Soaring Fuel Prices are Driving Traffic to the Internet as British Motorists and Householders Search for the Best Cheap Deals

LONDON, May 29 /PRNewswire/ --     "Cheap fuel" and "cheap petrol" are both new entries in the top twenty
most searched for financial terms on the internet this month according to
leading search engine, Ask.com, as householders and motorists suffer the
consequences of the spiralling cost of oil.

Results to the searches are pointing consumers to specialist sites giving
advice on where to get the best deals for both domestic energy supplies at
home and petrol on the garage forecourt.

Websites such as petrolprices.com use a postcode search and a
comprehensive database of the nation's petrol stations to show where the best
petrol deals can be found. On local London searches, for example, the site
reveals differences of as much as 15p a litre in the price of unleaded fuel.
A saving of more than GBP7 on filling the tank of an average family saloon.

According to Ask.com managing director Cesar Mascaraque, searches for the
best buys on petrol and energy have risen by as much as one hundred and
twenty percent in the past month.

"Search engines are the great barometers of public interest. The moment
fuel prices began to rocket we recorded a massive spike in interest for any
kind of advice to help keep costs down.

"And this is where the internet can really play its part in helping
consumers. Sites like findcheappetrol.com and simplyswitch.com exist
purely to point people in the direction of the best value deals available."

Other financial hotspots on Ask.com include searches for "debt
consolidation" and "100% mortgages" - an indication that people are
struggling to manage their finances generally.

And "Bankruptcy" has entered the top twenty most searched for financial
terms for the first time in the internet search engine's history. Also
appearing in the top twenty most searched for financial terms are searches
relating to loans of all kinds and taxes, including "10p tax rate."

Top financial risers on Ask.com:
    
    1) 100% mortgages
    2) Cheap petrol
    3) Road tax
    4) Cheap fuel
    5) Cheap gas
    6) Petrol prices
    7) Debt consolidation
    8) Cheap electric
    9) Fuel prices
    10) Bankruptcy
    11) Mortgage calculator
    12) Best loans
    13) Bad credit loans
    14) Vehicle tax
    15) Mortgage loan
    16) 10p tax rate
    17) Tax credits
    18) No deposit mortgages
    19) Tax allowances
    20) Payday loans



About Ask.com:

A leading search engine on the Web, Ask.com combines world-class search
technology with one-of-a-kind search tools to help people get what they are
looking for faster. Ask.com sites include Ask.com U.S. (http://www.Ask.com),
Ask.com Deutschland, Ask.com Span, Ask.com France, Ask.com Italia, Ask.com
Japan, Ask.com Nederland and Ask.com UK. Additionally, Ask.com syndicates its
search technology and advertising units to a network of affiliate partners.
Ask.com is a division of IAC Search & Media, a wholly owned business of IAC
(NASDAQ: IACI).