Year over year, searches on Google and Yahoo in March increased 41 percent and 47 percent, respectively, outpacing the overall search growth rate of 36 percent, reports Nielsen/NetRatings. Google's searches increased from 2.1 billion in March 2005 to 2.9 billion in March 2006; Yahoo's searches increased from 907.8 million to 1.3 billion. Third-place MSN searches increased 9 percent year over year, from 592.2 million to 643.8 million.

Google and Yahoo gained search market share in March - two percentage points and one percentage point, respectively; Google now accounts for 49 percent of all searches, Yahoo! 22 percent. MSN's share dropped slightly, from 14 to 11 percent.

"As the recognized leaders in the search market, Google and Yahoo! continue to gain ground as new features, such as instant search suggestions and video search, heighten loyalty among their users," said Michael Lanz, VP of search industry solutions at Nielsen/NetRatings. "To compete, other search providers must be equally innovative and build consumer trust in their search results," he continued.