Sector Report

Summary: Web
Hosting – March
2010
Greenlight
www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports

Greenlight
Broadgate Tower
London
EC2A 2EW

+44 (0)20 7253 7000

www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports
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Search volumes for web hosting up 100,000

on December 2009 levels
The potential for the web hosting market would seem to be substantial. In its latest quarterly report,
‘Web Hosting Report March 2010’, the UK’s leading independent specialist search engine
optimization (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) consulting firm, Greenlight, reveals that in March, there
were 1.1 million online searches in the UK for web hosting services – an increase of 100,000 on
December 2009 levels. Whilst searches for domain name registration-related terms accounted for
40% of the total search volume, the term ‘Web hosting’ was the most queried with search volume up
25,000 since December 2009.

Greenlight used industry data gathered in March 2010 to classify 1,500 of the most popular keywords
used to search for web hosting services including dedicated hosting, domain name registration, email
hosting, and web hosting terms. The data was also used to build an aggregate view and ranking of
the top 60 most commonly appearing and prominent websites, as well as the respective size of the
audience they were reaching as a result of their having that keyword-specific visibility, in both
natural* and paid search**.

Some key findings reveal:

123-Reg, Wikipedia and FastHosts were the most visible web hosting websites in natural
search, accounting for 61%, 42% and 39% share of voice, respectively

With 135,000 searches, ‘Web hosting’, the most queried term, accounted for 29% of the
464,000 web hosting-related online searches made by UK searchers in March 2010

FastHosts was the most visible website for web hosting-related services, in natural search. It
attained 59% visibility through ranking at position one for 14 keywords, including the term:
‘Web hosting’. This was a 7% increase on its share of voice in Greenlight’s December 2009
report

‘Domain name’ and ‘Domain name registration’ were the two most searched for domain
name registration-related terms, accounting for 40,500 searches apiece. 123-Reg was the
most visible website, achieving a dominant 91% share of voice

© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Web Hosting – March 2010
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Across the top 120 keywords, 1and1 was the most visible advertiser in March, attaining 61%
visibility. This considerable share of voice was attained through bidding on more keywords
(106) and, at an average ad position of six, appearing more often than any other advertiser in
the paid space. It was followed by 123-Reg and GoDaddy with 47% and 41%, respectively

One.com increased its visibility by 21% in paid search, which saw it rank in fifth position,
having featured at position 13 in Greenlight’s December report

GBBO’s visibility increased the most in paid search, since Greenlight’s previous report; it was
a new entrant to Greenlight’s top 60 advertisers, ranking at position eight with 28% share of
voice

Of the top 10 web hosting advertisers in paid search, nine were multi-channel service
providers and one was a domain name and website supplier: GBBO.

(Greenlight’s top 10 of the 60 most visible web hosting websites in both natural and paid search shows below. If you are unable to view
the table please contact marketing@greenlightsearch.com)

Top 10 of the 60 most visible web hosting websites in both in natural and paid search, UK
No. Website/Advertiser Natural Search Paid Search

1 123-reg.co.uk 61% 47%

2 fasthosts.co.uk 39% 39%
3 1and1.co.uk 8% 61%
4 wikipedia.org 42% 0%
5 rackspace.co.uk 9% 33%
6 godaddy.com 0% 41%
7 one.com 0% 34%
8 names.co.uk 12% 21%
9 daily.co.uk 0% 32%
10 uk-cheapest.co.uk 29% 2%
Source: Greenlight

Please note: If you plan to use any information in this summary, please link any references to Greenlight via the following:
http://www.greenlightsearch.com/sectorreports/

© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Web Hosting – March 2010
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Notes:

Greenlight’s Web Hosting Sector Report profiles search behaviour in this sector. It assesses which
websites and aggregators are the most visible in natural and paid search results, and hence have the
greatest share of consideration when UK-based searchers go to Google to search for web hosting services.

For more information about Greenlight’s research:

Yetunde Akinwale
T: +44 (20) 7253 7000
E: marketing@greenlightsearch.com
Web: http://www.greenlightsearch.com

Disclaimer:

The information provided in this report summary and the full sector report available on
www.greenlightsearch.con/sectorreports is for information only and should not be relied upon to enter
into any business transaction or to make any commercial decision. Whilst Greenlight has made every
effort to ensure the accuracy of this report, Greenlight cannot accept any liability for any error or
inaccuracy found within this document and no warranty is provided regarding its completeness or its
suitability for any purpose. The content of the report is the copyright of Greenlight Marketing Limited.
The reader may use and circulate the report within its own business organisation. However, it is not
permitted to exploit, distribute, sell or otherwise make use of the report for commercial gain. It is
permitted to reproduce extracts of the report for public interest, provided that the publisher credits
Greenlight as the source of the work.

About Greenlight

Greenlight is an independent specialist SEO and PPC consulting and technology firm, the largest of its kind
in Europe and the fastest growing. With over 100 blue-chip clients including Vodafone UK, Interflora, Co-
operative Financial Services and ghd, and a multitude of awards to its name, Greenlight is a leader in the
search marketing space, and is recognised worldwide for its commitment to delivering record ROI for its
clients and investing in the future of search.

Greenlight is considered the premier thought leader in the sector, publishing widely read industry reports,
original research, speaking at most trade events, and delivering a highly respected search training
programme in conjunction with the IDM. Greenlight was founded in 2001 and is headquartered in
London, with offices in New York.

*Natural Search - Listings in search engine results pages that appear because of their relevance to the search
terms
**Paid Search – an Internet advertising model used on websites, in which advertisers pay their host only when
their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target
market

© Greenlight Marketing Ltd, 2010 Greenlight | Sector Report Summary: Web Hosting – March 2010