users rose to 69.4%. By the end of 2009, the
report predicts, the number of search engine users in
China will rise to 260 mln. City and township users and
rural users of search engines split 76.6% and 23.4%
respectively, with 180 mln search engine users coming
from city and township areas, and approximately
55 mln from rural regions. 74.1% of city and township
Internet users and 57.5% of rural Internet users use
search engines. As of the end of June, China was home
to approximately 155 mln mobile Internet users.
Mobile search was the second most commonly used
mobile Internet application, with 26.2% penetration,
or 40.74 mln users, accounting for 17.4% of overall
search engine use. Of the 56.77 mln predicted users
of 3G in H2 2009, up to 21.74 mln, or 38.3%, could
use 3G mobile search services.

Baqidu had 92.9% market penetration, and Google 32.7%.
Sohu's search engine Sogou, China Yahoo, Tencent (0700.HK)
Soso, Microsoft Bing, and Netease Youdao had 26.9%, 22.0%,
13.0%, 6.3%, and 5.1% penetration, respectively. (Penetration
is calculated as the percentage of all search users users who
had made use of a given search engine.) 77.2% of users said
Baidu was their first choice for search, with 12.7% choosing
Google, 3.1% choosing Soso, 2.4% choosing Sogou, and
1.6% choosing China Yahoo.

Music was the most commonly
searched form of non-text content, with 39.5% of users
having searched for music. Movies, videos, and games
followed, with 30.3%, 13.7%, and 16.5% of users,
respectively. Baidu led in user loyalty, with 94.8% of its users.
Google, Soso, China Yahoo, and Sogou followed with
80%, 78%, 75%, and 53% respectively. User loyalty is
determined by the percentage of users who most commonly
used a given brand six months ago who continue to prefer
the brand. 67.2% of search engine users said they
"never click" search advertisements. 31.4% said they
did click.