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Dogpile Beats Google, Again Top Search Engine in Customer Satisfaction

For a second consecutive year, Dogpile ranked highest in satisfying residential internet service subscribers as their primary search engine, according to the J.D. Power and Associates “2007 Residential Online Service Customer Satisfaction Study,” reports MarketingCharts.

The study, in its fourth year, examines consumer behavior, experiences and satisfaction of internet service subscribers with the most frequently used online services: search engine/functions, web portal, instant messaging, social networking, music downloading services and online console gaming systems.

Dogpile improved by 14 points since 2006 to earn a score of 818 on a 1,000-point scale. It performed particularly well among internet service subscribers in all three factors that determine overall satisfaction (listed in order of importance): functionality, ease of use and results (see comparison chart).

Google followed Dogpile in the rankings with a score of 794, while Ask.com was third, earning a score of 784. (See chart for full rankings.)

“Dogpile continues to differentiate itself from its competition in two key ways,” said Frank Perazzini, director of telecommunications research at J.D. Power and Associates. “First, Dogpile’s meta search capabilities provide a one-stop search experience for internet users by aggregating the results of many of the major search engines simultaneously. Second, users report that they are particularly satisfied with the limits that Dogpile places on the amount of paid advertising that accompanies search results.”

The study also found that the number of customers who report using search engines on a daily basis has increased from 66 percent in 2006 to 70 percent in 2007.

Google remains the most widely accessed search engine in the study, undergoing an increase in usage of 7 percentage points from 2006 to 58 percent in 2007.

“In a market where most providers are, at best, maintaining their share, Google posts a significant share gain for a third consecutive year,” said Perazzini. “Google continues to be particularly successful at making its name and brand synonymous with the execution of an internet search. Even though Dogpile, Ask.com and others also provide high levels of satisfaction, it will be quite difficult for them to break Google’s grip on the market.”