According to Comscore, in December, Google's share of core searches stood at 58.4 percent. Yahoo! ranked second with 22.9 percent, followed by Microsoft Sites at 9.8 percent, Time Warner Network at 4.6 percent, and Ask Network in fourth place with 4.3 percent.

Interestingly, Yahoo! experienced the most significant market share increase, gaining 0.5 share points as compared to November. This is as Yahoo! finds its stock price depressed and the company considering layoffs as a means to turn things around.

Regardless, they are all chasing Google, and Google remains so far out in front, their hold on the marketplace seems insurmountable.

The challenge facing the runner-ups is daunting. Is it a matter of changing their marketing to attract more searchers? Explore new options to offer?

I'm not sure what the answer is for any of them, particularly Yahoo!. Normally, being number two in a market with nearly a 23% share of that market would be a good place to be, but in the world of Internet search engines, not so.

Yahoo! investors want more. Unfortunately, that probably means the chopping block for some Yahoo! employees.

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