Is Bing Gaining on Google?
Since the launch of Microsoft Corporation’s new search engine, Bing, in June of 2009, the blogosphere has been abuzz with the question: Can Bing topple Google? Some say yes and some say no. While Google has not only become a household name–and verb for that matter–it also still has a significant lead over all other search engines in percentage of searches both globally and in the US. As of February 2011, Google had 65.4% of the U.S. search market, according to ComScore. StatCounter estimates that Google has 89.94% of the global search market, whereas Bing has only 4.37%. Still, is it possible? Could Bing be gaining on Google?
Microsoft spent $80 million for advertising and marketing to launch Bing in 2009. Within the first week that Bing was launched, it captured 8.4% of the search market in the U.S., a number that surprised many in the search industry. Bing’s percentage of the search market has been steadily climbing ever since and was estimated at 13.6% as of February 2011. It was up a half a percentage point from January whereas Google was down from 65.6%. Similarly, Google stock fell $3.59 on the Nasdaq in February, and Microsoft stock went up $.27. Despite all of this, Google still has a significant lead in percentage; 13.6% to Google’s 65.4% can hardly be considered gaining, can it?
In August 2010, Yahoo teamed up with Microsoft to have Yahoo searches powered by Bing. Together Bing and Yahoo command 28.48% of the search market. Around 16.1% of those searches are happening on Yahoo. In October 2010, Facebook and Microsoft announced a new social search tool to be added to Bing, called Bing Social. Bing Social is a search tool that consults your friend’s Facebook pages to narrow your search for things like movies that you might like to see. Rumors are circulating that Bing and Facebook have plans to offer even more exciting new tools.
Could Bing be gaining on Google? Perhaps. As the Internet giants Microsoft, Yahoo, and Facebook continue to team up against Google, the race could become neck ‘n neck. Which horse is your money on? Keep in mind that tides turn and giants fall. With the focus that Bing has been displaying thus far, it is entirely possible that they will be the world’s leader in search.
If you want to stay on top of your game we invite you t join us on April 26. We will have a representative from Bing on hand to educate us on the platform and how it can be used to reach consumers.
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