When searching for a product or service or for general information, more than 9 out of 10 people conduct their search on Google over another search engine. Google no doubt has a stranglehold on the search engine market that is still going strong into 2024. However, there are a handful of other search engines that are used on a regular basis, but they take up a much smaller share of the market.
For digital marketers and businesses that want to increase their online visibility, the main focus should still be ranking well in the Google search engine results pages (SERPs) as the search engine giant still accounts for over 90% of the market. It is still worth the effort to make sure that your website also ranks in the SERPS for other search engines like Yahoo! and Microsoft Bing which managed to take a small bit of Google’s market share in 2023. In this guide, we will discuss each of the main search engines as well as their market shares from February 2023 through February 2024.
What are the Other Search Engines?
The search engines that are not Google are easy to forget about for many of us, but these other search engines are used by millions each year. While you likely have heard of other search engines such as Yahoo! and Bing, you may not be as familiar with these search engines as with Google. The following are the main search engines other than Google that are used worldwide.
Microsoft Bing
Microsoft Bing is a web search engine owned and operated by Microsoft. It was launched in 2009 as a successor to Microsoft’s previous search engines, including Live Search, MSN Search, and Windows Live Search. Bing provides a variety of search services, including web, image, video, and map search, as well as features such as Bing News, Bing Finance, Bing Sports, and more.
Bing’s search algorithm aims to deliver relevant search results to users based on their queries, using techniques such as semantic search, natural language processing, and machine learning. It also powers the search function on various Microsoft products and services, including the Microsoft Edge web browser and Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant.
The major difference between Bing and Google is that Bing focuses more on on-page optimization such as keywords in the content, domain, page titles, and metadata. Google has become more focused on interpreting the language of a query in context.
Yahoo!
Yahoo! is a multinational technology company founded in 1994, known primarily for its web portal and search engine, although it has diversified into various other areas over the years. Initially, Yahoo! started as a directory of websites, organized into categories and subcategories, to help users navigate the burgeoning World Wide Web. Over time, it evolved into a full-fledged web portal offering a wide range of services, including web search, email (Yahoo! Mail), news, finance, sports, entertainment, and more.
Yahoo! experienced significant growth during the dot-com boom of the late 1990s and early 2000s. It became one of the most popular destinations on the internet and was considered a leading internet company. However, it faced challenges and increased competition, particularly from Google, in the search engine market.
Despite various attempts to reinvent itself and diversify its offerings, Yahoo! struggled in the face of changing internet trends and competition. In 2016, Yahoo! agreed to sell its core internet business, including its search engine and web portal, to Verizon Communications. After the acquisition, Yahoo! continued to operate as a subsidiary of Verizon under the name “Oath Inc.” In 2019, Verizon announced that it would sell Yahoo! and AOL to the private equity firm Apollo Global Management, which subsequently rebranded the combined entity as Yahoo!.
Yahoo! primarily operates as a digital media company, offering a variety of online services, including Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Finance, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Sports, and more. It also maintains a presence in the search engine market through partnerships with other search providers.
YANDEX
YANDEX is a Russian multinational technology company known primarily for its internet-related products and services. Founded in 1997, YANDEX has grown to become one of the largest internet companies in Russia and the broader Russian-speaking world. YANDEX is also known as the “Google of Russia” as its search engine provides users with web search, image search, video search, and other types of searches.
Other services provided by YANDEX include the YANDEX browser, YANDEX.Maps, YANDEX.Translate, YANDEX.Mail, ride hailing app YANDEX.Taxi, and online marketplace YANDEX.Market.
Baidu
Baidu is a Chinese multinational technology company known primarily for its internet-related services and products. Founded in 2000, Baidu has grown to become one of the largest technology companies in China and is often referred to as the “Google of China.” Baidu is also the largest search engine in China as it provides web search, image search, video search, news search, and more.
Other services offered by Baidu include Baidu Maps, Baidu Baike which is an online encyclopedia similar to Wikipedia, online forum Baidu Tieba, Baidu Cloud, Baidu Apollo autonomous driving software, and Baidu Wallet.
DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo is a privacy-focused search engine that emphasizes protecting user privacy and avoiding personalized search results. Founded in 2008, DuckDuckGo has gained popularity as an alternative to mainstream search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
DuckDuckGo does not track users’ search history, nor does it profile users to serve targeted advertisements. This commitment to privacy means that users can search the web without fear of their search queries being logged or used to create personalized advertising profiles. DuckDuckGo also aims to provide unbiased and neutral search results, free from the influence of personalized data or user profiling. This stands in contrast to other search engines, which may tailor search results based on the user’s search history and personal data.
DuckDuckGo appeals to users who prioritize privacy and anonymity while searching the web. It has seen steady growth in popularity, particularly among individuals concerned about online privacy and surveillance. While DuckDuckGo may not have the extensive reach or features of larger search engines, its commitment to privacy has earned it a dedicated user base.
Search Engine Market Share: February 2023 – February 2024
According to statistics from Statcounter GlobalStats, Google still owns the biggest share of the search engine market by a wide margin. The following are the worldwide statistics on all platforms as of February 2024:
- Google – 91.62%
- Bing – 3.31%
- YANDEX – 1.84%
- Yahoo! – 1.08%
- Baidu – 0.77%
- DuckDuckGo – 0.53%
The following are the same statistics from one year prior in February 2023:
- Google – 93.37%
- Bing – 2.81%
- Yahoo! – 1.13%
- YANDEX – 0.84%
- DuckDuckGo – 0.52%
- Baidu – 0.45%
While Google still owns the biggest market share, its share did drop nearly two percentage points. Within the last year, Bing, YANDEX, and Baidu grabbed a bigger share of the market while Yahoo! dropped slightly, and DuckDuckGo remained about the same. It is important to remember that even though Google is the largest search engine by a large margin, the other search engines shown here are still used by millions, if not billions of people each year.
The Gains of Microsoft Bing
In February 2023, Bing revamped their search engine to be powered by ChatGPT. Many believed that this would make Bing more competitive with Google, and while Bing has captured a slightly larger share of the market, it is still way behind the search engine giant.
Between February 2023 and February 2024, the U.S. search engine market share for Bing increased from 6.35% to 7.87% while it’s worldwide share increased from 2.81% to 3.31%. Over the same period, Google experienced a decline in U.S. search market share from 88.96% to 87.46% and worldwide from 93.37% to 91.62%. Bing managed to take about 1.5% of the U.S. market share from Google but gained less than a percentage point from Google’s 2% decline on the worldwide market.
While this may seem like a small gain, Microsoft has said that taking even 1% of the market share from Google could mean $2 billion in new search revenue. Microsoft only publicly shares percentages in its earnings reports and in January 2024, they reported an 8% increase in revenue from Search and News Advertising. This means that the 1.5% of the market share they took from Google is likely responsible for this increase in revenue.
Search Engine Marketing from Proceed Innovative
In general, the search engine market share has maintained the status quo with Google on top and Microsoft Bing as a very distance second. However, the gains made by the other search engines should not be ignored as increases in market share for Bing, YANDEX, and Baidu translate to millions more users and a significant increase in revenue.
While Google should still be the main focus, it can benefit businesses to have a presence on all major search engines. If you want to increase the online visibility of your business but don’t know where to start, our professionals at Proceed Innovative can help.
Proceed Innovative is a digital marketing agency in the Chicago, IL area that provides complete search engine marketing services to help businesses improve their visibility and grow online. Our experts use proven digital marketing strategies that align with your business goals to bring you more sales opportunities online and as a certified Google Partner, we follow Google’s best practices to help you rank well in the SERPs.
You can call Proceed Innovative at (800) 933-2402 or submit a contact form to learn more.
