ForSee's latest Annual E-Business Report reveals that some users are a little less satisfied with search engine giant Google this year.

ForSee’s latest Annual E-Business Report reveals that some users are a little less satisfied with search engine giant Google this year. Marketers should take note that Google slipped in the satisfaction index for the first time in 2010, while Bing had a strong showing in its first year on the survey.

The report shows that Google fell six points and 7 percent in the annual customer satisfaction index, dropping to a score of 80 for 2010. ForSee officials suggest this decline in satisfaction ratings is linked to users’ reports of overwhelming search results, “too many” special features and advertisements.

These findings seem to shed light on the latest search engine ad impression rankings from comScore. The data indicates that Google searchers don’t click online ads as frequently as other searchers, with Google sites accounting for just 2.4 percent of display ad views. Meanwhile, Yahoo sites and Microsoft sites accounted for 12.1 percent and 5.5 percent of display ad impressions, respectively.

Microsoft’s search engine closely follows Google on the ForSee customer satisfaction index, with Bing earning 77 points in its debut on survey. Yahoo also had a fine performance, scoring 76 points on the index. Officials believe Bing’s high score in its first year on the index indicate Microsoft and Yahoo could have “a fighting chance” in the search market.

Indeed, the customer satisfaction ratings bode well for the two search engines as they prepare for their search alliance. Yahoo officials predict that they will account for 30 percent of the search market once they merge.

Nonetheless, Google’s reported drop in customer satisfaction has not hurt its overall performance in the search market, and Yahoo/Bing have a long way to go if they hope to catch up to the search giant, which comScore reports accounts for more than 60 percent of all U.S. queries.

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.