According to a study performed by Nielsen Online, Google is still the number one brand in the U.S., considering the Internet traffic in July 2008. Although the number of users who chose to navigate Google pages in July was of approximately 123 million, Yahoo! proved to be more efficient in engaging people with its websites.

While people spent, on average, 1.18 hours on Google sites, Yahoo! managed to keep them interested for an average of 3.33 hours. With all that, Yahoo! is not the most engaging Internet company, the leading position being held by the AOL Media Network, with 3.40 hours per visitor in July. The company came in fifth in the most visited chart, while the second and third positions were occupied by MSN/Windows Live and Microsoft.

The same study shows that the total Internet audience for July was not perfectly divided into men and women, both categories using the web in a proportion of 48.18%-51.82%, respectively. However, men spent, on average, 5 hours more than women did in front of their computers performing searches, using Internet applications, or simply navigating.

An interesting fact highlighted by the study is that time spent on the Internet generally increases with age. For example, 55+ people spent approximately 83 hours online in July, while the 18-24-year-old category navigated for only 27 hours. The explanation could come from the fact that younger people are more active and spend more time outdoors, while middle-aged citizens find indoor activities to be more relaxing.

The age category that used the Internet most in July was that of 35-49. People this age are usually employed or have their own businesses. And, since most companies now rely on the Internet to stay in touch with partners or to find out the latest news in various business fields, it's no wonder that this age segment includes the heaviest Internet users.