This is the Information Age, and Internet surfing is an increasingly popular trend. According to the Harris Poll, more than two-thirds of all U.S. adults use the Internet. The Chicago Tribune cited three major companies that measure Internet usage: Hitwise, comScore Networks, and Nielson//Net Ratings. Nielson reported as of January 2006, that total online searches came to 5.69 million, an increase of approximately 39 percent over January 2005's total of 4.08 million searches.
"Web users are conducting more searches not because they can't find what they are looking for, but because search as a utility has become deeply ingrained into people's everyday lives," said Ken Cassar, chief analyst, Nielson//Net Ratings.