Comments for Old Habits Die Hard: MapQuest Still #1 Mapping Service

Old Habits Die Hard: MapQuest Still #1 Mapping Service

2009-02-11T19:11:15Z

MapQuest was once the unquestioned leader among online mapping services. And while others like Google Maps or Microsoft's Live Search Maps offer a more modern interface and far more features than MapQuest, the latest data from Hitwise shows that MapQuest still commands almost 40% of the market. Even on the fast-moving Internet, old habits clearly only die very slowly.

]]> Google Got Close

According to Hitwise's Heather Hopkings, Google came very close to catching up with MapQuest in December, but somehow, MapQuest managed to gain some ground again in January. Currently, MapQuest holds 39.49% of the market share in the US and Google Maps is at 35.67%.

Update: Hitwise just supplied us with a new graph that includes data for Live Maps and Yahoo Maps.

What is even more interesting, though, is that most of MapQuest's traffic comes from 'brand searches' - that is users who specifically search for 'mapquest.' Eight out of the top ten search terms leading to MapQuest were variations of its brand name and they accounted for 62% of MapQuests' visitors. For Google Maps, only two out of the top ten search terms were branded and they only accounted for 4.2% of Google Maps' traffic.

Old Habits

It is quite amazing how MapQuest manages to hang on to its top position. Google Maps gets over 60% of its traffic from Google itself, yet it seems that using MapQuest, even though it is barely keeping up with the latest technological advancements on the Internet, is still synonymous with online mapping for a majority of Internet users.

In many ways, this means that a service like Microsoft's Live Maps, which is holding on to a very distant ~~third~~ fourth place, is fighting an uphill battle, even though it provides a number of features like its Birds Eye View that even Google Maps doesn't have. For a lot of mainstream users, however, having access to the latest features doesn't necessarily translate into a reason to switch away from an established service.

Comment from Heather on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T19:53:18Z

And mapping programs for business professionals are taking flight. No longer do we just look up a map to find out where we're going. Now we want our maps integrated with our contact books, e-mail, mobile devices, etc ...

http://www.digitalforumtv.com/Nav_Community_749.aspx

Comment from Troy Malone on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T20:33:11Z

Very interesting. How in the heck did Google do what it did then? I remember the grass roots launch that Google did and it worked brilliantly. Now look at them!

This is a very interesting concept that I need to understand better. Thanks for sharing these statistics...

Troy Malone
Pelotonics

Comment from sexysofie on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T20:42:29Z

how's this for brand loyalty or rather brand avoidance. the link in the above comment has an "aspx" extension. i think that it is associated with microsuk somehow and therefore i refuse to click it.
it's a war out here and webmasters are caught up in the crossfire. too bad. you can thank companies and advertizers that practice deceptive tactics that try to dominate and lock people in.
microsopt is evil and i therefore categorically reject them.
adobe is evil and i avoid clicking on flash based sites.
espn is evil. it calls people thieves for blocking ads. therefore i avoid espn.
to all webmasters: avoid any deceptive practices and/or brand lock-in tactics or you will die.

Comment from Karen on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T21:06:40Z

If we're talking about the directions feature, there is no mystery. Google directions suck. After getting lost/going out of my way one too many times using Google directions, I began regularly mapping directions in Mapquest and Google Maps, to compare. Mapquest accuracy wins every time. Perhaps that's why people aren't moving in droves to other services.

Comment from Zoli Erdos on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T21:07:46Z

Frederic,

A classic case of the glass half full or half empty: you see it as Mapquest dyng *slowly*, I see it as Mapquest dying (slowly).

More here:
http://www.cloudave.com/link/resistance-is-futile-google-is-unstoppable

Comment from Frederic Lardinois on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T21:18:49Z

@karen - good point - I was talking to some die-hard Mapquest users after I posted this story and they indeed all cited the better direction as the #1 reason they still use MapQuest

@heather - also a great point - it will be interesting to see how this integration of GPS technology into cars and cell phones will change the market in the next year

Comment from JasonW on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T21:18:59Z

@notsosexysofie: Cat pee in your cheerios this morning? Got anger issues much? Misplace your tinfoil hat? Deceptive tactics? What deceptive tactics and by whom? And what exactly does your lunatic rant have anything to do with MapQuest vs Google maps?

I see an Adobe ad on this site, so are you going to boycott RWW now as well? I tend to avoid flash-based sites myself, but only because most are janky implementations probably done by someone who got a new toy (ie: Flash) and wanted to try it out (oooh, looky what I can do, animated nav bars). There's really not much out there that competes with Flash much anyway though, and the biggest competition for it is from, oh noes! Microsoft.

As far as aspx goes, yes, it's a programming technology, like PHP, developed by Microsoft, but geared specifically towards a Windows (zomg, the devil!) development and server environment.

Anyway, to get back on topic, I used to use MapQuest all the time, then Google Maps came out, and I haven't used MapQuest since. I think a lot of the direct traffic that MQ gets is from people who added MapQuest maps and driving directions to their websites 'back in the day' and have simply never updated them to something else like Google Maps. The number of brand searches for MapQuest is pretty surprising though.

Comment from cancun on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T21:51:11Z

I haven't used Mapquest in a long time. Interesting stats.

Comment from Heather on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T22:09:56Z

I am with Karen. I've gotten lost one two many times using Google directions. I finally learned my lesson up in the mountains of Eastern Mass. last fall. So it's no mystery to me.

Comment from Joe the Reader on 2009-02-11

2009-02-11T22:11:28Z

The MS address is actually maps.live.com, and has been for at least 2 years.

Comment from google maps on 2009-02-11

2009-02-12T06:49:41Z

well the whole post you seem to be implying that google maps and friends are way better than mapquest. even if mapquest doesn't keep up with the latest web tech trends, it's not true that a slicker interface translates into a more usable or valuable service.

google maps even makes reading something things are all in the name of making the map look a little nicer. it's ridiculous, but if you don't think about the slickness and come at it purely from a utilitarian perspective, mapquest may not be as bad you might think.

Comment from pwb on 2009-02-12

2009-02-12T08:43:25Z

How does Hitwise count? My guess is that MapQuest is still embedded in many high traffic sites (ex: CitySearch, AOL properties) that much (most?) of the traffic is not by choice.

Comment from Katie H on 2009-02-12

2009-02-12T17:55:30Z

I'd find this hard to believe, except that my 50-year-old mother is resolute in her commitment to Mapquest. She's a real-estate appraiser and uses the site multiple times a day.

I keep asking her why she uses it when Google Maps is better, but she claims that just likes it more.

Old habits die hard, indeed.

Comment from Grumpy Techs on 2009-02-12

2009-02-12T18:20:34Z

Probably because MapQuest is a lot like AOL is to grandparents; old and clunky survives (but not for long, IMHO.)

Comment from John McKinley on 2009-02-12

2009-02-12T21:51:29Z

I do think there are issues for the MapQuest franchise, some self-inflicted (the current user experience), and some not (Google's innate ability to direct traffic from search to their own mapping property).

I do, however, think there are opportunities to re-invigorate the property. More thoughts at http://greatfallsventures.wordpress.com/2009/02/12/why-mapquest-has-lost-its-way-and-how-to-fix-it/

Comment from Sam on 2009-02-12

2009-02-13T03:59:34Z

I think the issue is that MapQuest still provides more accurate directions so its ad-covered UI is still better than not being able to find an address or get inferior routes.

Comment from kaysi on 2009-02-13

2009-02-13T18:33:06Z

This is a very interesting concept that I need to understand better. Thanks for sharing these statistics...
muhabbet , mIRC

Comment from Ben on 2009-02-26

2009-02-27T03:59:51Z

Since Google made the move from Navteq to TeleAtlas, it has been going down hill. Directions are poor, and maps are out of date. Having looked at both Mapquest and Live Maps (both use Navteq), Mapquest is slightly ahead now imo. While Google is still the king for business listings, Mapquest has a cleaner look to it than Live Maps and allows more options with directions. Mapquest Local is also a fantastic service as well.

Live Maps though has the best traffic data, and can even suggest the best route through congestion.

I didn't take Yahoo Maps into consideration because it has no points of interest in Canada it seems.

Comment from Lelo on 2009-04-07

2009-04-08T05:42:55Z

This is strange to me since I love Google maps. I'm thinking it's more of "first-to-market" issue or more generally a marketing issue than actual preference.

It shouldn't much longer before Google takes the lead.

Comment from chat on 2009-06-16

2009-06-16T20:29:42Z

I didn't take Yahoo Maps into consideration because it has no points of interest in Canada it seems.

Comment from netlog on 2009-08-26

2009-08-27T02:13:43Z

welt diE :S

Comment from Peter on 2009-11-14

2009-11-15T06:30:55Z

Mapquest is the most accurate information for direction. I have not been misled one time since using it for a few years now. Google map is not that accurate, I ran into a few times of wrong information. Does Mapquest made GPS for driving?