One quarter of online shoppers open the door via search engines, according to Hitwise, the Internet research firm. This is the same percent that came from search engines a year ago.

Overall, 66.5 percent of all Internet searches this February were conducted using Google, which compares with 64 percent in 2007. Far fewer, 20.5 percent, were conducted on Yahoo Search, compared with 21.5 percent for the same period a year ago.

Just seven percent were conducted using MSN Search, compared with nine percent in February 2007. Just four percent were conducted on Ask.com, compared with 3.5 percent for the same period the prior year. Remaining search engines accounted for just shy of two percent of all U.S. Internet searches.