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Users Googled site to the top

By TIMES WIRES
Published April 26, 2007

Google Inc. passed Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo! Inc. to become the owner of the world's most-visited group of Web sites, a research firm said.

Google's sites had 528-million visitors worldwide in March, a 13 percent gain from the same month a year ago, ComScore Inc. said Wednesday. Microsoft had 527-million, while Yahoo had 476.3-million, the research firm said.

The popularity of searching the Web and new sites such as YouTube helped Google grow faster than both its biggest rivals.

Visitors to Microsoft's sites rose 4 percent from a year ago, while Yahoo's sites had a 1 percent gain, according to ComScore.

Sites owned by Time Warner Inc. came in fourth with 272-million visitors, a 21 percent gain from a year earlier, ComScore said. EBay Inc. had 256.3-million visitors, little changed from a year ago, while visitors to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia rose 82 percent to 212.2-million, the research firm said.

ComScore's data is based on a survey of 2-million people who use the Web at home or work and are at least 15 years old.

Also Intel will introduce a Web site next week that lets its customers buy text links and graphical ads through Google as part of the Intel Inside marketing program, the companies said in a statement.

"You get a version of Google that has been very tuned to be in line with Intel Inside," Michael Hoefflinger, Intel's general manager of partner marketing, said.

The site will include search keywords and ads that have been approved for promotion by Intel, as well as customized reports, said John Topping, a director for Google's business ad sales.

[Last modified April 26, 2007, 01:04:19]