Online Advertising: What Kind of Web Surfer Uses Google?

Google users tend to be richer and have more Internet experience than those who primarily use competing search services from Microsoft, Yahoo and others, according to a new study.

A survey of 1,000 Internet users in the United States by S.G. Cowen & Co. found that the longer people have been using the Internet, the more likely it is that Google will be their search engine of choice. These frequent Google users are more likely than people who use competing search engines to have household incomes above $60,000. Google is also the most popular search engine: 52 percent of respondents chose it as their primary site for general Web searches.

The study finds that among the search engines, Google is the current leader in paid search, a rapidly growing form of online advertising. “The study crystallizes a view that’s already out there: that Google is doing better because it is a more attractive site for advertisers, says Jim Friedland, S.G. Cowen director and senior research analyst. “On the demographic issue, advertisers will look to advertise to higher-income customers.”