According to Hitwise statistics, social networking site Facebook has triumphed over Internet search giant Google in yet another aspect – namely, the number loyal users. As per the Hitwise data, Facebook – which this year secured the US patent for its news feeds - boasts more loyal news readers on its site than Google News.

Going by the findings of the new Hitwise survey, for the week ending March 6, news readers opine that Facebook is a better trusted and a more reliable source than Google News.

Statistically speaking, Facebook is a hit with the news readers - nearly 78 percent of Facebook’s loyal users make more frequent revisits to the site for more news, vis-à-vis almost 67 percent of Google News users who frequently revisit the site for news. In addition, as many as 77 percent Facebook users returned to broadcast news sites, as against nearly 64 percent Google News users.

About its site boasting more dedicated news readers than Google News, Facebook said: “The launch of News Feed in 2006 was a pivotal moment in Facebook’s history and changed the way millions of people consumed and discovered information on the site.”

The Hitwise statistics indicate that with over 400 million users, the social network is fast becoming a feasible advertising standard for advertisers and retailers, who “need assurance that visitors will return again and again.”