Why Is Gmail Ranked #3 and Not #1?
It is amazing to discover that the number one search engine isn’t the number one free web based email provider. For a flash, I thought maybe Google doesn’t want to be. I figured that the more email accounts they host the more money it costs. However, that isn’t true, because the more email accounts that are created, the more people are exposed to the Google ads, which as you know, leads to income.
Gmail is ranked 3rd according to recent comScore data, and is currently knocking AOL Mail down to 4th place. Last year there was a reported 25 million Gmail users. This year comScore data shows over 37 million compared to AOL’s 36.4 million. But with all that said, you may be wondering who is in second place and more importantly first.
MSN holds the second place title and, well… you guessed it, Yahoo! holds the number one position. With that said, does it really come to any surprise? Think about it for a moment. Consider the marketing. Yahoo! and MSN both make their email services known. And I believe they do more so than Google.
Consider for a moment the mass amount of users who haven’t taken advantage the whole iGoogle experience. Remember, if you don’t have a Google account, when you access Google.com, you’re getting nothing but a blank white page with a search bar. In my opinion, how difficult would it be to promote Gmail on the Google Homepage?
Now I understand that the homepage isn’t as bare as it once was. But, seriously… is Google really utilizing the space on their homepage to promote their services? Remember, their free services help generate income. You’d think it was in their best interest to tell people about their basic services such as Gmail, Maps, and News.
The point I make is that these results come to no surprise despite the fact that Gmail blows Yahoo! Mail and MSN Mail out of the water. Gmail is by far more advanced, more capable, and is packed with many more features compared to the others. With that said though, it comes to no surprise to me that Gmail is ranked #3 instead of #1 due to Google’s lack of marketing of their own services. What’s your opinion on the matter? Share your opinions in the comments below.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
Garry — I think this boils down to that fact that people “get” MSN/YAhoo mail with their computers and other aftermarket options. To my knowledge, GMail has not done ANY offline marketing like that.
So, I think it is just a matter of time until GMail takes over the world.
Regards,
Mark
August 18th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Also Gmail has soooo many realy cool options you can try out in gmail labs. Gmail is leaps and bounds ahead of yahoo and MSN in terms of functionality.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
{The point I make is that these results come to no surprise despite the fact that Gmail blows Yahoo! Mail and MSN Mail out of the water. Gmail is by far more advanced, more capable, and is packed with many more features compared to the others.} –> Not really. As far UI is concerned many dumb users still prefer Y! Mail out of which many are already using Google as their default SE. Stats say so. Cant comment abt MSN.
August 18th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
It’s not a matter of marketing. It’s a matter of these two facts:
1. Yahoo and MSN (Hotmail) got to the “free webmail” market first. (AOL’s was originally tied to its paid dial-up service, which people have left in droves.)
2. It’s really annoying to change your email address.
The end.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:37 am
It was a bit surprising to me at first, but then MSN and Yahoo Mail exist far before GMail and I feel there are more SPAM or dead accounts in MSN and Yahoo than in Google. Google might have more real and serious userxs than the other two. One other reason why Yahoo is on top is because many spammers create bulk Yahoo bots to spam in Yahoo chatrooms; one such spammer may have about a thousand of bot accounts.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
There are all very valid points.
@ Mark: Very true!
@ Gerald: I agree.
@ Asish: You’re admitting that some people prefer simpler things and attributing that to why people prefer Yahoo or MSN mail. I think that proves my point that Gmail is more advanced and provides many more features.
@ Seamus: I believe these numbers could change very quickly if Google made their Gmail services more known.
@ Sandeep: I agree and know this to be totally true. A large amount of Yahoo.com email addresses are spam addys.
August 19th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
[...] Why Is Gmail Ranked #3 and Not #1? [...]
August 19th, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I agree with the point that Gmail is too advanced for some users. I recently set up my aunt with a Gmail account and she doesn’t get it. She prefers her Yahoo mail account saying its “just the right thing” for her.