Google loses share as Yahoo, Microsoft gain

SAN FRANCISCO, USA: In a rare slip for Google Inc, Yahoo Inc and Microsoft Corp gained share as Google lost ground in the Web search market in June, industry data released on Friday shows.

Monthly data published by audience research firm comScore Inc shows Google's share of the U.S. Web search market -- the source of half the company's revenue -- at 61.5 percent, down three-tenths of a percentage point from May.

Meanwhile, number-two-ranked Yahoo gained 0.3 of a percentage point to 20.9 percent in June while the market share of Microsoft, the number-three U.S. Web search player, jumped 0.7 points to 9.2 percent, comScore said.

IAC/InterActiveCorp's Ask.com and Time Warner Inc's AOL unit, the number four and number five in U.S. search services, also lost ground, comScore data showed. Ask lost 0.2 percentage points of share to 4.3 percent and AOL's market share shrunk by 0.4 percentage points to 4.1 percent.